"The people have had enough" - Councillors oppose plans for a recycling facility at controversial north Derbyshire landfill site

Staveley Town Council considered Valencia Waste Management Ltd’s ongoing planning application to Derbyshire County Council for the proposed development of a Material Recovery Facility on approximately 37,673sq ft of grassland and car parking at the Erin landfill site, on Markham Lane, Duckmanton.

Council clerk Sabrina Doherty stated: “The council has determined that it objects to the application in the strongest terms on account of the nuisance from flies, noise, smells and lorries coming through the small villages of Poolsbrook and Duckmanton.

“This has all been suffered over many years and the council would like to see this tip finally closed, and remediated as it has a negative effect on the fortunes of the area.”

Land to the north, south and west of the proposed 0.35 hectare site is currently used as a landfill in the Staveley area by Valencia and the proposed recycling facility would sit 500 metres north of Duckmanton, between Poolsbrook, Staveley town, and Woodthorpe to the north, Long Duckmanton to the south, and Brimington to the west with Shuttlewood to the East.

The proposal has also coincided with Chesterfield Borough Council’s £25.2m Government-funded Staveley Town Deal regeneration scheme which aims to introduce developments and projects to the area to boost the area’s profile, economy and jobs.

Valencia’s planned recycling centre site would involve a large building on land that has been deemed by the Coal Authority to be a “high-development risk area” due to the history of opencast mining. It has also been reported that there is potential for asbestos on the land – but the risk of contamination is deemed to be moderate, with a negligible flooding risk.

Subsequently, the Coal Authority has advised the applicants undertake a thorough ground investigation before going ahead with any development.

The recycling centre aims to treat mixed, non-hazardous waste and recover metals, plastics, lights and other products for recycling before they are sent off-site for energy recovery and any residual waste would be placed in the existing landfill facility.

Town Cllr Barry Dyke told the recent town council meeting: “The people of Duckmanton have had enough. They have put up with the smell and lorries and it’s about time it stopped. That is one of the things that pulls down Staveley because there is a rubbish tip.”

Valencia has stated that there will be a dust management plan, with operations taking place inside a building and staff will be trained to keep dust under control and vehicles entering and leaving the site will be sheeted or enclosed and should make use of a wheel-wash.

It is also hoped by Valencia that the site will provide an economic benefit to the area and support employment during the construction period with subsequent jobs for site workers.

Valencia stated it expects to operate the Erin landfill site until 2035 with a possible further two years for any subsequent restoration work when the area may be subject to possible remediation.

Valencia added the site is surrounded by agricultural land and it does not breach any environmental thresholds with the M1 motorway to the east and Markham Vale Business park nearby.

However, it concedes that there are properties along East Crescent, North Grove and Poolsbrook Road approximately 100 metres south of the site boundary in Duckmanton, as well as properties along Cottage Close, Poolsbrook, with the closest at 200 metres from the site boundary.

A Valencia spokesperson stated: “The premise of the facilities is to intercept the commercial and industrial waste that is heading for landfill and extracting recyclable materials which would then be removed from site for recycling, re-use or recovery by third parties elsewhere. Any domestic, putrescible waste would by-pass the facility to landfill as per current arrangements.”

Although an increase in traffic is expected with the development, Valencia claims its existing routes do not pass any residential properties and that ‘assessments conclude that residential amenity will not be affected – detrimentally or otherwise’.

Valencia also stated that the development may mean removing some trees but it hopes to eventually leave the site in a better condition for wildlife and any noise will be low impact and be below standard levels and no neighbouring properties will be affected.

Derbyshire County Council’s highways authority and Chesterfield Borough Council have raised no objections so far to the planning application, but the Environment Agency has requested remediation of any contaminated land, and the Coal Authority has requested a further site investigation.

Derbyshire County Cllr Anne-Frances Hayes, who represents the Staveley area, stated: “The residents of Duckmanton and Poolsbrook have suffered long enough with the disruption caused to their daily lives by the Erin Landfill site.

“The proposed erection of this huge, commercial, ‘35,000’ square feet recycling centre by the Valencia organisation, will further increase traffic, airborne particles and damage air quality in the villages, negatively affecting the residents’ right to clean air and a healthy sustainable environment, and could potentially lead to increased incidence of respiratory illness amongst the population.

“Poolsbrook and Duckmanton primary schools are located close to the proposed development and this, I believe, will have a detrimental effect on the health of the youngest and most vulnerable in the village.”

She added: “The nearest part of Poolsbrook would be barely 500 metres away and the village centre would be only 1,000 metres away. There is nothing which necessitates the planned facility to be built at Erin Landfill and I believe that Valencia should look to find a location for the installation that sites the facility much further away from residential buildings.

“To date Valencia has ignored residents’ concerns about litter and smells emanating from the site and has failed to keep the local community informed about their ongoing activities.”

Others have submitted comments to the deciding planning authority Derbyshire County Council highlighting concerns including dust, noise, the impact on the environment, its location near properties, and that it may be used for construction waste, among claims of bad smells and flies from the existing site.

The Erin landfill site was previously owned and operated by Viridor Waste Management Ltd but the operation has since been taken over by Valencia Waste Management Ltd.

In April, 2021, the previous Erin Landfill owner Viridor was granted a 14-year extension until May, 2035, by Derbyshire County Council allowing the waste tip to remain open and to be filled for the foreseeable future, despite residents’ complaints about foul smells, flies, gulls, dust and noise and hopes that by now the site would have been restored into a nature reserve.