Brandesburton: Campaign group reforms to fight latest plan for asphalt plant

The group says the facility earmarked for an industrial estate 2.4km from the centre of the village, is "not green, not clean and not wanted".

There were 500 objections to the original plans to build a plant at the old RAF Catfoss base, half a kilometre from Brandesburton.

The plans were rejected by East Riding councillors last August.

Newlay Asphalt has now applied to build the plant on a 2.39 hectare site on the industrial estate, which is used to store modular units. It would be used to coat up to 100 tonnes of roadstone an hour with bitumen.

Planning documents estimate around 60 daily lorry movements by HGVs to the site and up to 30 by smaller lorries. They say the impact of odour, dust and road traffic emissions will be "negligible".

But resident Jackie Suthenwood said there was no guarantee that airborne pollution and dust wouldn't find its way to the village, affecting people out and about and taking part in sport.

The village is surrounded by holiday accommodation, and Jackie said people could be put off by having the plant on the doorstep.

The retired senior IT manager only found out that the plans a couple of days ago and is doing all she can to raise awareness. She said the main concern for locals would be about health, the environment and the HGV traffic. She said: "We are surrounded by lodges and caravan parks. You don't want a flipping great asphalt plant and thundering trucks all the time.

"I care about the sustainability of the village, it is as it is because of tourism, not industry that's around it. We have two pubs and a fish and chip shop and local shops. If the tourism wasn't here they wouldn't survive."

She said existing plants are either in heavy industrial locations such as Newlay's Dewsbury operation or close to quarries and it “doesn’t fit in a rural area”.

She said she couldn't understand why the applicants were insistent on setting up in the area in the face of so much local opposition. She said: "Moving the proposed location for this development a mere half a mile further down the road does nothing to change the nature of the development nor the reasons for the previous rejection – they remain unchanged and entirely valid."

An air quality assessment, prepared for Newlay in December, concluded that "the potential impact associated with odour, dust and road traffic emissions on human receptor locations was negligible".

The plans are expected to create 12 jobs and spin offs for the supply chain.

The submission by an agent for Newlay concludes: “The development will provide an economic and employment contribution within a strategically located site and support the expansion and needs of an existing business.”