The Landfill Threat Becomes Real

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and Brighton and Hove City Council have finally confirmed their plan to use Ashdown Brickworks in Turkey Road, Bexhill for a massive landfill of residual waste starting as early as 2012.

Ashdown the 'Preferred Option'

In their recently published Preferred Strategy for the handling of waste in the County until 2026, ESCC have designated the Ashdown Site as their "Preferred Option" for the landfilling of waste and hope to start a Planning Application next year to complete by the end of 2011. The Strategy was approved by ESCC Cabinet last Wednesday.

The Next Public Consultation

The Strategy does list some possible alternative sites however, and there will be a period of Public Consultation from 21st October to 2nd December this year before Ashdown is definitively selected. Rother District Council, BALI (Bexhill Against Landfill and Incineration) and other local organizations will be making submissions in this consultation and the public will also be invited to give their views.

Despite greater recycling, 60% of the area's approximate 2 million tonnes of waste is still disposed to landfill. Although the Incinerator being built at Newhaven (estimated to start 2012) will be able to burn most of our domestic waste and recover energy from it, landfill will still be needed for other types of waste (e.g. construction and demolition waste) and the bottom ash left after incineration, which can be as much as 25% of the waste burnt. About 4.5 million tonnes of landfill will be needed up to 2026. Most of that is planned for Ashdown as all other landfill sites are closed or (Pebsham) in the process of closure.

BALI is meeting with our local MP, Councillors, environmental groups and other stakeholders to try to co-ordinate a campaign to oppose what they see as a pernicious proposal that would have a devastating effect on the whole town of Bexhill, setting back the Council's plan for its regeneration and likely to lower house prices throughout the town.

Effects on the Community

The community of West Bexhill would be particularly affected if the plan goes through, with an estimated four thousand residents living within a mile of the site. Potential effects of the landfill would include visual impact, odours, pests, noise, dust and litter as well as concerns about public health. Significant daily HGV waste-truck movements would affect a wider area, depending on the routes chosen, but potentially having similar effects and causing traffic congestion.

Several local amenities and their users would be egregiously affected, most importantly the flagship new Bexhill High School being constructed for 1800 young people less than half-a-mile away. Users of the Bexhill Cemetery only 250 metres away (less if the cemetery is extended as planned) would overlook the dump, as would the golfers of Highwoods Golf Club. Arguably worst affected of all would be the much-frequented Highwoods nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, whose wildlife would be decimated: birds simply would not nest.

BALI's latest action

In April this year, in anticipation of this decision, BALI re-engaged its prominent legal planning consultant to make a strong case that the choice of Ashdown for landfill is entirely unsound. This case is now ready to submit. Such legal work is, of course, costly and has only proved possible through the generous donations of its supporters and the hard work of its fundraising team.

BALI's case

BALI's case is twofold. Firstly it argues that the effects of a landfill in this location are simply too great. According to Government planning policy, the County Council must clearly demonstrate, in allocating any land for such purposes, that "there is no unacceptable impact on the environment and on communities". BALI will seek to prove that, given the proximity of so many homes and local amenities and so much ancient woodland with unique flora and fauna, the impact will be totally unacceptable.

It will also argue that the choice of Ashdown as the County's landfill site is, in planning terms, "unsafe", in that it cannot be "delivered" (made ready) in the time-frame required by the County Council. The Council needs landfill in the short term to meet an immediate and increasing shortfall in capacity. It is unlikely, however, that Ashdown could be able to receive substantial quantities of waste for some years.

When Ashdown was originally considered as a landfill site it was well-established that there would first need to be created a whole new transport infrastructure as the present access roads (Pear Tree Lane and Turkey Road) are clearly unsuitable. This would consist of the Link Road, a so-called "Country Avenue" spurring off it to the A269, and a purpose-built access road from the A269 to the site. The Link Road, however, if constructed at all, will not be ready until 2012 at the latest and the other roads are at present not even on the drawing board.

It is also not clear that the Ashdown quarries, owned by Ibstock Brick Ltd., have the potential capacity in the short term to receive substantial waste. There are two quarries where they plan to deposit waste in one while continuing to extract clay from the other. However the hole they plan to use for waste is by no means empty and they would need to stockpile clay on nearby land.

Rother District Council

BALI is hoping that Rother District Council will also make a strong case against the proposed landfill, using their substantial planning and legal resources and expertise. While they do not make the final decision, their views as a key stakeholder could be very influential, if not decisive.

 

Greg Barker MP

BALI has already held an urgent meeting with local MP Gregory Barker, who has always been firmly opposed to a landfill at Ashdown and, indeed, was instrumental in forming BALI some years ago. He has assured BALI of his firm support. A campaign will shortly be launched asking local residents and Councillors of all parties to unite against the move, culminating in a Public Meeting which Mr. Barker has agreed to Chair [To be held on Friday 7th November 2009 at 7.00 pm, venue Bexhill High School, Gunters Lane, Bexhill - please come along].

 

Defeat This Monstrous Plan

BALI genuinely believes that the proposal can still be defeated.  "The news is extremely serious and a wake-up call to the people of Bexhill, some of whom have doubted that the threat of a landfill was real", says Nick Hollington, Chairman of BALI. "It's staring us in the face now, but if we can all get together to fight this monstrous plan we can defeat it. But we must act NOW!"

It is hoped that, if the landfill proposal is defeated, work can begin on a plan for eventually restoring the quarries for community use in cooperation with Ibstock. BALI wants them to form part of a "nature reserve" incorporating the Highwoods and surrounding farmland. In this respect, earlier this year BALI made a formal proposal to Rother District Council’s Local Development Framework of a "West Bexhill Countryside Park" similar to that now being created in the Pebsham area. This proposal has now been formally registered.

But first the landfill proposal must be defeated and BALI is calling upon all local residents to write to their local Councillors expressing their views and asking them what they are doing to oppose the plan.