Document mix up led to over-filling at landfill site

Waste was piled eight or nine metres above agreed levels at a landfill site near Llanidloes because of a mix-up in documents.

Powys County Council’s planning committee has discussed a retrospective application by Bryn Posteg Landfill Site operators, Sundorne (Llanidloes), to have the over-tipping allowed.

They also formalised the restoration scheme for the site.

Mineral and waste planning officer Gary Nancarrow explained: “A situation has arisen by plans that were approved back in 2004.

“There seems to have been a confusion over a particular plan (number 9), where there was a different version of it floating about.

“The planning authority and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) had one version of the plan and the developer had different version.

“We have a situation where they have gone above the existing approved contours in some locations of the site by some eight or nine metres.”

Mr Nancarrow said that there was still a considerable existing hole in the ground that could be filled with waste, which will be filled during the next two to two-and-a-half years.

And then for another couple of years, work would be done to “cap” the waste  and then have soils and compost placed on top of it. Eventually it would be grassed over.

Mr Nancarrow added that this permission would take precedence over all other past ones.

Newtown Central’s Liberal Democrat councillor David Selby said the application was dealing with “something that was not spotted”.

“I feel it would give greater comfort and it would add discipline to something that has clearly been undisciplined if we could give a specific end date,” he said. Mr Nancarrow said providing a specific end date would be “difficult”.

Cllr Elwyn Vaughan, said: “The key thing is we want to see the place capped and landscaping fulfilled.

“Close monitoring is needed if we are to learn lessons from the past.

“There is need for better dialogue with the community councils to keep people informed of what the plans are. In many ways this is the least worst option.”

Cllr Vaughan went on to move the motion for approval.

Cllr Hywel Lewis said: “Nobody wants a waste tip close to where they live, but we all produce waste and it has to go somewhere, making full use of it would be beneficial.”

Cllr Lewis seconded the proposal and it was passed unanimously by the committee.

The landfill site, which is about two miles south east of Llanidloes, has been there since the 1980s.

Bryn Posteg was originally owned and operated by Montgomeryshire County Council as a household waste disposal site up to the time of local government reorganisation in 1996, when PCC sold the landfill to private ownership.

Since then  site has been operating as Sundorne (Llanidloes) Ltd which is part of the Potters Group.

 

By Elgan Hearn, Local democracy Reporting Service