Kimberworth: Vote of no confidence in Environment Agency over plans to reopen tip

Councillors have passed a vote of no confidence in the Environment Agency (EA) for its handling of an application to reopen a former landfill site.

Grange landfill site at Droppingwell in Kimberworth closed in the 1990s but a request has been made to allow more waste to be deposited there.

Rotherham councillors have called for a public inquiry into the plans.

The EA said the application is to vary a permit that has "been in place for a long time".

Campaigners are concerned that reopening the site would disturb hazardous materials in the closed tip.

Councillors Ian Jones and Rob Elliott put forward a vote of no confidence in the EA, which was passed with cross-party support according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Jones said residents were told the site would reopen in 2016, 20 years after its closure.

He said: "The residents of Rotherham deserve better. Over the last six years they have continually been failed by all three regulators who have the power over this site."

He said a public inquiry into the handling of the site was the "ultimate goal".

The EA said the application would allow the deposit of "inert waste" such as soil and stone and the existing landfilled area will not be reopened.

An EA spokesperson said: "The environmental permit at the site is not new, rather it is a variation on an existing permit which, like planning permission, has been in place for a long time.

"Nevertheless, we understand the local community's concerns, which is why we closely regulate waste activity at the Grange Landfill site in Droppingwell to ensure that it is compliant with its environmental permitting conditions and does not present a risk of harm to the environment or people's health."

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