Tyne Tunnel waste heap to go on green belt land

Jun 18 2009 by Sonia Sharma, The Journal

CONTRACTORS working on the second Tyne Tunnel are asking for permission to temporarily store 360,000 tonnes of waste on green belt land.

If approval is given, material dug out during the construction of the new crossing will be taken to the Wardley Coal Disposal Point and Colliery Tip, in South Tyneside, and stored for up to two years.

As the tunnel is built, the waste will be brought back and used to cover the structure. The material will include soil, clay, sand, gravel and mudstones.

Planners say the construction site at the river has little space for storing dug-up waste.

A number of other locations outside the green belt were assessed but found to be unsuitable, including Tyne Dock, Cemex in Jarrow, Rohm and Haas in Jarrow, Low Flatworth in Howdon, Howdon Landfill, Middle Docks in South Shields and Ibstock Brick site in Wardley.

The Wardley tip, in the South Tyneside Green Belt, measures 40 hectares and already contains coal waste heaps.

A planning report says: “To enable the construction of the tunnel to proceed, a site is required for the temporary storage of the excavated material for a period of up to two years. This would involve the bringing of material from the tunnel trench excavations by road to Wardley for temporary storage, then reloading it onto wagons and returning it to the tunnel site to backfill and cover the tunnel structure.”