Fed-up residents say a landfill site is growing into a stinking \u201cmountain\u201d of rubbish and want it shut down.<\/p>\n
People living near the Shelford Landfill facility in Canterbury describe it as an \u201ceyesore\u201d and claim operators Valencia Waste Management have \u201cabsolutely no consideration for anybody else who lives nearby\u201d.<\/p>\n
Shelford Landfill off Shalloak Road, seen from above. Picture: Barry Goodwin<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
However, in recent years, it has been criticised for emitting a \u201csickening\u201d sulphurous smell.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s met with representatives of the Environment Agency (EA), which is responsible for regulating landfills.<\/p>\n
Tim Long, chairing the meeting, said to the more than 50 residents present: \u201cIt\u2019s a rapidly growing landfill site one-and-a-half miles from Canterbury Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that really what Canterbury wants or needs?<\/p>\n
A packed meeting of residents concerned about the Shelford Landfill was held at St. Stephen’s Community Centre<\/p>\n
\u201cThe landfill site has really grown enormously; it\u2019s quite shocking.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that residents cannot hang out washing as a result of the odours from the site.<\/p>\n
Paul Bennett, an EA manager, said the cause is hydrogen sulphide, which gives off a strong smell even at very low levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, your noses are the best thing we have for detecting the odour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe current technology for detecting hydrogen sulphide on a permanent monitoring basis will not go down to the levels that we\u2019re detecting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The landfill seen from the Vauxhall Road area<\/p>\n
The meeting was originally planned to be a presentation by the EA – but before long, the agency\u2019s representatives were facing several questions from members of the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cHales Place is a considerably vulnerable area,\u201d said one, raising concerns about the EA\u2019s public engagement relating to the site, adding: \u201cWhy am I not seeing you knock on my 90-year-old neighbour\u2019s door?\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Mr Bennett said it could likely have been \u201cshred material\u201d as a result of the way plastic is discarded at landfill sites.<\/p>\n
Peta Boucher, one of the organisers, said: \u201cI live in Sturry and we are covered in dust.<\/p>\n
Peta Boucher, said the landfill operators have “no consideration for anybody else”<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m asthmatic and I\u2019ve had to increase my medication to cope.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Bennett said: \u201cThere\u2019s a level of complexity because there are so many other causes of dust.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Matthew Higginson, also from the EA, told attendees that \u201cit is certainly frustrating for a lot of people, but ultimately not our remit\u201d.<\/p>\n
Regulation of how many vehicles can come in and out, for example, falls under planning regulations, which Kent County Council (KCC) is responsible for.<\/p>\n
The Shelford Landfill site in Canterbury<\/p>\n
The on-site Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) was given retrospective approval by KCC after being built without planning permission.<\/p>\n