Media reports and Press cuttings
Eastbourne Today on January 13th, 2010
OPPOSITION to controversial plans for 'land raise' waste sites in the local countryside
is growing with Wealden District Council calling for the idea to be binned.
Sites near Hellingly and Golden Cross have been identified by East Sussex County Council as
potential areas where mounds of rubbish could be built, to cope with the amount of waste
generated over the next 20 years.
A public meeting due to be held in Hailsham on Saturday had to be postponed due to the
icy conditions, with several of the proposed speakers snowed in.
Instead, the 10 parish councils which arranged the meeting have been told they can present
a petition to Cllr Matthew Lock, the county council's lead member for transport and
environment, at a meeting later this month.
This would then be added as a response to the public consultation, which has been extended
by 10 days to January 25
The idea has attracted criticism from local Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians
and Wealden District Council has this week revealed it 'strongly objected' to the idea.
Cllr Roy Galley, cabinet member for strategic planning and housing delivery, said,
"Land raise as a method of waste disposal is simply unacceptable, especially in the
highly-sensitive and treasured environment of Wealden.
We are calling on the county council to think again and rule out unequivocally any site
that will create an eyesore in this special environment. There are plenty more acceptable
ways to dispose of waste.
As well as being unsightly and obtrusive, any proposed sites in Wealden would put a
heavy burden on our narrow country lanes. Such facilities should be located much nearer
to cities like Brighton where the majority of the landfill waste is being created."
Cllr Galley said he was particularly surprised that one of the proposed sites, north of
Hailsham, was so close to the flood plain of the River Cuckmere.
He added, "What has been proposed would have benefited from more consultation with the
owners of potential sites being considered and the parish councils whose local knowledge
would help inform the process."
Hailsham MP Charles Hendry has again stated his opposition and vowed to 'do all I can' to
ensure it did not go ahead.
He said, "I have raised the issue twice in the House of Commons and received a helpful
response from the Environment Secretary Hilary Benn expressing his concern at the continuing
use of landfill and land raise.
I have written to the county council and arranged a meeting with Cllr Lock to discuss this
matter further.
I am also liaising with Richard Ashworth MEP to see if there are ways in which we can use
European directives to prevent the use of such out of date and inappropriate methods of
dealing with waste."
Argus on January 06th, 2010 by Emily Walker, Chief Reporter
Villagers say they werent told enough about plans to dump a mountain of rubbish the size
of 35 football pitches next to their homes. Residents in Piltdown near Uckfield have said
they only found out about plans by East Sussex County Council to build the land raise site
days before an official consultation period was due to end. The county council has now
extended the consultation period, but Piltdown residents fear they are too small a
community to make any difference. Villagers have set up a campaign group to protest
against the proposed site, which would see at least 38 refuse lorries a day trundling
through the country lanes.
Bob White, chairman of Piltdown Action Against Landraise said: The parish council only
found out on December 13. The county council started the consultation but only told
the other parts of the area. We are only a very small community of less than 5,000
people so are worried we don't have enough sway. But this will affect people over a
large area. It is going to effect people as far away as Haywards Heath. More than
38 vehicles will be coming off the A23 a day."
Members of the public have until January 15 to comment on the consultation. To see the
full plans and have your say visit
East Sussex Consultation
To join the campaign
Eastbourne Herald on January 06th, 2010
A CONTROVERSIAL plan to create mounds of rubbish near Hellingly and Golden Cross will be
discussed at a public meeting in Hailsham on Saturday morning (January 9).
East Sussex County Council has put forward building 'land raise' sites in the countryside
alongside the A22 as a way of dealing with the extra waste generated over the next 20 years.
It has identified several areas where it may search for possible sites including in the
Broad Farm area of Hellingly without making any specific recommendations.
A public consultation ends on January 15, having been extended to allow more views to be
taken on board.
A group of 10 councils, including Hailsham Town Council and Hellingly, Arlington and Chiddingly
Parish Councils, have joined forces to oppose the idea.
