Waste site operator appeals health hazard decision

Wakefield Council refused permission for the facility to continue operating last month

The operator of a waste recycling site which was stripped of its licence over concerns the facility was causing a health hazard has appealed against the decision.

The Environment Agency (EA) issued a permit revocation notice in June against Minore, which runs the site, in Hacking Lane, South Elmsall, which came into effect on 4 July.

A planning inspector said excessive amounts of hazardous material stored at the land had created multiple health risks, while residents also complained about a foul smell coming from the site.

Carly Chambers, area manager for the EA in Yorkshire, confirmed Minore, also known as Mineral Processing Ltd, had launched an appeal.

She said: "The environmental permit will now stay in place until the Planning Inspectorate has announced the outcome of this appeal.

"The suspension notice, however, remains in place during this time. [This will] prevent more waste being brought onto the site and requires the removal of waste that is in breach of the permit conditions.

"If the operator does not comply with the suspension notice, it will be committing an offence."

She added the EA "understood the impact this site is having on the community and our increased regulatory response continues".

Last month, Wakefield Council refused permission for the facility to continue operating.

According to documents, almost five times the permitted amount of materials had been stored on the land.

The permit had allowed a maximum of 50,000 tonnes to be stored at the facility.

However, information provided by Minore between 2016 and 2023 revealed there were 233,772 tonnes at the site, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Residents have previously complained about a foul smell coming from the site

The EA has called for the removal of at least 180,000 tonnes of non-inert material.

A planning inspector said in a report published last month that the facility also posed a risk to nearby watercourses, including Frickley Beck.

Minore previously said it was "disappointed" with the decision from the Inspectorate.

The company added it planned to transform the land into wildflower meadow, wetland, ponds and public open space.

A spokesperson for the firm said: "Currently the site is excavating materials and processing them, which is not in contravention of the notices issued by the EA but in compliance with them.

"The site has been here since the late 19th century as Victorian brickworks, ash pit and council tip for the deposit of coal ash from domestic fires, up until the late 1950s.

"The company samples the water regularly as part of the monitoring regime and has found no effect on Frickley Beck when taking water samples.

"Our employees have been working at the site for over 12 years and now fear for their jobs due to this escalation."

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