Knowsley Council’s Leader and Chief Executive had a constructive meeting with DEFRA representatives when they travelled to the Houses of Parliament this week.
Cllr Graham Morgan and James Duncan were in London to call for urgent action to tackle the ongoing issues caused by the illegal activities of businesses operating close to the border of Kirkby.
Residents living near to the Simonswood and the Williams Brothers Estate in West Lancashire have been enduring foul odours originating from the site as a result of illegal waste storage there for more than a year. In addition, operations at the industrial estate – which is outside of the Knowsley Council boundary – are causing dust to drift out over neighbouring properties as well as dirt, mud and debris being left on surrounding roads and HGVs have been using residential roads, in breach of weight restrictions.
Last week at Knowsley’s full Council meeting, Cllr Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council, said “enough is enough” and called on the agencies with regulatory power – Lancashire County Council and the Environment Agency – to take immediate action.
He told the meeting: “Over the last few years, Knowsley Council has been tireless in raising these issues, demanding action and representing our residents’ interests to protect them from the ongoing harms of living close to this industrial site.
“The Environment Agency have told us time and time again that they are regulating the business responsible, and have an odour management plan in place, but it is clear that these actions are not enough.
“And despite the failure to hold existing businesses on the site to their planning conditions, on four separate occasions in the past three years, ward members for Shevington – Cllr Tony Brennan, Cllr Tommy Rowe and Cllr Aimee Wright – have had to attend the Lancashire County Council Development Control Committee to object to proposals to allow even more disruptive practices on the site.
“Thankfully, they have done a fantastic job for the residents and successfully had the applications refused on three of the four occasions.”
Earlier this week, Cllr Morgan and Knowsley Council’s Chief Executive, James Duncan, met with Emma Hardy MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. At the meeting, they detailed the issues that are ongoing for residents, and explained that, rather than getting better, things seem to be worsening.
Cllr Morgan said: “It was good to meet with Emma Hardy and set out in detail the issues that residents in Kirkby are living with, and that any ‘action’ taken by the regulators to date has been completely ineffective.
“There are numerous businesses operating on that site without or in breach of planning permission and environmental permits, and their actions are having a really negative impact on people nearby. The odours being caused by illegal waste storage mean residents can’t open their windows, or sit in their gardens on sunny days. Some people are even experiencing physical symptoms like sore throats and eyes – and this has been going on for more than a year already.
“And it’s not just the foul odours – it’s also the dust, dirt and debris in the area too.
“If Knowsley Council had regulatory powers over this site, it would never have been allowed to get this bad. But unfortunately those agencies with the powers to do something about all this have taken a hands-off approach for too long – we’ve got to get a grip of this, now.”
Cllr Morgan said he will continue to raise this issue at the very highest level and is hopeful that regulators will start to listen.
“I think Emma Hardy was dismayed to hear the extent of the issues that are happening, and has given me her word that she will raise this with the Environment Agency,” he said.
“We also have the strong backing of Knowsley MP, Anneliese Midgley, who has raised this issue in Parliament on our behalf, and written to the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency to ask for an urgent meeting on this matter.”
“From Knowsley Council’s point of view, we will keep raising this issue until we get meaningful action.”