‘Close this tip forthwith’ – Telford councillors to debate landfill site smell

Councillors Rachael Tyrrell (Cons) and Paul Thomas (Ind) represent Priorslee and both have repeatedly called for Telford & Wrekin Council to be ‘more robust’ in dealing with persistent bad smells from the Granville Landfill site, at Redhill.

Most recently Councillor Thomas tried to get the council to declare the site a statutory nuisance and close but was told that only three complaints had been lodged with Telford & Wrekin Council.

Recent meetings of the council have been told that officials are treating the issue seriously but the site is managed by the Environment Agency.

Councillor Tyrrell has lodged a motion that is set to be debated at Thursday’s meeting of the full Telford & Wrekin Council.

Councillor Tyrrell’s motion, due to be seconded by Councillor Thomas, calls on the council to press for the termination of the operator’s licence and closing the site to new deliveries of waste forthwith.

The motion also calls on the council to confirm its “commitment to support residents suffering from the operation of the Granville Landfill site” and to hold Environment Agency to account.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We understand the impact odours have on the community and are sorry to hear that residents have been experiencing problems with odour in the local area.

“We are working with the operator, Potters (Midlands) Ltd, to resolve these issues and are closely monitoring progress.

“Please report any environmental incidents, including odour complaints, to our 24/7 hotline on 0800 807060.”

Telford MP Shaun Davies, who remains as a Labour councillor for Malinslee & Dawley Bank, is “demanding that the Environment Agency who are the lead agency take action with the operator.”

He said: “The issue residents, businesses, schools and others are suffering as result of the smell at Granville Woodhouse Landfill is completely unacceptable.

“I am demanding that the Environment Agency who are the lead agency take action with the operator.

“The operator must fully comply, and no enforcement measure should be off the table for the Environment Agency and the Council.

“It is vital that the local community continue to raise concerns directly to the Environment Agency.

“I have once again called for an urgent meeting with them in the coming days to escalate the pressure and make sure residents’ voices are heard.

“I also urge residents to keep reaching out to me — I will fight to protect our community and ensure those responsible are held to account.”

A spokesperson for Telford & Wrekin Council could not pre-empt what might be said at the council.

But they said: “Following complaints to Telford & Wrekin Council about unpleasant odours from Redhill Landfill Site at Granville, the council has been working closely with the site operators and the Environment Agency who are the regulatory body that issues permits for landfill, to ensure compliance with that permit.

“The Environment Agency has developed an action plan in agreement with the site operator to improve gas and odour control, and continues to work through these actions. Much of this work has now been completed, with more works planned.

“Telford & Wrekin Council has also been carrying out independent environmental monitoring for hydrogen sulphide (HS2), which is the cause of the reported odour.

“Throughout the three-month monitoring period, HS2 levels were well below UKHSA’s threshold for health concerns.

“The Environment Agency will continue to monitor odours, track progress against the agreed action plan and review the operator’s management plan to ensure work continues in accordance with its permit.

“Any concerns over these odours should be reported to the EA so that they can continue to monitor odour incidents via their 24-hour hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

“The Environment Agency, the site operators and Telford & Wrekin Council have also all set up webpages to keep residents up to date on progress and actions being taken.”