BIFFA Cold Meece – planning application

Planning Application – SCC/24/0083/FULL-MAJ

Detail – The construction and operation of a leachate treatment plant including associated plant and equipment, fencing and access.

Address – Meece Landfill, Swynnerton Road, Cold Meece, ST15 0QN

The Biffa Application was considered by the Parish Council at their meeting on the 2 September. Whilst we acknowledge the development falls in the Eccleshall Parish Council’s area of responsibility we feel as a Parish Council whose community is the closest to the site, we need to make the following comments.

1. Having considered the documents supporting this application, the parish council has no material reasons to object to the application, as there would be benefit from a reduction in daily HGV movements and the improved management of the leachate on the site.
2. We note, however, that the proposals could lead to an increased risk to the local water environment, and we therefore seek further information and reassurance about the operation of the proposed Reverse Osmosis plant. The additional information should include a replacement to the map enclosed as Appendix 5 of the Sirius report and should show the network of leachate wells and transfer pipework to the proposed plant, together with the full surface water drainage system that is planned to receive the treated water from the plant, including the location of the point of discharge to that system that will be used as the formal point of discharge to controlled waters. This plan should also include details of the onward surface drainage connections to the downstream Meece Brook and the location of the connection to the foul sewer system to be used in the event that the RO plant does not meet the required treatment standards of the formal discharge consent.
3. We also consider that the application does not provide sufficient information regarding the expected quality of the raw leachate to be treated on site or the determinands that would be specified in the discharge consent. There are also no details of how the quality of the treated water would be measured prior to discharge to ensure that it meets the requirements of the formal discharge consent, i.e. will continuous real-time monitoring systems be put in place, and how will the discharge to the Meece Brook be diverted to the Severn Trent sewer if the quality of the discharged water fails to meet the discharge parameters set by the Environment Agency?
4. Residents’ have also raised concerns about possible odours from the treatment plant, and confirmation is sought from the applicant that the leachate treatment system is fully contained and that emissions of nuisance odours to air will be negligible.
5. Section 5.2 of the application’s supporting statement also makes reference to an extant permission to import hazardous waste to fill the remaining void space in the future. However, there are no details regarding how such a permission could impact the leachate treatment system. We therefore consider it appropriate for the application to include a statement about the long-term strategy for leachate management system through to 2035 and post-cessation of waste operations on the entire Meece site.