A Betchton resident has complained that a skip-hire company near to his home, whose operation creates “dust, noise and rats”, plans to expand.
An environmental permit application has been submitted by William Beech Skip Hire, of Cappers Lane, seeking residents’ comments on the extension of the site’s operational area and boundary.
The Environment Agency opened the public consultation on 31st July, but Mike Jones, who lives next to the company, said he was only made aware of it four days before it closed on Friday.
“There’s a lot of holes in the planning permit and a lot of grey areas. It will vastly impact my life. The place already is hell for me,” said Mr Jones.
“We have a lot of problems with dust, noise and rats. The dust is like the Sahara Desert, it’s horrendous. You can’t have your windows open, you can’t wash your car, you can’t have your washing outside.”
Mr Jones’ family has lived on Cappers Lane for 60 years, before the skip hire company was founded by William Beech in 1979.
The application requests permission for the site to expand its boundary to make way for new infrastructure, which will allow the business to treat waste, as well as a new drainage system.
“It’ll make our house almost unliveable,” Mr Jones said.
“We’re arguing that there should be a full-time, independent noise monitor and a dust monitor.”
In his response to the consultation, Mr Jones requested a 28-day extension to the consultation deadline.
“The reality is, everything is pretty much going to double in terms of noise and dust problems,” he said.
Comments both against and in favour of the permit have been posted to the Environment Agency’s online planning portal.
One resident wrote: “The development directly threatens the surrounding rural countryside and pristine green fields. It will negatively impact the quality of life for all nearby local residents.”
Another said: “The fact that a site is located in a rural area should not mean that residents have to accept an unreasonable level of noise, disturbance, odour or airborne dust.
“The Environment Agency should consider the cumulative effect of these impacts on nearby homes and the wider rural community rather than considering each source in isolation.”
But a comment in favour of the permit said: “(William Beech Skip Hire) operates responsibly and has appropriate measures in place to manage the potential environmental impacts associated with the site.”
A second supporter said: “I believe the proposed activity can continue to be operated in a responsible and environmentally controlled manner.
“The operator already has appropriate measures and procedures in place to control dust, odour, noise and other potential environmental impacts arising from the operation of the site.”
A spokesperson for William Beech Skip Hire said: “We welcome the opportunity to provide clarification regarding the recently submitted variation application and the comments that have been provided during the consultation process.
“It should be noted that we are already regulated by the Environment Agency through an existing environmental permit and are subject to its conditions and regulatory oversight.
“Environment Agency compliance inspections are undertaken by inspecting officers.”
As part of the application, the spokesperson said the proposed operations had been subject to a number of detailed environmental assessments, which took into account site’s location, surrounding receptors and the potential effects resulting from its operation.
The statement said: “The findings of this assessment have informed the proposed site layout, infrastructure, operating procedures and environmental controls included within the application.
“The bespoke permit application also follows the grant of planning permission by Cheshire East Council. That permission was granted following a detailed planning assessment and consultation process, including consideration by the council and relevant technical consultees.”
The spokesperson said the environmental permit would ensure that the necessary environmental controls were put in place for its operations.
“Any permit issued by the Environment Agency remains subject to ongoing compliance monitoring, and the Environment Agency has regulatory and enforcement powers available where an operator fails to comply with permit conditions.
“We remain committed to operating the site responsibly and in accordance with all applicable and environmental requirements. We will continue to work constructively with the Environment Agency and other relevant authorities to ensure that appropriate environmental and amenity controls are maintained.”
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We are aware of concerns raised by local residents about potential noise, dust and vermin impacts associated with operations at the site.
“We are considering these concerns alongside the environmental permit application, which includes measures to manage environmental impact on the local area.
“We will continue to monitor the site and, where we identify non-compliance with permit conditions, take appropriate regulatory action.
“The application is currently undergoing determination, and no final decision has been made.”
