Planning objection to Reviva composting application in Hertsmere
23/11/2016
Dear Sir or Madam,
Re Objection to planning application Ref: 0/2139-16 Reviva Composting Ltd, Elstree Hill South, Elstree, WD6 3BL
I am objecting to this application in my capacity as London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden, which constituency directly borders the site. I am greatly concerned by the proposal from Reviva to extend their buildings to accommodate the recycling waste that they are storing on their site off Elstree Hill North (A5183). I believe this will have a detrimental impact on my constituents, and outline my objections below.
The location of the application is sited in Green Belt land and development should only be permitted if there are exceptional circumstances, which do not exist here.
Permission for a recycling centre should never have been given in the first place. The application to enlarge the buildings would further compound the existing problems and would worsen the offensive effluvia, which makes life a misery for local residents.
In particular, the odour from heavy vehicles as they transfer waste to the site seriously reduces the quality of life for nearby residents, who cannot spend time in their gardens or even open windows on particularly bad days. If this application passes, there must be stringent conditions restricting the size and type of lorries, their movements and their operating times which would need to be rigorously enforced.
The attempt to control the foul smell by extraction and filtration is unlikely properly to mitigate the impact of the odour. There is no evidence that such a system has been tried successfully elsewhere. I would not be surprised to see a future application to vary consent and remove any extraction system condition.
The planning application documents do not provide information from the Environment Agency about how often they monitor the site, and their opinion on the impact of the site, especially on ground water.
As Reviva have changed their intake from purely green waste to biodegradable waste, methane, sulphur and ammonia are generated, aggravating the problem. An original restriction was that no biodegradable waste would be recycled on that site. It is not clear if and when permission was given for the biodegradable waste to be recycled there, or that there is any monitoring of the type of waste handled at The Elstree site.
Elstree crossroads have been identified as a pollution hot spot by Hertfordshire County Council. No doubt the A41 contributes to the poor air quality, but this is a significant factor. The application will only make a bad situation worse.
Finally, responsibility for monitoring for fungal spores and harmful particulates generated by the recycling site must be made clear by the planning authority, regardless of whether consent is granted or not.
In conclusion, this application will make a bad situation even worse, so as to become intolerable for nearby residents. I strongly urge planning officers and the Committee to direct a refusal to this application.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Dismore
Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden
City Hall
The Queen’s Walk
London
SE1 2AA