They have organised a public meeting at Hailsham Community Hall for 10am this Saturday, to
allow residents to air their views.
Key figures from the county council, including Cllr Matthew Lock, lead member for transport
and the environment, and local county councillor Nick Bennett, are due to attend.
Hailsham Town Council is likely to be represented by Cllrs John Puttick and Bill Crittenden.
Cllr Puttick told the Gazette, "These land raise sites, if built, would be up to 25 metres high.
It's going to be a real blot on the landscape in this area.
"It's important people don't just turn up and say they don't want it.
We must have viable alternative options."
Cllr Guy Baigent, of Chiddingly Parish Council, said his council was 'vehemently opposed' to
land raise.
He said, "Waste must be disposed of properly. All this is is waste storage.
"There must be greater use of the incinerator and there are other potential landfill sites,
over towards Bexhill and in West Sussex.
"I would encourage people to come to the meeting and make their views heard."
Cllr David White, chairman of Hellingly Parish Council, added, "I object in principle to land
raise disposal within the Low Weald area and urge the county council to develop more socially
and environmentally sustainable methods of waste disposal.
"In particular, I am opposed to any selection of a land raise site within the Broad Farm area
on the grounds that it would be close to homes, a primary school, village hall, leisure
facilities, listed buildings and a conservation area, be visually intrusive and worsen
growing traffic congestion on the A22, A267, A271, Coldharbour Road and other local roads."
Stuart Meier, a director of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), will give a
presentation at the meeting.
He told the Gazette, "We believe that none of the possible areas will yield an acceptable site.
"We recognise that everyone in East Sussex has a problem with waste. We need to reduce
the amount we generate.
"But our ethos is that greenfield sites should stay green unless in exceptional circumstances."
The county council has put forward land raise as an option as the existing landfill site
at Beddingham is due to be full in the near future, and the controversial new incinerator
in Newhaven, due to open in 2011, may not be enough to deal with the county's future waste.
Consultation documents say the new sites would need to be near good road or rail links
and away from any conservation areas or towns of more than 1,000 homes.
To view the documents, and make comments online
Hard copies are available to view at council offices and libraries across East Sussex.
Sussex Express on November 27th, 2009
A CONTROVERSIAL proposal to deal with waste by building new landfill sites in the countryside
is being considered by East Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council.
Lewes MP Norman Baker and residents in rural towns and villages are furious a so-called
'landraise' site - where rubbish is piled up - might be created near Golden Cross, a sewage
works near Berwick and a landfill site at Glynde.
County says the consultation document, known as the preferred strategy, does not allocate
specific sites but broadly defines the kind of areas in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove
which might be the best places for facilities.
Waste recovery facilities could also be placed alongside the A22, A26, A275 or the Lewes
to Haywards Heath railway line.
MP Baker criticised the principle of landraise and the suggested sites: "Landraise is
not a sustainable way of disposing of waste. The council is already building a waste
incinerator while capping recycling levels."
"Golden Cross is a flat landscape so the mound - which could be 25 metres high - would be
visible from villages. Local people and parish councils have had very little time to
comment on this plan. I am pleased the county council have decided to delay the consultation."
A spokeswoman for East Sussex County Council said: "This consultation period is exactly
that a consultation. "Norman Baker has clearly misunderstood and his comments verge on
scaremongering because no sites have been chosen."
(This ignorant and arrogant comment from ESCC is about what we would expect! NC)
Eastbourne Herald on November 25th, 2009
PLANS to create new mounds of rubbish at Hellingly and Golden Cross have been slated by top
local politicians.
MPs Charles Hendry and Norman Baker and local Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors
have all criticised the idea of building 'land raise' sites in the countryside alongside the A22.
East Sussex County Council says it would help dispose of the extra waste which will be
generated over the next 20 years.
In a plan which is now up for public consultation, it identifies several areas for possible
sites - including in the Broad Farm area of Hellingly - without making any specific
recommendations.
Critics say that land raise - where rubbish is heaped rather than put into an existing hole
- would have an adverse effect on the countryside and is not the best solution for dealing
with rubbish.
