Hundreds of people living in Garston have reacted angrily to plans for further waste control towers to be installed on the district’s dockland.
A proposal has been put forward by Veolia UK to install two further 30m high towers for the management of hazardous waste at an industrial site on Blackburne Street. The location has operated as a lower-tier control of major accident hazards (COMAH) plant since 2000 and the two new towers would expand its capacity by a further 28,000 tonnes.
This has been met with fury by residents who have submitted 118 letters of objection ahead of the plans being discussed by Liverpool Council’s planning committee next week.
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According to documents made public by the authority, the plant currently operates 24/7 with a capacity to process 42,000 tonnes of hazardous solvent waste per year. Of this, 32,000 is dealt with by way of fractional distillation towers. Veolia UK is now seeking to add a further two of these towers and associated access platforms.
The site is said to be strategically important for hazardous waste on a national level as a means of handling and recycling material which is otherwise difficult to handle.
The site primarily deals with distillation of organic solvents from waste mixtures which are brought in by road. The planning report said the move to install two additional towers would lead to an additional nine vehicles entering and exiting the site a day.
This was not welcomed by residents, who made their feelings clear to the planning department. In letters, they said the increased number of heavy goods vehicles would be a strain on the existing road network which “is not capable of accommodating the increase in capacity and will require further investment by Veolia.”
Additionally objections were put forward suggesting the proposal would have “a negative impact on local businesses and deter new investment in the area, which would have long-term economic consequences.” Letters added: “The area has seen a lot of regeneration of housing and small businesses.
“In consequence these plans will harm this regeneration.”
Opposition to the plans has been long standing with people living in the area holding a series of public meetings against the expansion and claiming a feeling of being left behind in favour of heavy industry.
The planning report said: “Although the proposed towers would protrude above the surrounding roofscape, they would be sited next to two existing towers of same height and design. As such, it is not considered that the proposed towers would cause any significant additional visual impact.”
Despite objection letters being received claiming the towers would be an “eyesore” officials said it was “not considered that the proposal would cause any significant additional visual impact upon the surrounding area.” Additionally concerns were dismissed regarding pollution, noise and air quality.
Recommending the plans be approved by councillors when they meet next week, officers wrote: “The application has been carefully reviewed and is considered acceptable with regards to impact on the ecology of the site and adjacent protected sites, subject to condition, and would be visually acceptable in this industrial environment. It would also provide adequate biodiversity net gain subject to a S106 agreement for the payment of commuted sums.
“There would be limited impacts on highway capacity and impacts on the wider area including any distant residential areas would be negligible subject to condition. The proposed plant is considered acceptable within an otherwise industrial area and can, therefore, be granted subject to the stated conditions.”
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