I have a great deal of sympathy for the residents of Newport who are affected by the smell, litter and Vehicle movements associated with the tip located at the side of the M62 between Gilberdyke and Newport. The tip has been on the site for many years and for the most part has been a reasonable neighbour to residents.But all this seems to have changed over recent months and we now see the amount of waste being delivered to the site increasing significantly. This is having a negative impact on the quality of live for a great many Newport and Gilberdyke residents as they are subject to, increased HGV movements past their homes from very early in the morning till late at night, plastic bags and other rubbish being blown across the fields and littering the hedgerows, and obnoxious smells coming from the site.
Early on Tuesday morning some residents of Newport’s Thimble Hall Lane parked their cars at each side of the road to prevent the passing of HGVs onto the site for a short period of time, as a gesture against the HGV movements. I am told that two representatives (thought to be from one of the companies using the tip) stopped in a Range Rover, and rather than engaging with residents to listen to their concerns, informed them they’d called the police. Ironically I have today received complaints from the residents of Newport’s Mill Lane about a Range Rover travelling along Mill Lane at high speeds thought to be above the speed limit.
At last night's Newport Parish Council meeting an unheard of 35 members of the public attended, and proceeded to describe the situation. I was certainly surprised to hear that yesterday they had witnessed over 150 HGV movements along Thimblehall Lane to and from the tip, and the day before the last lorry passed at ten past ten in the evening. But it was surprising to hear from residents living alongside the other routes to the tip along both Mill Lane and Landing lane that were also complaining about the increased HGV movements. It was also stressed that a number of the vehicles were from the North East of the Country.
I certainly find it very disturbing to see the operation of the tip expanding at such an alarming rate, especially when the documentation from the applicant received by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council on 8th March 2011, as part of the Planning Application to extend the life of the site states, “ Due to the much reduced input of waste, traffic volumes have consequently reduced. At the anticipated revised output, traffic levels will remain below those expected in 1999. On Average, 20 vehicle movements per day, including employees and visitors are expected”.
“To be blunt, on the evidence I’ve seen I really wonder just who the applicant is trying to kid here”.
14 comments:
Can you describe to us exactly the planning process, and where to find the contact details of the planning committee who will consider this particular application please Paul?
Paul, Can I make you aware of the disgusting behaviour of the driver's of the lorries using the site. A resident parked down leatherdog lane early this morning to get a true count of how many lorries are going to the site. Every driver that passed the residents gave then the V sign or some form hand gesture whilst beeping their horns. The lorries going to the site was significantly reduced, but we found that three lorries were parked up on the Main Road in Newport, apparently waiting for the residents to move before they went to the site. Also, quite a few lorries were seen parked up in Gilberdyke....
I'm afraid that I've had to cut the last comment that contained the accusation regarding an assault - I have heard this from a number of people now and I suggest that the individual concerned passes this on to the Police.
The application will be heard by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Strategic Planning Committee, hopefully sometime in June.
The makeup of the Planning Committee will change after the local elections in May, therefore please check the ERYC website after the 1st Council meeting of the new Council.
What are the management at the tip trying to hide? If they were any sort of Professional comapny they would be working with the residents trying to come to some agreement that works for everyone.
I couldn't agree more.
Escalation of the aggravation into assault is deeply concerning. Let us hope we do not see missiles being thrown at lorry windscreens in retaliation.
Last night I observed a couple of large HGVs turn from Sandholme Road onto Landing Lane. Presumably these would be heading for the tip? An HGV traffic census needs conducting on Leatherdog Lane between the tip entrance and the first junction (Mill Lane) to catch all the HGV movements going in and out. Dawn till dusk at the very least!
According to the ERYC website councillor Symon Fraser is the cabinet member with responsibility for planning matters.
As Paul said there is an election coming up but there is a high likelihood that he will have the same responsibility afterwards so a few letters to him via County Hall might not go amiss.
The facebook page seems to be somewhat slowly taking up support. APATHY is what lets such planning applications through by default.
This needs regional news coverage (Yorkshire Post) on a frequent "in your face" basis.
How many people have actually written to East Riding Council on an individual basis? Nowhere near enough I suspect. Petitions are all very well but do not have the same impact as 400 individual letters strongly opposing the proposal to extend the life of this tip.
The planning committee would sit up and take notice with that sort of response but one petition is just one letter.
Yes I have written my letters of objection - time for readers to do the same!
Dear Mr Robinson,
As the paid Councillor supposedly representing the interests of the people of Howdenshire, and a parish councillor of Gilberdyke, can I just ask what are YOU and the rest of the paid Councillors doing to stop this from happening in our area.
If I, as a normal member of the public were to breach any part of the planning regulations you and the rest of the council would be quick to stop it.
Why are YOU and the rest of the Councillors not stopping this?
I see that you must approve all comments on your blog before it can be published, let’s see if this is published and answered.
Dear Anonymous
No problem in publishing your comment and I think you raise interesting questions and points.
I can only speak for myself with regard to what I’m doing as one of the elected members for Howdenshire. I chair the tip liaison committee; I visit the site on a regular basis, I have had countless meetings, telephone conversations, and exchanges of emails with Council Officers, Environment Agency Officers, and our MP, and the tip operators, members of the public and parish councillors. I have also visited other landfill sites. I have, and continue to make sure the issue has remained at the front of the minds of the decision makers through generating blogposts, press releases etc.
I think if you go to the most current blogposts on the main page and scroll down you will be able to see some of the things I’ve done and continue to do.
Needless to say you are not correct when you talk about Councillors stopping members of the public breaching planning regulations. It is the Council Officer’s role to do this but always bear in mind that the individual or company can use the rather complex planning and appeals system to thwart or delay the process. So the solution is not as simple as some would assume.
Great that you read my blog, please keep reading the regular blogposts for more information and progress reports.... and please feel free to put your name to any further questions or points you may wish to raise either publically on here or privately by email.
Paul
It seems quite clear that this cowboy operation has flouted most of its conditions of planning approval and as been allowed to get away with it too long,
From my experience when companies flout the rules the planning people meet them half way to try and get things back on track.
The E.A. seem to of started to already bend on this.
I have not yet been too involved with this issue to-date but living close to the tip have decided to look at some issues,
1. NONE of the figures of tonnage in comparrison to the 40ft lorries that go down thimblehall add up.
ALL time scales seem vague to what happens.
I intend to look at the E.U directives on land fill and other relevent matters,
i also will be using the freedom of information act to obtain relevent info.
and looking into the legal situation of cctv or cameras to monitor things, or some counting systme into the tip.
A.little disappointing that there is so much anger and frustration about the tip and yet the comments on here are from the same few and appears to be a poor response on face book with just 65 members.
Is it that it is just so few people that the tip bothers and the rest do not care or am i missing something.
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