Halberton landfill could leave villagers "under siege"

Concerns about rubble-dumping

Residents of a rural Mid Devon village fear their idyllic community could be left “under siege” by countless lorries if plans for a temporary landfill area are approved.

Waste disposal firm Decharge wants to dump 350,000 tonnes of rubble on land at Greenway, north of the village of Halberton, and then return it to agricultural use once the waste operation is completed.

But Councillor Gwen Duchesne (Liberal Democrat, Halberton) raised the issue at Mid Devon District Council’s cabinet meeting this week (Tuesday 2 April) citing the “sadness, despair and anger” of her constituents.

Planning applications are ordinarily decided by district councils, such as Mid Devon. However, applications linked to waste and recycling – such as this one – are decided by the waste authority, which in this case is Devon County Council.

This means that Mid Devon can only comment on the application, and has no power to approve or reject it.

Cll Duchesne said if the scheme is approved, it would permit six-metre-long vehicles to travel through Sampford Peverell and Halberton every 15 minutes or less from 8am to 5pm five-and-a-half days a week.

“These vehicles, loaded with aggregate, will be bruising curbs and battering newly built roads on Enterprise Avenue, brushing past newly opened play areas and pushing through busy lanes and fighting buses and tractors along recently narrowed roads at Sampford Peverell,” Cllr Duchesne said.

“The whole area will be under siege, and our roads and hedgerows will be collateral damage, and children’s access to fresh air and exercise will be cancelled, with adults similarly affected, while cycling and walking will stop, as only the bravest would entertain walking that route with those lorries on it.”

Cllr Duchesne asked Mid Devon’s cabinet to ensure that its objections to the application were “as robust as they can be and reflect the views of residents and outline the detrimental impact”.

Councillor Steve Keable (Liberal Democrat, Taw Vale), cabinet member for planning and economic regeneration, acknowledged that, in this instance, Mid Devon was “simply a consultee” and criticised unnamed people for “distributing misleading and wrong information calculated to alarm local residents and pitch them against Mid Devon.”

He continued: “I have seen the response issued by our council and believe that our officers have put forward a robust and thorough response.

“They have objected to the application and queried issues and information relating to key issues like air quality and the how the proposal fits in the context of Devon County Council’s own adopted waste plan.”

Cllr Keable added that officers had urged Devon to take “full account” of the many complex and detailed responses provided by residents.

He also said that if any residents wanted to submit comments about the application, they should do so via Devon County Council’s planning website.