Story by Jeff Kirby
Viridor have put in a planning request to increase the amount of active waste dumped at Parkwood. At a joint Area Panel calls were made for the judgment to be delayed until a Health Impact Assessment is completed.
The proposal was made after a presentation by Viridor, the site operators. They plan to dump active waste into Cell 4, a previously agreed buffer zone on the south boundary of the site. One resident pointed out that the buffer zone originally protected the Ski Village. Shirecliffe, Pitsmoor and Woodside are also all within 1km of the southern boundary.
Viridor’s proposals also included a 50- metre buffer zone of inert waste to shield the closest properties on the Standish Estate. Residents expressed concerns that inert waste, often builders’ rubble, may contain asbestos. Viridor said they already have permission to dump active waste right up to the boundary if they choose. And if residents support the proposals Viridor claim the site could be closed in eleven years, rather than twenty.
Councillor Jackie Drayton described the proposals as “a compromise” – the extra active waste (including bottom ash from incinerators, domestic and commercial waste) in exchange for a 50-metre buffer zone. Residents said the proposals felt more like a “threat”.
Jeremy Wright, Director of Public Heath for the North PCT presented the interim Parkwood Landfill Site Health Impact Assessment. It shows significant increases in self-reported symptoms close to the site, particularly bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, skin, nasal and eye irritation and neurological symptoms but more research is to needed to discover if there is a genuine link between the landfill site and ill health. One resident asked if sprays used to reduce flies had been included but Dr Wright said they were not examining their effects. He also told the meeting, he believed the final results would not support a significant link between the landfill and resident’s ill health.
The Area Panel’s request will be taken to the Council’s planning board. Dr Wright told the Messenger that the Assessment will be complete in 2–3 months.