South Gloucestershire | Archive | 2005 | July | 15
From the Gazette, first published Friday 15th Jul 2005.
RESIDENTS fighting plans for a composting site on the edge of Thornbury were "gutted" last week after development watchdogs gave the scheme the green light.
Members of the Thornbury Residents Against Pollution (TRAP) action group were furious at the go ahead for the green waste composting operation at Morton Farm on Gloucester Road and claimed it was made on the basis of inaccurate and misleading information.
"We are shocked and appalled that it has gone through in this way," said Pam Benson, whose home is a few hundred yards from the farm.
"Councillors made their decision on the basis of a flawed report. The only honest and true information they received came from us.
"They have imposed more than 30 conditions but the worry is how they are going to be monitored? The council won't police it properly and it will be down to us to do the watching and reporting. That's exactly what we shall be doing."
Another local protestor, Keith Woosnam, said he would consider reporting the council to the Local Government Ombudman over its handling of the application.
Residents fear the scheme will have a serious impact on quality of life, the environment, public health and highway safety.
TRAP member Julian Wheldon said there was a risk that residents would be subjected to odours akin to "silage and vomit". The scheme was at odds with government guidelines and had not been independently assessed. The planning officer's report was "incomplete, inaccurate, and inconsistent" and contained incorrect advice, he said.
But South Gloucestershire councillors approved the scheme - for a temporary period of one year only - after agreeing that it was acceptable in planning terms, subject to proper management and conditions.
Pilning-based Green Waste Management Services will now use the former dairy farm to convert up to 10,000 tonnes a year of biodegradeable green waste into soil enriching organic fertiliser.
The waste was to have included material from "green bin" kerbside collections but the application was amended to restrict imports to green waste from local civic amenity sites, specifically excluding cardboard, food and animal waste in a bid to reduce the risk of plastics arriving at the farm.
Planning manager Mark Davies told the development control (west) committee: "This is a temporary consent to allow the planning authority to monitor the development over a 12-month period. The applicant will also be applying for a waste management licence which also involves rigorous requirements."
He said councillors should not be concerned by problems at a composting operation at Southcroft Farm in Chipping Sodbury.
"Members should not be influenced by experiences at an entirely different site," he said. "This one will be restricted to green waste only."
Planning agent Gill Poulson said the site had been carefully chosen for its suitability and the operation would cause minimal impact. Local composting sites were needed to avoid the need to transport green waste out of the area.
And she urged councillors to "be brave" and not to be intimidated by objectors.
Ward councillor Clare Fardell failed in a bid to have the matter deferred until questions had been fully answered.
"We must take care to ensure lives are not ruined by a huge, noisy, smelly industrial health hazard," she said.
Moving the recommendation, Filton ward councillor Stan Simms said: "This is the right way forward. It will use natural materials to bring the land back to life."
Consent was given by six votes to four with three abstentions. The site will be visited by councillors during the sixth and 11th months of operation for monitoring purposes.
© Newsquest Media Group 2008