Neighbours living near a “smelly and noisy” waste collection site have hit out at expansion plans saying the facility is “entirely inappropriate” for the area.
The Bucknalls Lane Residents Group says it is opposing Hertfordshire County Council’s multimillion pound plans for its Waterdale site on the A405 between Garston and Bricket Wood.
The council wants to build a £1.3 million shredding facility after agreeing to buy a coachyard next door to Waterdale for £4.5 million.
But people living near Waterdale say they don’t want the facility and also want to see the back of a waste transfer station, claiming it is responsible for a “rotting” smell.
Members told the Watford Observer: “It stinks, when you smell it, it knocks you for six. We think it is food waste and we have asked the council what the smell is but they won’t tell us.”
They have also complained about noise, such as reversing vehicles and banging and crashing, including during the night, and say introducing a shredding facility will make the problem worse.
In planning documents, the Conservative-run council says its proposals include “tight” odour and noise regulations, but campaigners responded: “They haven’t solved the current issues. If they can put regulations in place, why aren’t they doing it now?”
They added: “We have four schools in the area and we are near homes. There are plenty of sites in Hertfordshire away from people where this could be put. This location is entirely inappropriate for a facility of this type. We'd rather see hundreds of homes here."
Neighbours claim the problems at Waterdale, which was first built in 1980, have become worse within the last two years and say they are “reluctant” to invite friends and family to their homes because of the smell.
The transfer station received around 160,000 tonnes of waste from the five local authorities in south west Hertfordshire in 2019/20.
The new shredding facility is designed to solve a current problem of waste vehicles queuing out onto the A405 to get into the Waterdale site.
A council spokesperson said: “The county council has a clear ambition of sending zero waste to landfill by 2030, so the proposed waste shredding building will be vital in achieving this aim, while it will also improve the flow of vehicles through the site and reduce the amount of waste stored in the [waste transfer station] main tipping hall.”
They added: “The proposed improvements to the main tipping hall include enclosing the facility, utilising fast-acting doors and odour suppression systems to contain odours and noise within the building, addressing some residents’ concerns.”
The Bucknalls Lane Residents Group, which has nearly 100 members, says it has the support of Watford Tory MP Dean Russell, but not of their local Liberal Democrat district councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst.
Responding to the claims, Cllr Giles-Medhurst said: “I have held meetings and had endless emails backwards and forwards with residents on this issue.
“I am aware of concerns and there are problems with the odour suppressants.
“However, what I believe the council has planned will substantially improve the situation, reducing congestion and odour. In fact, I think the council is going over and above with its odour monitoring commitments.
“If I didn’t think the plans were an improvement, I wouldn’t be supporting it.”
The planning application can be found on the county council's planning portal via this link (reference PL/0276/22).
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