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Digging Near Drinkfield Marsh Update |
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Written by Mark Burton
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Thursday, 21 January 2010 |
 Digging by a private operator, on the Whessoe Road site boarding Drinkfield Marsh was causing a lot of concern for local residents. There were concerns over the scale of activity, the high levels of noise, which generally took place late at night and the size of the mounds of rubble being created. They were also worried over the number of fires, which were breaking at dusk.
Residents were also concerned over the lack of security at the site, as it remains; there is no clear boundary or fencing and children can easily access the site and be endangered.
Until Darlington Borough Council took action by way of two temporary Stop Notices and then a permanent Stop Notice, requiring cessation of operations and the reinstatement of the land to its condition prior to the operations taking place, these site operations were having a detrimental effect on the amenities of nearby residents through the production of noise, dust and fumes.
Darlington Borough Council issued an Enforcement Notice listing breaches of planning control which alleged that, without the benefit of planning permission, Mr R Shepherd/Albert Hill Skip Hire was using the land as a waste transfer station, a recycling centre, importation to the land controlled waste or other waste materials and carrying out on the land engineering works consisting of deep excavations and creation of earth mounds and tips.
Mr R Shepherd/Albert Hill Skip Hire and Mr A Blair (Dec’d) have now appealed to the Planning Inspectorate against the enforcement notice served upon them by Darlington Borough Council relating to the alleged breaches of planning control and I can confirm that the Inquiry is to be held on Tuesday 16 February starting at 10.00am. However, the solicitors recently appointed to represent Mr A Blair have said that they may need more time to make their case and could ask the Planning Inspectorate for an adjournment to a later date.
The appeal is to be dealt with by the public inquiry procedure and you (residents who were affected by the activities here and objectors) may put your views and or representations on the appeal to the Planning Inspector on the day of the Inquiry. Your views will be taken into consideration before the appeal is decided.
It is important to note that the Inspector will only be giving consideration to the grounds of appeal above including whether there are rights in place already for the site to be operated in the way that it is. The Inspector will not be considering the merits of whether or not to grant planning permission should he decide that there are no such rights already in place.
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