Spoil Tip Planning Application

[car]

Mr Devine has applied for a 5 year planning permission for the spoil tip at the entry to the estate off the top end of The Grange. The application is for 'Spoil tip reclamation involving importation of soils and composting'. This application is in addition to at least 2 previous applications. Present reclamation should have been completed by July 2009.
For further information and to register comments and/or objections please visit www.wakefield.gov.uk, planning and visit the 'public access site', The application search reference number is 09/00787/min.
Your views are very important, please try to make an effort to register you views, comments and /or objections, after all this is your estate.

[samkate]

For any one I may have missed while going around with the Spoil Tip Petition please visit the online petition below. The door to door petition is now at 182 signed objections.

This petition is to oppose the planning application by Mr Devine to continue to reclaim the spoil tip situated at the entrance to the Woolley Grange development. The application is to extend work dating back to 2003 for a further 5 years.

http://petitions.tigweb.org/WGRA

[Ed & Em]

Thought I'd best write something about the composting application.

I attended the open house question and answer session hosted by the applicants. At Woolley Public House, last week. Those that know me, will know I have been against this application since the beginning, but now I have been made aware of more factors I feel less concerned.

Amongst the more calming statements made on the day. Some related to the five year application will involve working at a rate no more than current. Also of the five years it is likely that the last 12-24 months will be spent making the land more sustainable and there will be a period, that they will be held reponsible for its upkeep.
Also they made the persons present that this will be their last application, as they believe that no additional applications would be allowed after this time.

They also informed that it is not part of their practice to mix with slurry, to aid composting and that they plough the composted material into the soil as quickly as possible.

The next site to be worked upon will be the site located between Woolley Grange and Haigh, working towards to composting site at the top of the hill. They will not be coming any closer to Woolley Grange. The deposit of the composted material in the triangular land next to McInerney Houses, was alledgely done to meet a request of the Woolley Grange Residents Committee. Something I was not aware of!!

Anyway my feeling have become a little more sympathetic toward the developer, and we must admit the land they have already worked does look better than it did when the coal board left. If this is to be their last application and no further increase in disruption noted then I personally feel a little more rested.

What does everyone else feel???????

[car]

I can assure you that the triangular piece of land next to McInerney was not composted at the request of the Woolley Grange Residents Association Committee. Did Mr Devine tell you how much he earns out of this site? According to our councillors the is no presumption that this is Mr Devines last application. According to the Environment Agency he had slurry on site 6-8 months ago. Did he also tell you that a recent Environment Agency inspection showed that he had 10 x too much compost on site and that they have been visiting regularly because they were worried about the management of his site, he was also told in January that he was importing too much plastic etc with the green kerb side waste which was coming in from outside the Wakefield Authority.

[Donovan_de_ByBovis]

When we first came to look around Woolley Grange, we were shown plans of an idyllic place to bring up children with woodland walks to be surrounding the entire site. We realised that it would take time for the trees etc to grow but what we currently have is something completely different. It doesn't look as though there will be much change either if Mr Devine is given is way.

We live in the midst of a tip. Green waste or whatever else is going in up there, it is still a tip. Luke Devine was paid £26million for this site. He is clearly an astute businessman, built with the charm that he is using on us to win us over in his quest for the further aquisition of wealth. I wonder at the mentality of people who are prepared to risk their health, along with that of their children and neighbours, for a chance of a golf club being built nearby in 10 years!!

Look at the evidence....

Mr Devine's land at the bottom of the estate, which is where the motorcyclists were riding, was supposed to be planted with woodland. This was a planning requirement because of the noise & air pollution from the motorway. It has not yet been done. In fact, at the first Resident's Association meeting that Mr Devine attended, he intimated he would only comply with this requirement if we gave our support to his planning application.

The land between here & Darton was also supposed to be part of the woodland area within the planning permission. Mr Devine has already tried to obtain extra planning permission to build on 10% of the land with the promise that he'll then hand the rest over to Barnsley Council. Barnsley Council have refused the application - maybe they have more intuition than most.

The reason for the composting / tipping site is to try to 'dry out' the land that is up there to make it useable. Mr Devine informed us crops he had planted to check the readiness of the land, had failed, yet the fields adjacent to the footpath to Haigh are full of wheat.

Whilst talking about the footpath, Mr Devine has been told by the council that the path is not suitable - it is already pretty much overgrown and impassable in places. He has been instructed to re-lay it with a more suitable surface. The path is another planning obligation. He has yet to do anything about that.

No-one from the WG Resident's Association recalls the request to compost the triangle of land next to Windhill Rise. It appears to be a convenient place to dump some of the product from the spoil tip to make space for more.

The previous post outlines some of the more serious concerns over the running of the Mr Devine's tip. It doesn't mention the lorries which still arrive on a regular basis. It doesn't mention the mud that covers the road at the top of the hill which is infrequently washed off. The stench emitting from the tip, particularly in wet weather should be a concern to all of us living here. Anybody coming to view properties on the site will be immediately put off by the smell. At this rate, the site will never be complete.

Mr Devine has not complied with many of his obligations resulting from the sale of this land, he appears to unconcerned about the Council's sanctions. He has no consideration of the concerns of local residents, and why should he, he doesn't live here.

How can we possibly believe anything the Mr Devine tells us. The tip is clearly making a good profit, why wouldn't he want to continue using it?

Don't be suckered in.

[Ed & Em]

Points taken on board,

I thought if nothing else it would document some of the things, that were said at the open answer and question session....plus believe me I did not exactly let them have an easy ride. I do possess qualifications and have experience in environmental and microbiology areas, so yes I did find some of their answers a little ambigious. Plus it was all too convenient that there scientific representative could not be there.

However, I still feel that all the facts are not on the table. All I can say is that the Devines presented their arguement well (sometimes lacking - but well). However if they are indeed in breach of the current application (now expired) in so many areas how come they are able to get away with it. Are we saying it is indeed the fault of the council for not regulating this exploitation....