Pymoor crisp firm in council 'waste' row after factory fire

Firefighters worked through the night to tackle the devastating blaze at Corkers Crisps four years ago

The owner of a family crisp firm whose factory burned down has become embroiled in a fight with a council over "waste" at the site.

Corkers Crisps' factory, near Ely in Cambridgeshire, was destroyed in a fire in May 2020, but Ross Taylor aims to redevelop it.

Cambridgeshire County Council accused him of depositing waste near the factory site, in Pymoor, without permission and issued an enforcement notice.

Mr Taylor has lodged an appeal.

The authority said an enforcement notice had been issued after concerns were raised by the "community".

The notice says Mr Taylor appears to have breached planning control by depositing waste and "raising" land with waste.

Officials say action needs to be taken.

"There has been no planning permission or consent issued by Cambridgeshire County Council (as the waste planning authority)..." said the council notice.

"The waste importation, storage, processing and waste uses at this site are contrary to the locational criteria for waste management development."

Ross Taylor has applied for permission to develop a new factor and is waiting for a decision

A council spokeswoman added: "The notice follows concerns raised by the community and involved an investigation which has taken place over a number of years.

"Evidence was collected by county council officers and members of East Cambridgeshire's District Council planning enforcement team with input from local residents."

She added: "Following legal advice, we served a notice to address the unauthorised waste importation, deposit and processing at the site as well as the use of waste to raise the land, all of which require planning permission from the county council as the waste planning authority."

She said the council was continuing to receive complaints from residents about "activities at the site".

'Bureaucracy'

Mr Taylor said material had not been imported but taken from the footings of the old factory.

He said it would be reused when the factory was rebuilt.

"It's bureaucracy gone crazy," said Mr Taylor, who founded Corkers in 2010.

"An appeal has gone in. It's not that we have started a waste business or anything like.

"It's material we have taken up from the old foundations which will have to go back in when we build the new factory.

"What's the point of taking it away? We will just have to bring it back again."

'Jobs lost'

Mr Taylor wants to redevelop the factory and has made a planning application to East Cambridgeshire District Council, which has yet make a decision on it.

"When the factory was destroyed 110 jobs were lost," the businessman said.

"We just want to build our factory up again."