Contamination fears at waste facility site

The former industrial plant at Thornton

Plans to create a waste processing facility has prompted fears about the prospect of a new development on a site with possible pre-existing chemical contamination.

Wyre Council has called for a risk assessment of the site, near the former ICI plant, prior to any work on the new facility at the Hillhouse Enterprise Zone near Thornton.

Investigations have begun into the presence of PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl substances) in the site's atmosphere or soil, amid concerns the so-called forever chemicals take thousands of years to break down.

The council said insufficient information had been submitted with the planning application regarding the potential contamination risks.

Wyre Council will not be the authority directly taking the decision on the planning application but will be consulted, according to The Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The application will be heard by Lancashire County Council's Development Control Committee.

Stockport-based Sterling Environmental Solutions, which hopes to build the waste facility, said it has been successfully treating third-party industrial waste, alongside pharmaceutical waste, for more than 30 years .

'Decontamination plan'

Some residents have also raised concerns about the proposed waste treatment facility, fearing it could lead to possible bad smells.

Wyre Council said if an initial study identified potential contamination, a detailed site investigation should take place - subject to approval by the local planning authority - highlighting the development's "sensitive end use"

It added if "remediation measures" were needed, a decontamination scheme would need to be approved by the local planning authority before any development could take place - with "written validation of the approved measures submitted to, and approved by, the local planning authority when decontamination had finished".

It continued: "Any changes to the approved scheme must be approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority prior to any works being undertaken."

There are currently problems with odours coming from the Jameson Road landfill site, in nearby Fleetwood, as well as concerns about PFAS contamination – a substance which has been linked to cancer.