Council urges Environmental Agency to close down operations at landfill site, backs increase in legal ‘fighting fund’

Councillors at Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council have voted to urge the Environment Agency to close the Walleys Quarry landfill site, and have approved a move to increase the local authority’s legal ‘fighting fund’ to £300,000.

The councillors also voted for the council to assess its legal options over the hydrogen sulphide odours emanating from the site and which were described as a “significant public health emergency”.

There have been 500 complaints in February so far, according to the local authority.

Simon Tagg, Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, said: “The community is appalled that after so long this blight on our lives is still here.

“The Environment Agency is the principal regulatory body for Walleys Quarry with the power to suspend operations, restrict what’s done, or require work be carried out and it should consider using its ‘Closure Notice’ powers.

“Months, indeed years, of EA site inspections have brought to us to where we are now and Full Council has now backed Cabinet’s decision to call on the EA to issue a closure notice for this site and the ball is very much in its court: our community wants to know what we’re waiting for.”

The council’s scrutiny committees will meanwhile take evidence of the effect on residents and businesses, as well as inviting the Environment Agency, Staffordshire County Council, local health representatives and the operators Walleys Quarry Ltd, a subsidiary of Red Industries, to discuss their perspectives.

Newcastle-under-Lyme said it was also calling on the Environment Agency to publish up-to-date air monitoring data amid claims it had wrongly calibrated its equipment.

The council is to consider its next steps within the terms of Abatement Notice action implemented last year. This followed legal action brought by the council, which saw the operator accept that its site was the source of ‘community complaint’.

Cllr Tagg added: “The council will continue to do all it can within its limited powers to ease the community’s suffering, but we strongly call on EA to use its substantial powers to close the landfill.”

In a statement Walleys Quarry Ltd (WQL) said it “remains committed to working with the regulators and our community as we strive to provide a clean, healthy and sustainable operation for Newcastle-under-Lyme.

“WQL is disappointed by the council’s performative efforts to play party politics and make facile calls for closure without giving any thought or effort towards the practical realities.”

The company added: “We remain committed to our end goal. In time Walleys Quarry Ltd. will cease to operate as a landfill and restoration will be completed. This cannot be achieved through any sort of immediate closure, as the council knows full well. 

"As we work to achieve our objectives, all onsite emissions continue to remain well within World Health Organisation guidelines and pose no risk to health.

"As always our standing appeal for local politicians to work with us productively remains open.”

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We recognise that there have been recent increases in hydrogen sulphide emissions around Walleys Quarry, and in odour reports from local residents. We have every sympathy with the local community and remain committed to maintaining long-term improvements in emissions from the site.

“We continue to require Walleys Quarry Ltd (WQL) to comply with its environmental permit and implement all the measures necessary to manage emissions of landfill gas from the site. We are keeping WQL’s response and our regulatory options under review.”