Ford waste site would spell traffic woes

Arun District Council’s cabinet members said the latest idea to greatly increase the capacity of the planned works was unacceptable.

They objected to the larger size of the facility and said they believed it would be impossible to carry out measures to lessen the impact of the extra traffic on nearby residents.

Their protests at Monday’s meeting are being sent to West Sussex County Council as part of the consultation on its draft waste local plan.

Arun had agreed in a previous round of consultations that a waste site north of the existing wastewater treatment works in Ford was acceptable.

But this view last November was based on the proposed plant dealing with 100,000 tons of waste a year.

The county council’s latest idea is to enlarge the capacity to an annual 250,000 tons.

Cllr Paul Dendle (Con, Arundel) said: “This would increase the number of return HGV movements to the plant from 70 a day to 225 a day.

“That is an incredible number of extra vehicles on top of what is already happening at the wastewater treatment works in Ford.

Cllr Ricky Bower (Con, East Preston) said: “There will be a 300 per cent increase in HGV operations there. That is far too much and is totally unacceptable as far as this authority is concerned.

“As a council, we have to highlight the cumulative impact of all these vehicles going to Ford.”

Cllr Gillian Brown (Con Aldwick East), Arun’s leader, said: “We need to mount a very strong defence of our district against all these traffic movements. I do not believe the amount of mitigation measures necessary to cope with that number of extra lorries could be achieved.”

Cllr Roger Elkins (Con, Ferring) said: “There is serious concern about this increase in capacity. These percentage increases are dramatic.”

Cllr Norman Dingemans (Con, Walberton) said: “The problem is that there is only 180 degrees of land surrounding this site.

“If you put it in the middle of the county, you would have 360 degrees and that spreads the impact of these lorries.”

-The continued presence of a proposed waste site at Hobbs Barn, near Climping, in the draft plan also angered the cabinet members.

They had objected to that use of the site in last November’s consultation.

They agreed with Mr Roberts that protest should stay. The location was in a sensitive landscape area and a protected and distinctive part of the coastal plain.