Improvements promised as residents attend public meeting over noise, smell and flies at controversial Chesterfield landfill

About 50 people attended a public meeting hosted at Poolsbrook Welfare Club in Chesterfield on Thursday, November 9 to discuss issues regarding the Erin landfill site in Duckmanton.

During the meeting which lasted about two hours, residents spoke up about the disruption caused in the area. These included strong smell, noise and flies. Some have also raised concerns about the landfill potentially making floods in the area worse.

Following the meeting Valencia, the developers of the Erin landfill site, promised to look into issues raised and to hold regular community liaise meetings.

Cllr Anne-Frances Hayes, who lobbied Valencia to hold the public meeting, said: “Residents were very much aggrieved about the plans and lack of community engagement by Valencia. I was very pleased with the meeting and I was very happy that the community turned up and spoke their minds in a robust manner.

“I am also pleased that Valencia seemed to take up these concerns and made promises in response. This community has been neglected for way too long and I will be looking forward to seeing Valencia keep these promises.”

This comes after Valencia applied for planning permission from Derbyshire County Council to extend the site to include a 35,000 ft installation.

Land to the north, south and west of the proposed 0.35 hectare site is currently used as a landfill in the Staveley area by Valencia and the proposed recycling facility would sit 500 metres north of Duckmanton, between Poolsbrook, Staveley town, and Woodthorpe to the north, Long Duckmanton to the south, and Brimington to the west with Shuttlewood to the East.

Valencia’s planned recycling centre site would involve a large building on land that has been deemed by the Coal Authority to be a “high-development risk area” due to the history of opencast mining.

Staveley Town Council has objected to the application in the strongest terms on account of the nuisance from flies, noise, smells and lorries coming through the small villages. Councillor Anne Hayes set up a petition against the scheme which has gained approximately 400 signatures.