Stiff warning letters over quarry waste
Jan 7 2009 by Dave Black, The Journal
A STRONG warning letter is to be sent to a civil engineering company over the unauthorised dumping of thousands of tonnes of demolition waste in a disused Northumberland quarry.
Last May Alnwick-based D J Purvis Custom Plant tipped 3,700 tonnes of soil, bricks and hardcore in the former Harehope Quarry near Eglingham without seeking the required planning permission.
Yesterday the firm’s retrospective bid for consent for the operation – described by Eglingham Parish Council as a blatant infringement of the planning process – was approved by Northumberland County Council planning committee.
But councillors agreed to write to company boss David Purvis, expressing their anger at the unauthorised dumping and warning him any future breaches of the planning rules will not be tolerated.
They also agreed to alert HM Revenue and Customs to the situation, amid claims Mr Purvis has avoided paying about £9,000 in landfill tax by disposing of the material in the former quarry.
A similar warning letter will be sent to the farmer who owns the quarry, and the matter reported to the Country Land and Business Association and Defra.
Yesterday the committee decided against taking enforcement action to secure the removal of the dumped material. Officers said there was a low likelihood of environmental or ecological damage having been caused, and digging up the waste would probably cause more problems than it would solve.
Graham Reeves of Longframlington, who has worked in the waste industry for 30 years and reported the unauthorised dumping to the county council, urged the committee to defer a decision and seek further information about the matter.
“Mr Purvis has quite blatantly forgotten about all the rules that are written down in black and white for everyone to follow. He should have obtained an Environment Agency permit for this and sought planning permission. This is a classic case of illegal waste disposal and nothing is being done about it.”
Committee chairman, Coun Paul Kelly, said a strong warning letter would be sent to D J Purvis Custom Plant and the landowner. “They have clearly done this to get away with the cost of normal landfill operations,” he said.
