More than 1,000 residents have now objected to plans to build an asphalt plant next to the Allerton waste incinerator, between Knaresborough and Boroughbridge.
Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, joined about 100 campaigners fighting the proposal at Marton cum Grafton village hall on Saturday.
Mr Jones told the meeting organised by Communities Against Toxins he too was against the proposal, adding:
“The reasons are two-fold and to do with both head and heart. The heart brings the community together to show this is not welcome, and the head tells you that the dangers of pollution – both air pollution and water pollution – are major risks.
“Campaigners have done an incredible job marshalling the arguments and I hope when councillors come to consider the application they act on these concerns and turn the application down.
“This is the wrong idea in the wrong location.”
Campaign organiser Michael Emsley (left) talks to Andrew Jones.
Campaigners at the meeting.
Tynedale Roadstone Ltd plans to build the asphalt plant at the Allerton Waste Recovery Park.
A 22.5-metre exhaust stack would emit fumes containing carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and lead.
The group fears people living within a three-to-nine kilometre radius of the site would be affected by potentially harmful pollutants.
Communities Against Toxins organiser Michael Emsley wants to put pressure on North Yorkshire Council to scrutinise the proposal’s environmental impacts assessment.
He said:
“We do not believe this plant should be built in this location and we will continue to do all that we can to fight it.
“We will not stop. We will make sure that when North Yorkshire Council sit down to make its decision, they are in no doubt as to what the local communities think and that our concerns regarding the EIA have been addressed.”
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MP rejects company’s offer of Knaresborough asphalt plant discussions
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has turned down an invitation to meet the company behind plans to build an asphalt plant near Knaresborough and discuss his concerns about the proposals.
Tynedale Roadstone wants to create the facility next door to the controversial incinerator at Allerton Waste Recovery Park (AWRP), but Mr Jones recently said the company had not done enough to allay worries about pollution, traffic movements, and the potential for ground water contamination.
He also flagged concerns regarding the plant’s long operating hours and said that it would represent “industrial creep” – the gradual expansion of industry at a formerly rural site.
Extending the invitation to Mr Jones, Lichfields, which is acting as planning consultant to Tynedale Roadstone, said the site was an appropriate location for the plant in part due to its proximity to the A1(M) and because it would deliver “sustainability advantages” by reusing one of the AWRP’s by-products.
In a statement, a spokesperson from parent company MGL Group said:
“We are aware of some concerns regarding pollution, traffic movements, operational hours, dust, odour and noise.”
They added:
“The installation of the proposed asphalt plant at Allerton Park will be a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility that will meet stringent environmental, noise and emission criteria in the asphalt production process.
“Modern asphalt plants have extensive process filtration systems used with clean fuels to constantly maintain and monitor all the emissions from the production processes and ensure that they are kept within the correct protocol.”
But Mr Jones replied to MGL, saying he was “not sure a meeting is necessary”. He told the Stray Ferret:
“I share residents’ concerns about this proposal. Legally, councillors and planning officers have to consider the planning application that has been submitted. So, a private meeting between the applicants and me when a planning application is already live cannot change what is before us. And I believe what is before us is wrong.
“The time to meet with me and local residents asking for our advice and views was before the application was submitted. That would have demonstrated a genuine interest in what we had to say.
“So my preference would be for the application to be withdrawn and the applicant to hold face-to-face meetings with residents about their plans. My team and I will be happy to join those meetings. This would allow residents to have real input in a genuine consultation rather than the ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ approach which is where we seem to be now.”
The MGL spokesperson said the technical material supporting the planning application concluded there would be no significant environmental effects as a result of traffic movements, dust, odour, and noise, “subject to best practice measures being employed at the site”.
They added:
“Both we and Lichfields continue to work with North Yorkshire Council and are committed to alleviating concerns and addressing any comments made on the application.”
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Campaign launched against asphalt plant proposal near Knaresborough
Residents have launched a campaign against plans to build an asphalt plant next to Allerton Waste Recovery Park near Knaresborough.
The proposal has been re-advertised after the company making the application, Tynedale Roadstone Ltd, submitted an updated environmental statement to accompany the plans.
As well as the asphalt plant, the application includes plans for a site office, car parking, material storage bays, lighting, hard standing and the removal of trees.
The meeting at Marton Cum Grafton. Pic: Gerard Binks
More than 100 people crammed into the Marton Cum Grafton Village Hall this week to devise a plan to object to the proposal.
Communities Against Toxins has urged North Yorkshire Council to reject the plan amid claims that those living within a nine-kilometre radius of the plant would be affected by numerous potentially harmful pollutants.
Michael Emsley. Pic: Gerard Binks
Michael Emsley, organiser of the campaign group, said:
“There are a lot of concerned residents in the area, and we have decided to make our voices heard.
“Given all the detailed research already done, it is beyond belief that something of this nature and on this scale should be located in a rural area when there are industrial sites available at which the bulk of the risks we have highlighted would be minimised.
