Residents living in Epsom are enraged over a planning proposal submitted to Surrey County Council for waste recycling industrial sites to be built on green belt land at the Chalk Pit.
Submitted by NJB Recycling Ltd, the plan proposes to change the existing waste transfer station in College Road to a materials recycling facility, with an extension of the site to include a new waste transfer station.
This includes demolition of the existing building, retention of the existing workshop and provision of new site surfacing, with drainage and construction of buildings for the bulking and processing of mixed skip waste and skip storage.
Steve Gebbett, a resident living near the area, told the Surrey Comet that this series of events is “quite literally ruining people’s lives”.
He said: “The key issue we’re facing, is that there are intrusively noisy trommels.
“This is going on all day long and causing loud noises to a huge range of residents, including Epsom College – which is only 250 meters away. “It is completely inappropriate to put a massive building on Green Belt land.
“It is the most devastating mismatch and is literally ruining people’s lives.
“It is turning Epsom into skip city.”
Epsom and Ewell borough councillor Nigel Collin said that the company was given a certificate of lawful development to do waste transfer up to a certain tonnage and called for checks to ensure they have not exceeded this.
Surrey County Council said it is aware of residents’ concerns and is working to “address matters within their own remits”.
Cllr Collin said: “We've had constant disruption over the last 18 months.
“When I tell you the dust that comes off this site in warm weather, it's unbelievable.
“It covers the cars and those locally can't even open their windows.
“The construction noise is extremely loud.
“I can hear it very clearly from where I live uphill, but the closer you are to the site, the louder it is.
“There’s hundreds of complaints registered, and the petition is ongoing but unfortunately, not a lot has happened to change it.”
Cllr Collin added: “I’m extremely incensed by it, and not just on behalf of myself, but my residents too.
“The ideal outcome would be that the planning application is rejected, and enforcement takes place to reduce the scale of operations.”
A spokesperson for Surrey County Council said: “The details of the planning application are available on the County Council website (Surrey County Council - Planning Application Display - SCC Ref 2020/0159 (surreycc.gov.uk).
“The decision of whether to grant planning permission or not is one for the Planning and Regulatory Committee, taking into account planning policy and any other relevant considerations.
“The County Council is aware of residents’ concerns and the impact of certain operations on the local community and is working with the Borough Council and the Environment Agency to address matters within our own remits.”
NJB Recycling has been approached for comment.
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