Fury over extending life of landfill site near beauty spot

Controversial plans to extend the life of a landfill site near a beauty spot until 2035 are being recommended for approval despite objections from residents and councillors over noise and pollution.

Tudor Griffiths Limited wants to continue using its Spunhill site, near Ellesmere, for another 24 years. The company insists its plans will not have a negative impact on residents and the environment and will help protect 70 jobs.

But residents and councillors fear another 24 years' use will be too long.

Villagers in places like nearby Colemere have accused the company of failing to keep to the time limits forecasted when it last applied for permission in the 1990s.

Tudor Griffiths bosses have applied to vary the conditions, namely the time limits, of the existing permission to dump non-hazardous waste at the site, which was granted in 1995 and expired on December 31, 2010.

They want permission to use a further 1,062,000 cubic metres of landfill space but said the number of vehicle movements to and from the site on the A528 Ellesmere to Shrewsbury road would not change.

Ian Gorton, from Waste Recycling Group, which operates a similar facility in Chirk, wrote an objection letter in which he said: "We believe that by allowing this planning application, it could create an unnecessary over supply of landfill" Now officials at Shropshire Council have recommended the plans for approval when the north planning committee meets on January 10.

Colemere resident Barbara Platt said: "We were assured that all landfill would end by 2010.

"Now this application will mean continuing tipping for another generation which we feel is unacceptable."

Shirehall planning officers have tabled a string of conditions in a bid to appease opponents of the scheme.

These include limiting the tipping of waste at the site until 2030.

In a letter to planning officers, Tudor Griffiths general estates manager Stuart Lawrence, blamed new legislation and a trend towards recycling for the need to operate the landfill site for longer.