Plans for soil treatment facility at Normanton's Welbeck Landfill Site will not benefit local people, campaigners say

Welbeck Landfill Site has processed rubbish for more than 20 years with the understanding that the site would be returned to nature after the lease – which has been extended to 2026 – was up. Since then 1,000 homes have been planned for the site and £1m in rent owed by the owners written off.

The new application is for temporary use of the existing engineered pad as a soil treatment facility to produce landfill restoration soils.

The proposed soil treatment facility would be located within the active landfill site on the western side of the river

A report that will be considered by Wakefield Council's planning committee on Thursday states: "The proposal is for a temporary soil treatment facility with a time- limited life of five years until December, 31 2025. This would coincide with the end date of the landfill site when final restoration has to be completed. There is no proposed extension of time to restore the Welbeck landfill site."

Normanton Town Council and campaign group RATS (Residents Against Toxic Scheme) have objected to the plans.

RATS said: "The importation of hazardous soils is for profit for Welbeck Management without environmental benefit or beneficial to the local population."