Residents continue to oppose the expansion of the Waterdale Transfer Station (WTS) as Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) submit planning permission request.
In a multi-million pound plan, the HCC seeks to demolish the existing buildings of Brookdell Yard, the land surrounding the WTS, and construct a new waste shredding facility that incorporates the processing of mixed municipal waste and bulky waste material.
A spokesperson for HCC said: “We’re committed to creating a cleaner, greener, and healthier Hertfordshire, and as part of that we want to reduce unnecessary journeys on our roads and minimise the amount of waste that goes to landfill. By constructing a new building at the Waterdale Transfer Station, we can manage waste more effectively, reduce carbon emissions, reduce congestion on the immediate road network and provide a more efficient service.”
The plans have already received positive responses from Thames Water, Herts Fire and Rescue and National Highways, but continues to be resisted by disgruntled residents who have spoken out previously about the issues the current WTS already brings to their lives.
Shellie Higgins, resident of Bucknalls Lane for 23 years, spoke to My Local News about her concerns: “The smell gets worse each year. We have repeatedly reported our concerns to Three Rivers Council, Hertfordshire County Council, and the WTS. Residents’ emails and letters are often ignored. Who is accountable for the odour in the air that is emitting from the site?
“I personally wrote an email complaining about the smell last week and received a reply saying that ‘the doors are broken to the main tipping station, as it was hot, they were aware that the tipping hall would generate an odour.’ Surely if a site like this is not managed correctly and faulty doors are affecting residents then trading should be stopped until repairs are carried out?
“The residents are joining together and asking, ‘Why should we have to close all our doors and windows during warm weather due to the bad smell?’ Rats have also been seen in gardens due to the increased waste at the site.
“We have 4 large schools within close proximity, we are worried about what bacteria or fungi are in the air. What effect is this having on our health? Who is accountable for this?
“They are polluting the air that we breath.”
Yes, correct, the smell is horrible already, before expansion. Sites like this are normally further away from residential streets and schools. Or it has to be a completely closed system without polluting the air with horrible smells.
Local residents are suffering and our quality of life is hugely effected by the horrible smell and noise that comes fom the waste site so close to our homes. This happens anytime during the day or night and has worsened significantly in the past couples of years. They have expanded the site volume hugely without any communications and got us to this stage now that we stopped using our gardens, closing all windows and doors and stopped having friends and family around in the summer. Not mentioning the health impact as result of this.. This is totally inhumane and anti social and needs to stop.