Ware Town Council response to Pre-Submission – Waste Site Allocations Document
Ref: para 6.6, Allocated Site AS019 Westmill Quarry and Landfill
Question 5 (a) Continuation page 1
Ware Town Council objects to this site being included in the Site Allocations for the following
reasons:
Location
The location of this site is not appropriate for further waste processing. The site is currently used for
landfill. Original planning permission was granted on the basis that landfill would be discontinued in
2017 and the site returned to meadows. It is in close proximity to a residential area, an employment
area and close to the historic town centre of Ware. The area already suffers from smells, traffic,
pollution and dust from the landfill and the traffic that this generates. Any further waste processing
use would aggravate this. The site is in the Metropolitan Green Belt and is close to a private water
supply. Further waste processing would have an adverse impact on nearby listed buildings and
historic park. There must be more suitable sites away from residential areas.
Suggested uses:
a) Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic plants operate without oxygen. They are considered a crude method of waste
treatment, requiring regular maintenance and have difficulty meeting the Royal Standard of
Effluent (Biological Oxygen Demand and Suspended Solids). As with all sewage treatment
facilities, they are intrusive because they generate smell, fly and rodent nuisance and have a
constant noise hum. They cannot take shock loads, ie at times of storm. Therefore storm tanks
have to be constructed and these are a safety hazard for trespassers and the untrained. The
methane gas generated as a result of the digestion process is a health and safety hazard
requiring careful management. The disposal of effluent from the plant (the discharge after
treatment) has to be carefully controlled. They need to be opened up and cleared of nonbiodegradable matter, which causes nuisance as tankers have to take the matter away to
incinerators or landfill or large aerobic treatment works for blending, resulting in more lorry
movements, noise, dust and pollution. The digestion tanks are visually intrusive.
b) In-vessel Composting
Vessels can be a health & safety hazard. The process generates smell, fly and rodent infestation
and can have toxic residue if not managed properly. Waste Transfer Station (dry recyclables)
This would result in constant lorry movements, mud on the road, noise, dust nuisance and
windblown litter on trees and verges, such as occurs on the A414 between Hertingfordbury and
Hatfield.
c) Open Windrow Composting
As stated in the document, this use would require additional mitigation measures which
suggests that this is not an appropriate location.This creates the same nuisances as in-vessel
composting but with the additional potential of damage to water sources, which is recognised
in the document.
Ware Town Council response to Pre-Submission – Waste Site Allocations Document
Ref: para 6.6, Allocated Site AS019 Westmill Quarry and Landfill
Question 5 (a) Continuation page 2
d) Household Waste Recylcing Centre
This will result in considerable traffic movements , which will adversely affect the town of Ware,
causing dust, noise, pollution and litter.
e) Waste Transfer Station
This would result in constant lorry movements, mud on the road, noise, dust nuisance and
windblown litter on trees and verges, such as occurs on the A414 between Hertingfordbury and
Hatfield.
f) Materials Recovery Facility (dry recyclables)
Unless the process is undercover, when it rains there is likely to be toxic run-off and this needs
to be collected carefully. Again, this will result in constant lorry movements.
g) Inert Waste Recycling
This process will require storage bays and tanks and will also result in plant and lorry
movements causing noise, dust and pollution.
h) Thermal Treatment Facility
Ware Town Council is totally opposed to this use which would rely on bringing industrial waste
in from outside of the area generating additional lorry traffic, dust and noise causing irreparable
damage to the town. Residents have serious concerns about the effect of the emissions on
health. The size of any development required to house an incinerator would result in a loss of
visual amenity to our attractive and historic market town.
i) Mechanical/biological Treatment Facility
This process may rely on composting, anaerobic digestion or, in some cases, thermal treatment
and will result in the nuisances associated with these in addition to the lorry movements
created.
Water Contamination (resulting from uses a, b, c h and i)
The document recognises that the groundwater source has to be protected and that this site is in or
within 50m of a private water supply meaning it will have to be treated as though it is in a
groundwater source protection zone 1.
Impact on Listed Buildings
The document emphasises the need to protect Poles Park (grade II historic park/garden) and
Westmill House (grade II listed).