Story: Catherine Brown
Planning permission allows tipping at the Landfill Site at Parkwood Springs to continue until 2018, so people could be forgiven for thinking that it's far too early to be talking about what happens to the site after that. But meetings at the end of September about Viridor's restoration plans for the site soon disillusioned them.
Phil Baker, responsible at Viridor for the plans, informed the Landfill Liaison Group and the Friends of Parkwood Springs what will be needed to make the site safe.
Computer simulations showed how the site would look under Viridor proposals; with areas of trees, open spaces, footpaths and wetland. He stressed that Viridor want the plans to fit in with the rest of Parkwood Springs, including Council owned land already well used by the public. Foot and cyclepaths on the restored landfill site would need to connect to the rest of Parkwood Springs.
Plans are drawn up in co-operation with bodies such as the Forestry Commission and the RSPB, but the City Council has to approve them. Most of the landfill site is owned by Viridor and is expected to stay so after the restoration. They will continue to be legally responsible for the site’s management and have set aside money in their accounts for this. The Environment Agency will oversee Virido and the site for as long as it judges that there is any risk to the environment. This may be around 60 years. The public won't be allowed on the site until it is safe.
40% of the site is already tipped to its limit and, as areas are filled, they are being restored in line with the plans; and there are areas of the site – near the boundary with the Standish estate – which are already planted in line with the proposals, even seven years before tipping will stop. Due to settlement over a number of years, the current height of the landfill may be reduced by as much as 30% – about 10 metres.
Neill Schofield, Chair of the Friends of Parkwood Springs, hoped that Viridor would keep the Friends and the local community closely in touch with the planning. It was also important for the Council to take the plans seriously, and give Viridor their reactions. “They mustn't wait until 2018 before thinking about it,“ he said. The Friends want public access to as much as possible as soon as it was safe. “Even if it’s a long time before we can think of the whole of Parkwood Springs as a country park, we shouldn't have to wait until years after 2018 before we get some progress.”
If you support the Friends’ aims of protecting the wildlife and natural environment of Parkwood Springs, please join the Friends Group, at www.parkwood-springs.org.uk or email parkwood.springs@gmail.com