“The proposed asphalt plant is going to disperse an awful lot of toxic chemicals into the environment, airborne and waterborne, while some will also be dust particles, which are particularly nasty. It’s an environmental disaster waiting to happen.”
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More than 600 residents have signed up with the group to lobby the council to refuse the plans.
Meanwhile Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, has also voiced his objection to the proposal.
Mr Jones said he had already objected to the plant earlier on in the application process, but felt his concerns had not been addressed.
He said:
“I worked with residents’ groups and parish councils campaigning against the incinerator being built. Part of our objections were the potential for ‘industrial creep’ in the area. This application is precisely that.
“I have already registered my objection when the application was at an earlier stage of the planning process. I have read the new documents the applicants have submitted and I do not believe the concerns I raised have been adequately addressed.”
Both Arkendale, Coneythorpe & Clareton Parish Council and Goldsborough & Flaxby Parish Council have also lodged objection to the plans.
Tynedale Roadstone is part of Durham-based MGL Group and currently operates two asphalt production plants, one in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and another at Barton, north of Catterick in North Yorkshire.
MP raises concerns over Knaresborough asphalt plant ‘industrial creep’Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has expressed concern at a proposal to build an asphalt factory next to the Allerton Waste Recovery Park six miles east of Knaresborough.
The proposal has been re-advertised after the company making the application, Tynedale Roadstone Ltd, submitted an updated environmental statement to accompany the plans.
As well as the asphalt plant, the application includes plans for a site office, car parking, material storage bays, lighting, hard standing and the removal of trees.
Mr Jones said:
“I worked with residents’ groups and parish councils campaigning against the incinerator being built. Part of our objections were the potential for ‘industrial creep’ in the area. This application is precisely that.
“I have already registered my objection when the application was at an earlier stage of the planning process. I have read the new documents the applicants have submitted and I do not believe the concerns I raised have been adequately addressed.
“Those concerns include the potential for further industrial creep, the pollution caused by the production process, the traffic movements during the working day which ends, according to the planning statement, at 11pm and the potential for ground water contamination. I am concerned too that the plant will, in due course, become a 24/7 operation.
“Because this is an update to the planning application I have submitted a further objection and I encourage those in the neighbourhood who want to make their own representation to do so urgently. The deadline is 25 October.”
Mr Jones is not alone in his concern over the proposals – during the consultation process, two local parish councils also registered objections, citing dust, odours, noise and increased traffic among their reasons.
In its official response, Arkendale, Coneythorpe & Clareton Parish Council pointed out that when the Allerton Waste Recovery Park was approved in 2014, North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) – which has since been superseded by North Yorkshire Council – had assured residents that it would be a one-off installation and would not lead to further industrial ribbon development along the A1(M) corridor.
It added:
“If this development is allowed to proceed, what NYCC promised these local communities will have been proven to be false and we would be right to feel let down by the democratic process.”
The response from Goldsborough & Flaxby Parish Council was more blunt, asking:
“Why is a ‘dirty’ process such as this be even considered at Allerton? Why is it even needed at all? It should not be in a rural location and should not be allowed to be erected next to an incinerator that is already spoiling a rural location.”
Tynedale Roadstone is part of Durham-based MGL Group and currently operates two asphalt production plants, one in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and another at Barton, north of Catterick in North Yorkshire.
Asphalt is a mix of aggregates and bitumen – which is distilled from crude oil – and is commonly used in roadbuilding.
The Stray Ferret has contacted MGL Group for comment.
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Harrogate district councils object to Allerton Park asphalt plant plan
Parish councils near a waste incinerator near Knaresborough have questioned whether a decision over setting up an asphalt manufacturing facility on the site should be taken out of a council’s hands.
The parish councils represent numerous villages surrounding the Allerton Waste Recovery Park off the A1(M).
They claim North Yorkshire County Council lied to them about the impact of the incinerator, and that its councillors had pledged the rural area would not see further industrial-type developments.
The comments follow numerous communities across the county accusing the Conservative-run authority of putting big business interests above those of residents.
They have been lodged in response to Tynedale Roadstone’s application to the county council to create an asphalt manufacturing plant across a 2.1-hectare grass and scrubland site at the waste recovery park.
The site, which is an existing and partially complete and restored landfill, features other uses such as a concrete batching plant and the processing of 320,000 tonnes of waste a year from York and North Yorkshire councils.
The firm said the site had been chosen because plastic from the waste recovery plant would be used in the production of the final asphalt road surfaces product, cutting transportation, while its proximity to the A1(M) meant vehicles could enter and exit the site without having to pass through villages.
Planning documents submitted by the firm said the site is “extremely well screened from view” and locating the plant there would “protect” other employment sites in the area.
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It said:
“The application proposes a land use that is wholly in-keeping with the nature of this site and complements those existing land uses currently operating on the park.”
However, some residents have said they are as concerned about the impact of the proposed asphalt plant, particularly due to the potential of dust unintentionally spilling from the site, while mixing of hot bitumen could allow the release of a pungent, acrid smell.
