A WASTE company has been met with local anger after it applied to temporarily increase the height of its stockpile in Romsey to cope with delays in constructing a new wash plant that will eventually reduce the pile.
Ace Liftaway said it has faced delays to its £4.5m plan to recover waste materials and has been forced to submit a temporary planning application to exceed the approved height of its stockpile at Yokesford Hill Estate in Cupernham Lane.
Residents, businesses and councils have objected to the application with concerns for surrounding biodiversity and the stockpile’s visual impact.
The stockpile is made up of construction bi-products that have been recovered and processed and it is currently 35.58m tall.
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However, managing director Philip Liddell believes objectors haven’t understood the company’s greater ambitions or the six-month time frame.
Mr Liddell said: “It’s quite fascinating how many objected without reading the full application. We’re very approachable so if anyone has any concerns they can ring us. We wrote to all the residents who we believed would be impacted.
“We’re a Romsey family business investing £4.5m in a sustainable future for minerals in Hampshire. This isn’t material that has been imported. It’s a problem all waste companies are having in re-processing waste into renewable materials.
“We’re about a year behind in the plan for our wash plant due to months of delays on the initial planning application. There was also an issue with supply of materials due to the various knock-on effects of Covid.”
The wash plant is anticipated to be running by May and process 1,200 tonnes of waste a day. The managing director expects there will be a visual decrease in the stockpile within three months of the operation and be cleared within 18 to 20 months.
A Hampshire County Council spokesperson said: “The stockpile currently exceeds the height under the existing planning permission for the wider site. In line with the council’s ‘Planning Enforcement and Site Monitoring Plan’, the operator agreed to submit a planning application to maintain the current height for a temporary period.
“Enforcement action has been undertaken to control the footprint and height of the soil stockpile. The operator has been told to stop adding new soil to the stockpile and remove soil that may encroach on the trees and hedges around the edge of the pile. The county council has agreed a timetable that takes account of health and safety considerations, and is actively monitoring the site to ensure compliance.”
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Michelmerch and Timsbury’s Parish Council’s objection read: “The PC is concerned that the height of the material stockpiles on this site have significantly exceeded the permitted height for a considerable time.
“The stockpiles are clearly visible from public viewpoints and create an adverse visual impact. Machines working on the over height stockpiles are potential sources of excessive noise affecting local residents.”
Residents Peter and Eileen Trayhorn said in their objection: “We have lived here for six years and, initially, the heap was visible up to two-thirds of the mature trees which stand between our house and the heap, it now is above the top of those trees.
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“The heap is visible from most of the windows and rooms we use in the house especially the conservatory on the south side. There has been 3 vehicles/plant on the top of the heap at one time - a grading machine (which was in view for several weeks last summer, as well as noise and dust) a bulldozer which is constantly backwards and forwards, the noise of its engines and tracked wheels are constant from 7am until 5pm.
“There is also the concern that spoil from the heap being constantly pushed against the trees will cause them damage and possibly kill them. We believe that the heap will not reduce as it is put through the wash plant as it will be constantly added to as it is now.”
In response to concerns over surrounding wildlife, Mr Liddell said: “We’ve already started replanting woodland and made sure it’s all native. We supply food stuffs for wildlife during the Autumn and have loads of resident bird life, all on the endangered list, living in harmony with us. We wouldn’t have these species living around us if we were a threat, they’ve adjusted to our operation.”
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