Grundon appeal thrown out
West Berkshire Council's decision to refuse permission for a waste landfill site in Beenham has been upheld
WEST Berkshire Council's decision to refuse waste firm Grundon permission to develop a waste landfill site in Beenham has been upheld by Government planning inspectors.
An appeal by the waste firm to overturn the council's decision was thrown out last month after the Planning Inspectorate found Grundon to have acted without complying with standard conditions.
Grundon had applied for planning permission for the deposit of waste and restoration to agricultural use of existing gravel pit at Beenham Landfill in Bath Road, and the appeal formed the last phase of a landfill operation for which planning permission was originally granted in 1995.
West Berkshire Council and the Environment Agency both held concerns over the proposed drainage scheme drawn up under original application, and had indicated that the design was unlikely to prevent surface water from the site flooding adjacent farmland during instances of bad weather.
These concerns were shared by the inspector who added that further extension of the restoration period, as proposed by Grundon in mitigation, would unacceptably harm the character and appearance of the surrounding area and would jarr with current planning policy.
A spokeswoman for Grundon, Ruth Roll, said the firm would shortly be re-submitting a planning application for a more effective drainage scheme.
“The surface water outfall to the pipe discharge into the drainage ditch, which runs along Beenham Lane to the A4, will be lowered. This will ensure that there would be no flooding of adjacent farmland during a one in 100 year storm event,” she said.
“The permitted extension to the composting facility was implemented in October 2010 – but neither the Planning Inspector nor West Berkshire Council were aware of this – so the Inspector dismissed the appeal for more time to complete the restoration.
“As we have already implemented the permitted composting facility extension, having extra time or not to complete the site restoration is somewhat academic.”
