Objections raised over recycling facility in West Cornwall
Over 120 comments have gone into Cornwall Council
Plans for a wood and green waste recycling facility near a Cornish village have resulted in a huge wave of opposition, with more than 120 people airing their concerns on Cornwall Council’s online planning portal.
The loss of countryside, smell, contamination of nearby waterways, noise, road safety and even arsenic poisoning are among the reasons cited by worried locals as to why they feel it should be refused.
Residents from as far as Camborne and Hayle are expected to pack a meeting of Gwinear-Gwithian Parish Council on Monday (April 14th) when councillors discuss the application by the Green Waste Company.
The local, family-run business wants to build a wood, composting and green waste processing and recycling facility comprising level development platform, commercial scale agricultural building, attenuation pond, weighbridge, access and parking on land at Roseworthy Hill, Connor Downs in west Cornwall.
The Green Waste Company currently has two recycling sites at Higher Brynn, near Victoria, and Splattenridden Farm, near St Erth.
A supporting planning statement says: “Currently, Splattenridden receives green waste from five council-run Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) sites at St Erth, Pool, United Downs, Falmouth and Helston and four local town councils (Hayle, Penzance, Camborne and Helston).
“For reasons of logistics and capacity, it is proposed that, apart from the St Erth HRWC and Penzance Town Council sources, all other waste would be sent to the proposal site at Roseworthy. This would greatly improve the current services provided by the Green Waste Company and, importantly, will greatly reduce miles travelled every year transporting the waste.
“Whereas expansion of Splattenridden and other sites was considered, these options were discounted for logistical reasons. The proposed site is conveniently located on low-grade agricultural land owned by the applicant. It has immediate and safe highway access.”
However, there has been an avalanche of opposition locally to the proposals, with many fearing the site in mining country is contaminated with arsenic.
Cornwall councillor for the area Lionel Pascoe, who is also against the plan, said he hasn’t met anyone locally who supports the application.
There has been some criticism of Cllr Pascoe in the area for not demanding the matter goes before a Cornwall Council planning committee because of the level of protest.
He explained that he is unable to do that until the parish council makes its decision next week and he meets with the local authority’s planning department: “It’s causing quite a stir in the area."