‘A one-off isolated proposal’
In objections to the scheme, parish councils said when the incinerator had been approved in 2014 they had been assured by the county council that it was “a one-off isolated industrial proposal” in what was acknowledged as a rural location.
In its response, Arkendale Coneythorpe and Clareton Parish Council has highlighted how councillors went on record to say the incinerator would not be the stimulus for further industrial ribbon development along the A1(M) corridor.
A parish spokesman said:
“If this development is allowed to proceed what the county council promised these local communities will have been proven to be false and we would be right to feel let down by the democratic process.”
In its objection, Goldsborough and Flaxby Parish Council said as the county council had past and present interests in the site, an independent consultant with no specific interest in the plant should be commissioned to assess its impacts.
The parish council’s objection said it questioned “the legitimacy of this planning application being reviewed and considered by North Yorkshire County Council planning authority”.
The parish council said:
“North Yorkshire County Council officers made a big thing about how little the nearby incinerator would impact visually, with it being located in a quarry.
“Plainly that was a lie or at the very least a highly optimistic assessment. The incinerator can be seen from miles away including the east side of Harrogate and up the Yorkshire Dales.”
In response, Cllr Derek Bastiman, whose executive portfolio includes waste disposal, said:
Plans to build asphalt plant beside controversial Allerton Park incinerator“The application for the Allerton Waste Recovery Park was thoroughly debated at the time and the planning process was rigorously followed. Full consideration was given to any environmental impact on nearby residents and the surrounding landscape.
“The application now submitted by Tynedale Roadstone is entirely separate and relates to an area of land separate to the AWRP lease area. Like any planning application, it will be considered in accordance with planning policy.”
A Harrogate district Green Party councillor has voiced concerns about plans to build an asphalt plant alongside the Allerton Waste Recovery Centre near Knaresborough.
Tynedale Roadstone wants to produce the roadbuilding material at a new plant next to the recovery centre, which was approved a decade ago by North Yorkshire County Council.
The £1.4bn recovery centre uses an incinerator to generate energy from waste but has been dubbed a blot on the landscape by locals.
Such was the strength of opposition to the incinerator that two MPs and protestors handed in a petition with 10,000 signatures at Downing Street.
The bid to build a second plant alongside it has fuelled fears about industrialisation of the area.
Planning documents state Tynedale claims the asphalt plant is needed on “vacant brownfield land” at Allerton Park, partly for environmental reasons.
The papers state:
“The extent of Tynedale Roadstone’s contracts in Yorkshire is such that a new asphalt facility is required to meet demand and ensure locally resourced product is within easy reach of key contract locations.
“The demand is established and continually fuelled by maintenance works requirements; an additional independent asphalt plant is needed to service it.
“Government and company policies on sustainability, carbon footprints, energy efficiency, transport networks, trafficking and haulage distances are some of the many drivers behind establishing another asphalt plant.”
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The planning documents state the site has been identified as the best location to serve demand, as the nearest asphalt plants to the site are in Pateley Bridge and at Stourton, in Leeds.
The Allerton site is close to the A1(M) and A59 junction. Existing plastics from the waste recovery plant could be reused at the asphalt plant.
Cllr Arnold Warneken
Green Party councillor Arnold Warneken, whose Ouseburn division includes villages closest to the proposed plant, said the firm’s description of the site as brownfield was “absolute rubbish” and that increasing the number of heavy goods vehicles entering and leaving the site would be a cause of concern.
He said:
Plans to build asphalt plant near Knaresborough“There will be very little support for this locally. It is a very rural location which has had a blister of a building put on it. The site has a waste plant next to it, but beyond that you’ve got prime agricultural land in a rural setting.
“The original purpose of the site for recycling and incineration has to be retained. Whilst it is good practice to put two industries that are complemented together, you have got to look at the impact of the vehicles that are coming onto that site.
“To get to the A1 the HGVs will have to use the A168 which has already got heavy traffic on it from the waste plant and a quarry, so it would add to an existing problem.”
“It’s an industrialised function which needs to be alongside true brownfield sites.”
A Durham company wants to build a new asphalt plant in the Harrogate district.
Tynedale Roadstone Limited hopes to build the plant next to the Allerton Waste Recovery Park, near Knaresborough.
According to an environment scoping report submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the development would be 22.5m tall and operate for five-and-a-half days a week.
Asphalt plants mix aggregates which can be used for construction projects, such as building roads and car parks.
Documents sent to the council reveal the company expects the plant to operate between 6.30am and 4.30pm from Monday to Friday and 6.30am to 11am on a Saturday or Sunday.
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Around 90 heavy goods vehicle movements are anticipated during those times.
Although a full planning application has yet to be submitted, the developer said that, if approved, construction of the site would begin in the middle of next year.
It added in its planning documents that the site, which is just off the A168, was “strategically placed to serve demand”.
The company said:
“As part of the site searching process alternative sites have been considered and discounted with this development site being chosen based on location adjacent to the strategic road network.”
A full proposal for the asphalt plant is expected to be submitted to the local authority at a later date.
