PRESS RELEASE

Surrey County Council continues to keep prospect of an
incinerator at Capel alive

Despite a comprehensive defeat in the High Court for a second time in ten years, at immense cost to council taxpayers, Surrey County Council refuses to close the door once and for all on the prospect of an incinerator at Capel. In so doing they continue to display an attitude of disdain towards Capel residents and to the Court.

Planning Applications

In March 2009 Mr Justice Collins formally allowed Capel Parish Council's claims and ordered a ll three planning permissions to be quashed and all relevant references to the Clockhouse Brickworks site to be deleted from the adopted Waste Plan, with the other sites being retained.

Following the High Court decision the planning applications remain alive until they are re-determined. As the planning applications are no longer compliant with the Waste Plan they can only be refused. The applicant, Surrey Waste Management, has not indicated to the County Council that it wishes to withdraw the applications, which we regard as reprehensible. But worse still the County Planning Authority continues to give the applicant more time. It does not have to do this but clearly chooses to do so. Such further extensions cut across the County Planning Authority's statutory duty to determine the applications in accordance with the development plan, and they also provide a convenient excuse not to enforce the restoration condition of the existing landfill consent.

Capel Action Group contends that, given the clear terms of the judgment of Justice Collins, the County Planning Authority should proceed to dismiss the planning applications, as this is both the correct and fair course of action to be taken.

Restoration of the Landfill site

No action to restore the site has been taken. In early August 2009 Planning Enforcement Officers asked the site operator, SITA UK Ltd, to provide details of restoration works that were yet to be undertaken in order to achieve full restoration of the landfill site. They also requested the operator to submit an aftercare scheme by 31 August 2009 .

The site operator failed to comply with these requests within the timescales laid down and, despite formal requests being made, almost three months on Capel Action Group awaits evidence from Surrey County Council that the site operator has complied. By any standard this is a example of woeful non-compliance by SITA UK Ltd. It also shows weakness on the part of Surrey County Council in allowing themselves to be so readily dismissed, particularly given their duty to take account of the legitimate interests of Capel residents.

These matters are of significant concern to Capel residents, who have a legitimate interest in the above matters which should not longer be ignored by Surrey County Council.

Capel Action Group

30 October 2009

Contacts:

Dino Adriano 01306 711366 and 07889 206325

Paul Garber 01306 711015 and 07771 842037