David Davis MP objects to 24/7 working at Transwaste in Melton

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As reported in The Hull Daily Mail:

A renewed attempt to turn East Yorkshire’s biggest waste facility into a 24-hour operation has been met with a flurry of objectons.

Current planning conditions on Transwaste’s site in Gibson Lane, Melton, limit its operating times to between 6am and 6pm on weekdays, 6am to 4pm on Saturdays and 8.30am to 3pm on Sundays and bank holidays.

Deliveries to and from the site are also limited to the same hours although the condition does allow for essential repairs and maintenance of the plant to take place up to 8pm.

But the company wants the condition changed to allow 24-hour operation seven days a week.

It says moving to a round-the-clock operation is necessary because of an increasing demand for waste processing.

An identical application to change the condition was rejected by East Riding Council planning committee in April after the plan attracted over 500 objections.

Now Transwaste has re-submitted the application to the authority.

The company’s second attempt to change the condition has already triggered a similar backlash.

In a letter of objection, Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davis said: “This application is wholly inappropriate. There is no material difference between this application and an identical application refused in April 2019.

“The refusal was made on the grounds that night-time working hours and the related vehicle movements would have a detrimental impact on the surrounding properties.

“This application would have exactly the same impact on residents living in Gibson Lane and the wider Melton area.”

East Riding ward councillors Julie Abraham and Vanessa Walker have also called on their planning committee colleagues to once again refuse any move towards allowing the site to operate 24-hours-a-day.

Councillor Abraham said: “Residents of Melton and North Ferriby are concerned about overnight noise if this application goes ahead.

“They are already registering complaints about noisy, unauthorised activities being undertaken by another company using land in Gibson Lane.

“Generators are being used to keep refrigerated vehicles chilled overnight and that noise is carrying to dwellings in both villages.

“In the current hot weather people have their windows open and they are finding it very difficult to sleep with the constant thrumming of the generators.

“It demonstrates only too well what the implications could be if Transwaste was to get permission to process waste through the night.”

Cllr Walker added: “Transwaste has appealed the committee’s decision to refuse its first application and we believe it is premature to go back to the authority with a duplicate application.

“The appeal will allow all information and opinions to be taken into account by an independent inspector and that is fair for both applicant and objectors alike.”

In the new application, the company’s agents The Energy Workshop say: “The proposal is not related to any intended increase in the quantities of waste that are imported on to the site.

“Amending the condition, as proposed, would allow the 24-hour processing of waste within the site so preventing the need to store unprocessed waste during non-operational hours.

“The proposed amendment would enhance the operational efficiency of the site by reducing current requirements to store putrescible and other organic wastes prior to their processing during periods when site operation.

“Reducing the requirement for the storage of such waste by allowing 24/7 site operation would reduce potential issues relating to odour and dust by minimising requirements for the storage of waste prior to processing.”

An Environment Agency permit allows Transwaste to process up to 750,000 tonnes of waste per year at the site.

However, in practice, the company says it currently processes around two-thirds of this permitted tonnage.

The re-submitted application is expected to go before planning councillors later this year.