Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

Saxongate updates – Church Field Farm, Science Park and Forterra

Three updates below. One refers to a radio interview at 7pm tonight

1) Churchfield farm Kings Dyke  (F/YR23/0546/F) trailer park approved

The planning permission for the already built HGV trailer park at Churchfield farm Kings Dyke  (F/YR23/0546/F) was passed last week. The works have already been completed at the site (near the Ralph Butcher bridge). Concerns about the possible use of Industrial Bottom ash aggregate were raised but it was noted that is not a planning consideration. The materials on that site came from Saxon Pit. Some people keep framing IBAA as an inert aggregate – but please do listen to the attached audio file from the planning meeting this week. It is only 10 minutes long and has been edited to focus on the IBAA discussions. 

If IBAA is inert, why does the environment agency regulatory positioning statement say: –

You must make sure your activity does not endanger human health or the environment and you must not:

• use, or supply for use, IBAA underneath any residential building or garden
• store IBAA for more than 6 months before use
• cause a risk to water, air, soil, plants or animals
• cause a nuisance through noise or odour
• adversely affect the countryside or places of special interest
• At least 95% of it must be entirely covered by a low permeability surface or building.
• The amount of IBAA you can use depends on the distance to a surface water body

The link for the full meeting is: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSxk7owrrxY

Saxongate remains concerned that there is not enough consideration and no joined up overview being given to the total amount of IBA and IBAA potentially being processed, stored and used in Whittlesey. The science around this new material is developing and there are differences of opinion. We also still wonder how this new trailer park site fits into the WOW plan. We would prefer to see a proper tarmac parking area to reduce dust – even more so if IBAA has been used. Do listen to the audio file. We will keep pushing for clarification.

2) Science Park – radio interview tonight

Plans for a Science Park to the west of Saxon Pit (Victory Pit) are making progress. Also, there is a possibility of a solar farm on the eastern buttress of Saxon Pit. Saxongate has met with the Science Park director in the past and is monitoring the situation. We are concerned that the councils have waived an environmental impact report considering the potential scale of the site. We also struggle to see how these developments can dovetail with the existing IBA and IBAA + recycling works being undertaken in Saxon Pit. We understand there will be a public presentation in the town on the 1st and 2nd of December at Whittlesey Christian Church in Broad Street. We would encourage as many people as possible to attend and will keep you informed. In the meantime, the director Stephen Rice (who has also acted for the owners and companies in Saxon pit on planning matters) has been interviewed on Fenland Youth Radio. That is playing tonight at 7pm and again Wednesday at 10am (flyer attached). This is important for the town so please listen in if you can:- https://www.fenlandyouthradio.com/our-schedule

3) Forterra. 

Saxongate met with Forterra last Friday. A number of agencies and councils also attended. We will issue a full update once the minutes have been released. House building is cyclical and Forterra advised they are reducing production by around 25% which sadly will result in job losses. They think the majority will be met by voluntary redundancies and anticipate demand will come back in the future. These liaison meetings have not happened for many years and our group has lobbied hard over the last 12 months to restore them. Another meeting should happen in March. We continue to push for a greater understanding of emissions and more consideration to reducing odour from the chimneys (stacks). There might be some longer-term changes which may help in that regard. Forterra is also undertaking a best available techniques review as we understand it for example. In the last year there were only 17 public complaints about possible odour from the chimneys so it is not considered to be a major issue for the townsfolk. We are pleased that Forterra has reinstated these meetings and have allowed our group to attend. They are a very professional company.
If you are impacted by a smell or dust which might come from them, you can ring the Environment Agency (number below). In the future you may be able to ring Forterra directly. They will still record the issue for the Environment Agency.  

Small print and EA helpline
Please do keep reporting any issues  and we will endeavour to keep pushing forward. If you suffer and noise, smells or dust please do still report it to the Environment Agency 24/7 on
0800 80 70 60

We will never give your data to third parties and will only email you about Saxongate relevant information. If you wish to be removed from the mailing list just reply ‘stop’ or ‘remove’ to this email. We also need to grow our membership so do pass on our details. People can contact us on this email or via Facebook if they wish to join :- https://www.facebook.com/SaxonGatePE7

My apologies were given not attending the meeting today.
At FDC Planning Committee Item 8 the part retrospective application to store Units/Lorries at the Churchfield site – was approved with limited hours of operation.
(07:00 -19:00).
There were questions about the material used for the hard standing, however this in itself is not a planning consideration, and must be left to the Environment Agency and Cambs CC. -You can view the debate on FDC’s YouTube Channel.

Alarm raised over water firm job of new environment secretary’s wife