Environment Agency to revoke permit at South Elmsall waste site
A waste recycling site is set to have its permit revoked following a ruling that it poses a pollution risk to a town’s residents.
The Environment Agency (EA) has announced plans to take the enforcement action against the operator of the facility in South Elmsall.
The move comes after a planning inspector said excessive amounts of hazardous material stored at the land created multiple risks.
Hundreds of residents have complained about a “putrid stench”, dust and litter coming from the site at Hacking Lane.
A judgement, published on Tuesday (June 3), said the facility also posed a risk to nearby watercourses, including Frickley Beck.
The EA said it had served notice on Minore, also known as Mineral Processing Ltd, of its intention to revoke the permit as part of efforts to protect the community.
Carly Chambers, Yorkshire area manager for the EA, said: “Mineral Processing Ltd has shown a total disregard for the regulatory efforts of the Environment Agency and the impact on local residents and the environment.
“Following the decision by the Planning Inspectorate, we have therefore taken immediate action to revoke the environmental permit for this site.
“We know the impact this site is having on the local community and we continue to take robust action against the operator.
“We are also investigating suspected offences committed since the suspension notice was issued.”
Minore would have to cease all activities allowed by the permit once the revocation took effect.
The company would also be required to take steps to remove waste from the site.
Not abiding by a suspension notice is an offence.
Minore has 20 working days to appeal the decision through the Planning Inspectorate.
If an appeal is made, the permit would remain in place until the outcome of the appeal.
The Environment Agency issued a suspension notice to Minore in June 2024, which it appealed
The appeal was dismissed earlier this week, when claims that public health was at risk due to a foul smell, dust and litter were upheld.
Planning inspector John Dowsett’s said: “The risk of pollution arises due to the excessive quantity of waste, including non-conforming waste that is present on the site.
“Exceeding those limitations inevitably results in an increase in the risk of pollution.
“Returning the site to conformity would address those risks.”
According to documents, almost five times the permitted amount of materials had been stored on the land.
The permit allowed a maximum of 50,000 tonnes to be stored at the facility.
Information provided by Minore between 2016 and 2023 revealed there were 233,772 tonnes at the site.
The EA has called for the removal of at least 180,000 tonnes of non-inert material.
The regulator also said it was “assessing all its enforcement options”, which may include serving further enforcement notices and prosecution.
On Tuesday, Minore said it was “disappointed” with the decision from the Inspectorate.
The company said it plans 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.
“There has not been any pollution incident in Frickley Beck in those 100 years.
“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 in action against the site on human health grounds when none of our employees have ever been affected.”