Plans for asphalt site recommended for approval

Plans for an asphalt plant which objectors claim would pose a danger to public health could be given the go-ahead by councillors.

Tynedale Roadstone Ltd wants to build a facility at Allerton Waste Recovery Park by the side of the A1(M) in North Yorkshire to make road surface products.

It said assessments had confirmed the site was capable of supporting the proposed scheme with "no significant impact on the environment" and that there would be no breaches of national air quality objectives.

Officers at North Yorkshire Council have recommended the application should be approved, with councillors set to discuss the plans on 10 June.

Under the plans, the site would reuse material from an adjacent waste recovery plant.

Almost 200 formal objections have been submitted against the plans, including some from local parish councils, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Critics of the plans have raised a wide range of concerns, including fears over pollution, dust, noise, smell, ground contamination and traffic problems.

A petition containing more than 1,000 signatures has also been submitted against the scheme.

In its response, Kirk Hammerton Parish Council said: "This represents a risk to public health in surrounding villages and is an obvious concern for residents of Kirk Hammerton."

Goldsborough and Flaxby Parish Council also submitted an objection, stating: "Why is a 'dirty' process such as this even considered at Allerton?

"Why is it even needed at all? It should not be in a rural location and should not be allowed to be erected next to an incinerator that is already spoiling a rural location."

Council planning officers have said the proposal is "considered to be sustainable" and conditions attached to approval can "mitigate any effects".

The Environment Agency had initially objected to the application, but subsequently withdrew it on the proviso that various conditions would be met.

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