Villagers and councillors near Nantwich are fighting to stop a giant slurry lagoon being created on land near their homes.
Developers want to create a 300-acre site including the lagoon the size of two Olympic swimming pools on land off Rope Hall Lane, Rope, near Willaston.
Local councillors, headteachers, and residents have joined together to fight the planning application submitted by farmer Paul Abell.
His agents say the lagoon, which would hold two million gallons, is needed to comply with new measures set down by Defra to reduce nitrogen from agriculture to water.
However, the proposed lagoon is six miles from the business in Barthomley, and has left many residents in Rope and Willaston angry.
Mark Bennett, of Rope Hall, called it a “total blight to the area”.
“How can something as dangerous as a slurry pit even be considered in a built up area?” he added.
Kim Yoxall, of Wistaston, added: “I do not think it is acceptable to have this slurry lagoon close to a school, doctors surgery and houses.
“The smell that will be realised will pollute the environment for all of the village and is certainly not acceptable next to a school accommodating approximately 700 pupils.”
And headteacher at Shavington High Carol White added: “I have objected. I have also contacted parents. It sounds ridiculous for this to be planned along side residential development.”
Willaston and Rope Ward Cllr Brian Silvester has backed their objections, and believes it could be a real danger to children and neighbours.
He said: “The entire area of the application site is a huge 300 acres. The roads to access the site are very narrow, there are no footpaths and no street lighting.
“Two million gallons of slurry a year will be brought to the lagoon and the thousands of lorries required to transport it will be a danger on these narrow roads.
“Eastern Road and Rope Hall Lane are two of the access routes to Shavington High School so all these lorries on the country lanes will be highly dangerous.
“Some of the waste will be coming from the Muller yoghurt factory in Market Drayton.
“Apart from the noxious smell, slurry lagoons harbour vast amounts of harmful bacteria which can be spread on the wind to adjacent properties and the school and I believe present a very real health hazard to children and neighbours.”
However, agents acting for Mr Abell say the lagoon would not be visible to surrounding properties, and claim that “very little odour will be detectable”.
They add: “The provision of a lagoon meets an operational requirement in accordance with good practice and supports the viable agricultural use of land in that area.”
Residents have until September 17 to write in with their views.
(pic of similar slurry lagoon, by Martin Dawes under creative commons licence)
It looks as the developer has forgotten to mention on the planning application form that they are building it on a public footpath. Ooops!
(see the location plan at http://doc.cheshireeast.gov.uk/NorthgatePublicDocs/07622266.pdf
and the last page of the application form http://doc.cheshireeast.gov.uk/NorthgatePublicDocs/07622268.pdf )
This will be dangerous, smelly, unhealthy and totally unnecessary. Not only for the school but for all who have to use this narrow rural road. Why is the slurry coming such a long way to get here? Just imagine the diesel that will be used. A further pollution danger for the area. Putting it here to me seems like a nimby solution. Why does the farm not wish to live near it? Easy he does not want HIS quality of life blighted by this development, So he wants to dump it close to a large school that has inits form some disabled children. But as long as the farmer still has his quality of life undisturbed, to him that is all that matters.
Dear reader.
It looks like we have a similar proposal in our village in Dane End which has only just come to light. The proposal was kept quite and only discovered at the last minute. Our community is up in arms as the proposed site is only a few hundred meters from our homes and local school. Like your selves, the owner of the land does not live in the area and is proposing to move waste from miles away. Our roads are very narrow and windings and we struggle to cope with current level of traffic. Was wondering if you managed to fight this appeal and if there is any adivice you can offer to help us in our appeal.
Many thanks
Penny
This is ridiculous Nantwich is a peaceful town and has always had the reputation of a quiet peaceful place to live and they want to put in a slurry pit which will destroy all of that over my dead body
The idea if a slurry lagoon is reduculas. There isn’t any need for one at there. As there isn’t enough land to spread the waste on.
Also why is it so far from the scorce.
The road inferstructor wouldn’t cope with the amount of traffic it would require to transport the waste to and from the proposed site.
The roads that would be used are used by locals for walking to the doctors and local school and have no pavement so any more traffic would add to the safety of pedestrians.
Also what about the local council and EU environment plan regarding it’s green credentials.
transporting waste so far can’t be viable and transport emissions would not make any scence.
Also if the farmer/ develeper lives so far away how can they manage the site safely ?
How come it’s not located by his farm ?
I’m totally against this plan.
We have had a similar proposal and yes it is miles from the farm. Has anyone else thought why so much slurry.Surely I’m not alone in noticing the size of the sheds popping up with alarming rate. The cows are kept inside to save bringing them in twice a day for milking, They stay in sheds 24/7 feeding like battery hens and not as the milk producers would have us think roaming free in the fields. which means no natural spread of manure. This lands on concrete and has to be washed away.hence the collossal ammount of slurry to deal with. More antibiotics are used to keep the animals healthy. Is the milk clear of drugs? Is this a possible cause of why antibiotics are less effective in humans?