Horse grazing scheme at former sewage works rejected over animal welfare fears

Wakefield Council turned down the application for a former Yorkshire Water site in Ossett to be used as pasture land.

A report said there was the possibility of soil being contaminated with harmful toxic metals on the land off Spa Lane.

The site 1.7-hectare site, next to the M1 motorway, was part of a wastewater treatment facility.

A planning officer’s report said part of the land was used to “allow sewage sludge to dewater (dry out) and reduce microbial activity.”

It added: “The levels of heavy metals in sewage sludge are dependent on the nature of the industrial effluent that was discharged to and treated at the works.”

An animal welfare officer also raised concerns, saying horses’ long term health could be affected if they were allowed onto the land.

The report said: “The officer noted that there are four heavy metals that can cause threat, which are arsenic, mercury, lead and aluminium.

“It was also noted that there is a chance that the horses can end up derogated for either human consumption or pet food, which poses risk to human and other animal health.”

Concerns were also raised over animals being affected by pollution coming from the M1.

Ten members of the public objected to the application with concerns over flooding.

They said the land, which lies close to the a watercourse, was regularly waterlogged and unsuitable for grazing animals.

The applicant said no changes to the land were proposed and up to five horses at a time would be on the land.

The application was refused on the grounds that it failed to demonstrate that the site was safe for grazing “due to the site’s historic use for the drying of sludge associated with the former Ossett sewage works.”

The report said there was a “high potential” of contamination and that the application failed to include comprehensive soil sampling and testing analysis.

Four previous applications at the site during the last decade, which included plans for a builder’s yard and stables, were all refused on the grounds of it being inappropriate for the greenbelt.