Plans for a number of homes on an old landfill site in a Nottinghamshire village have prompted concerns over contamination.
Marcus Thomas has been looking to build up to four homes in Church Lane, Underwood, on grassland that was once used for landfill many decades ago.
The plans were tabled at an Ashfield District Council planning committee meeting in February this year, during which members deferred them while the developer provided more information relating to ground contamination.
According to planning documents, the developer has since provided a site investigation report and a ground gas risk assessment.
Five boreholes were drilled into the ground alongside three trial pits, and samples were taken.
The ground was found to contain brick, concrete, wood, plastic, tarmac, tiles, rubber, and asbestos was identified in two of the tested samples.
Documents say the contamination can be safely managed.
However residents and a local ward councillor say more testing is needed, with suggestions 40 boreholes should be drilled across the site to “provide greater information and knowledge in respect of the contamination”.
Cllr Arnie Hankin (Ash Ind), who represents Selston and called the development to be considered again by a planning committee, said he had lived near the site for almost three decades, and that the landfill had been present long before stricter regulations were put in place.
He said while the developer had drilled boreholes into the ground for testing, more were needed at the centre of the site.
“At that time when it was a landfill they were not required to have waste tickets to identify what goes in the landfill,” he said.
“It was a free-for-all for what you could put in there.
“They have done the boreholes, but not quite in the areas that we would like.
“The holes were drilled on the periphery of the site. If you want the filling of the pie you don’t just eat the crust.
“I’m not opposed to the application, it is a nice development. It is a good scheme, four nice plots that I am sure would do well. But we are just saying we would like to identify what has gone in the site.”
The Environment Agency said an increased number of exploratory locations using trial pits to dig the soil up to a depth of four metres, and an increased number of boreholes to collect soils, would allow the further characterisation of site findings and to confirm the depth and extents of infilled waste material
However the Environment Agency and the council’s own Environmental Health team concluded that although contamination on site was identified during the site investigations, the findings, conclusions and recommended mitigation measures “are reasonable, logical and appropriate for the proposed development.”
“Whilst undertaking further borehole investigations across the site may reveal further information about the identified on-site contaminants, this would not alter the position regarding the proposed mitigation methods, which specialist consultees have identified as being appropriate to remediate the site,” documents add.
The development will be discussed at a planning committee meeting on Wednesday (October 22).