Hailsham MP Charles Hendry, the Tories' shadow energy minister, led the dissent, labelling
the plan 'madness'.
He told the Gazette, "These proposals would represent a great missed opportunity if they
were to go ahead.
"We have two major problems which could be addressed we are sending too much waste to
landfill and we are facing a real energy crisis, with even the government admitting the
lights could go out in a few years' time. We have a unique opportunity to address both
of these issues.
"Much more attention should be given to getting energy from waste. This can be a completely
clean process, generating a very pure biogas which can then be used to create electricity."
Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker, whose constituency includes the proposed site at Golden
Cross, echoed the concerns.
He said, "Land raise is not a sustainable way of disposing of waste. The county council is
already building an incinerator to burn waste, while capping recycling levels. They must
look at increasing recycling levels and reducing waste before investing in land raise."
The proposed new 'land raise' sites have been put forward as the existing landfill site at
Beddingham is due to be full in the near future, and the controversial new incinerator
in Newhaven, due to open in 2011, may not be enough to deal with the county's future waste.
Consultation documents say the new sites would need to be near good road or rail links
and away from any conservation areas or towns of more than 1,000 homes.
But local parish and district councillors urged the county council to think again.
Cllr David White, chairman of Hellingly Parish Council, warned against his area being
treated as 'the dustbin for the county'.
He told the Gazette, "When land raise was suggested in 2006, the idea was soundly rejected.
"Now it is back again, enthusiastically endorsed by those who do not live in the area
and place little store on the landscape value of the Low Weald and its potential for
tourism and business."
Conservative district councillor Barby Dashwood-Hall agreed, saying land raise on
greenfield sites should be a 'last resort'. A public meeting will be held in either Hailsham or Uckfield on December 12, for residents to air their views.
East Sussex County Council has deferred a decision on the proposals until January 15,
to allow more people to respond.
To view the documents, and make comments online
Hard copies are available to view at council offices and libraries across East Sussex.
Eastbourne Herald on December 23th, 2009
HAILSHAM'S MP has told his colleagues to look for '21st century solutions' on dealing with
waste and phase out the trend of sending it to landfill.
Charles Hendry, the Tories' shadow minister for energy, quizzed environment secretary
Hilary Benn on the issue during a debate in the House of Commons.
East Sussex County Council has proposed creating 'land raise' sites - where rubbish is
heaped rather than put into an existing hole - at areas in the county, including at
Hellingly and Golden Cross.
But Mr Hendry is an opponent of the council's plans. Speaking in the Commons, he asked
Mr Benn if he believed landfill and land raise was 'out of date and unacceptable'.
In response, the minister said he did and added, "I shall be consulting after the turn
of the year on whether we should ban certain products from landfill. Food waste is a
good example why put it in landfill when we could turn it into energy"?
Speaking after the debate, Mr Hendry said, "I was delighted to have such a strong statement
from the environment secretary that he wants the country to move away from landfill and
land raise.
"The proposals for new landfill and land raise sites in Wealden bring home the urgency
of addressing this problem.
"It is essential to change our thinking towards waste and reduce the amount of waste we
produce considerably. "Rather than look towards landfill or land raise we must utilise
existing technologies such as 'energy from waste' plants and look towards greener
technologies for the future.
"We need to look for 21st century solutions and move on from outdated ways of dealing
with waste."
East Sussex County Council has put its plans out to public consultation.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat councillors have blasted Conservatives on Wealden District
Council for their response to the county council's plans.
Hellingly's David White said he wanted to table an emergency motion but claimed the Tories
had 'silenced' it.
He said, "The plans for land raise are wrong. We wanted Wealden District Council to
back the campaign against it.
"Instead, Conservative councillors stopped us from discussing this very important
issue and refused to condemn land raise sites as the county council's preferred
choice for dealing with waste disposal."
Cllr White said he was now pushing Wealden District Council to hold an emergency
meeting to discuss the issue before the consultation period expires on January 15.