Fed-up residents say a landfill site is growing into a stinking “mountain” of rubbish and want it shut down.
People living near the Shelford Landfill facility in Canterbury describe it as an “eyesore” and claim operators Valencia Waste Management have “absolutely no consideration for anybody else who lives nearby”.
Shelford Landfill off Shalloak Road, seen from above. Picture: Barry Goodwin
The facility sits off Shalloak Road, about 220 metres from the main Canterbury to Thanet railway line, and has been used as a landfill site since 1971, when planning permission was granted.
However, in recent years, it has been criticised for emitting a “sickening” sulphurous smell.
On Friday, a public meeting organised by the Canterbury Landfill Action Group was held, where residents from Sturry, Broad Oak, Hales Place and St Stephen’s met with representatives of the Environment Agency (EA), which is responsible for regulating landfills.
Tim Long, chairing the meeting, said to the more than 50 residents present: “It’s a rapidly growing landfill site one-and-a-half miles from Canterbury Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
“Is that really what Canterbury wants or needs?
A packed meeting of residents concerned about the Shelford Landfill was held at St. Stephen’s Community Centre
“The landfill site has really grown enormously; it’s quite shocking.”
He added that residents cannot hang out washing as a result of the odours from the site.
Paul Bennett, an EA manager, said the cause is hydrogen sulphide, which gives off a strong smell even at very low levels.
“Unfortunately, your noses are the best thing we have for detecting the odour,” he said.
“The current technology for detecting hydrogen sulphide on a permanent monitoring basis will not go down to the levels that we’re detecting.”
The landfill seen from the Vauxhall Road area
The meeting was originally planned to be a presentation by the EA – but before long, the agency’s representatives were facing several questions from members of the public.
“Hales Place is a considerably vulnerable area,” said one, raising concerns about the EA’s public engagement relating to the site, adding: “Why am I not seeing you knock on my 90-year-old neighbour’s door?”
Another Hales Place resident said that on community litter picks, they would find small items of shredded plastic, which they believed were from the landfill.
Mr Bennett said it could likely have been “shred material” as a result of the way plastic is discarded at landfill sites.
Peta Boucher, one of the organisers, said: “I live in Sturry and we are covered in dust.
Peta Boucher, said the landfill operators have “no consideration for anybody else”
“I’m asthmatic and I’ve had to increase my medication to cope.”
Mr Bennett said: “There’s a level of complexity because there are so many other causes of dust.”
Many residents complained about the number of HGVs in the surrounding area, going to dump waste either at the landfill or its on-site recycling centre.
Matthew Higginson, also from the EA, told attendees that “it is certainly frustrating for a lot of people, but ultimately not our remit”.
Regulation of how many vehicles can come in and out, for example, falls under planning regulations, which Kent County Council (KCC) is responsible for.
The Shelford Landfill site in Canterbury
The on-site Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) was given retrospective approval by KCC after being built without planning permission.
An application for Valencia to effectively double the amount of waste processed at the MRF to half a million tonnes a year is pending a decision by the EA.
Mr Bennett explained this is “on hold because we are asking the company further questions”.
He added: “If we refuse a variation or a permit application, we invariably end up going through the appeal process, and that takes it into quite a long, complex area.
“We have to be very, very sure when we’re going through that process because ultimately it’s a lot of money when we’re doing these legal challenges.”
(L-R): Kent County Council cabinet member for environment Cllr Jamie Henderson (Reform), campaigner Tim Long, Sturry ward Cllr Keji Moses, Cllr Alister Brady, St Stephen’s ward member Cllr Beth Forrester, Sturry ward member Cllr Harry McKenzie, and campaigner Peta Boucher
This prompted a cry from the audience: “It always comes down to lawyers and money!”
Mr Bennett also said he could not reveal whether there was current enforcement action underway for legal reasons.
“The EA now is really reviewing the poor performing and non-compliant sites, and Shelford landfill has historically been a poor performing site,” he said.
Multiple people from the crowd responded, “shut it down then,” with widespread support.
Concerns were also raised about an application for an energy-intensive AI data centre near the Shelford site, which is proposed to be powered by gases the landfill produces.
The ridge of the landfill can be seen prominently from the Sturry Road area
A resident read out a statement against it from his phone – and when asked by Mr Long if he wrote it himself, he sheepishly admitted it was “ironic” that he had used AI to write it.
That application has not yet been decided, and has been ‘called-in’ to Canterbury City Council’s planning committee for a decision.
Speaking after the meeting, Shalloak Road resident Roger Rigby said: “When we first moved in, we rarely ever smelled the obnoxious smell, but in the past 12 or 15 months, it’s become oppressive.
“This is a Canterbury issue, not just a Shalloak Road one. It’s a Canterbury stink and it’s an eyesore to Canterbury itself, which we moved to because it’s an ancient and historic city, and now to see this artificial mountain of rubbish is unbelievable.”
Cllr Alister Brady (Lab), who represents the area at KCC, stressed: “I would challenge Valencia to come to a public meeting like this because there are historic failures.
Shalloak Road resident Roger Rigby described the “Canterbury stink” from the landfill as “oppressive”
“Do they care about the everyday problems people are feeling?”
Ms Boucher, one of the campaigners who helped organise the meeting, added: “I go walking quite a lot and sometimes that smell is so strong it just makes me feel sick. If you ever see it, it’s just horrible.
“They work seven days a week and there’s absolutely no consideration for anybody else who lives nearby; it’s really noisy every day and they just do it.”
A spokesperson for Valencia said: “We are operating the landfill site at Shelford in accordance with our planning and permitting requirements and are committed to being a responsible neighbour.
“Whilst the role of landfill sites are changing with increased recycling, they still play a key role in the UK’s waste management system.
“The Shelford landfill site has planning permission until 2036, however, at current commercial planning we expect the site to close to waste inputs by 2031, ahead of restoration.
“We continue to work with our customers, and local residents to ensure that any vehicles delivering waste to the site do not impact the public highway.
“This includes undertaking inspections of the local highway, parking lorries within the site to remove them from the highway, along with banning vehicles that do not respect our site rules.
“Since acquiring the site in 2022, Valencia and significantly invested to improve the landfill gas infrastructure and to deploy a material recycling facility; this has significantly improved its performance and reduced the impact the site has upon local residents.”