Date set for inquiry into waste site dumping ban

The operators of Welbeck Landfill Site have appealed against a decision to end the dumping of materials at the tip

A new date has been set for a public inquiry into a ban on waste tipping at a rubbish dump in Wakefield.

The Planning Inspectorate case over Welbeck Landfill Site will be discussed at Wakefield Town Hall in November.

The inquiry was due to take place in June but was adjourned after tip operator Welbeck Waste Management Ltd (WWML) made a legal challenge against Wakefield Council.

Last November, the council's planning and highways committee rejected WWML's application to continue tipping at the site for two extra years.

Welbeck Landfill Site is due to be transformed into a country park

The decision meant that tipping had to end on 31 December 2023, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The operator, also known as FCC Environment, appealed against the decision and also challenged an enforcement notice served by the council in January.

Lawyers for the council requested more time for all interested parties to comment.

At the time, Alison Ogley, the barrister representing WWML, said the proposals had been changed due to a reduction in the amount of waste going to the site after enforcement action was taken.

WWML is able to continue to operate at the site as the enforcement notice has been suspended pending the appeal outcome.

A five-day hearing was originally rescheduled for 4 September but was delayed and is now listed to begin on 19 November.

The site, which has been in operation for more than 25 years, is due to be transformed into a country park.

In March, senior councillors agreed to spend £275,000 on the first phase of work to transform Welbeck into a "must-see destination".

But a report said there was a "level of uncertainty" around the timeline for completion of the landfill operations due to the legal challenge.

WWML previously said it needed more time to fill the remaining capacity at the site due to a shortage of materials going to landfill.

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