COUNCIL chiefs were left red faced after it emerged a proposed site for a major waste treatment plant had inadvertently swallowed up the homes of two villagers.
Laurence Cawley
COUNCIL chiefs were left red faced after it emerged a proposed site for a major waste treatment plant had inadvertently swallowed up the homes of two villagers.
The error emerged when planners from Suffolk County Council met villagers in Walsham-le-Willows to discuss a proposed waste plant in Stanton.
But during the meeting it emerged that two of the properties in Bury Road, Walsham, had unwittingly been included in the site plan for the treatment centre.
The council last night described it as a “map error” and said the owners of both properties had been reassured their homes were not at risk.
Villager Amber Newman, who called the public meeting, said those whose homes had accidentally been included in the proposed site did not even know about the scheme.
She accused the council of not consulting properly with the public, claiming many people in the village were unaware of the proposals.
She labelled the council's consultation exercise, which seeks to gauge public opinion on five possible waste sites in the county, a “catastrophic failure”.
About 12 villagers are now joining forces to raise their concerns, which range from traffic fears to environmental issues, with the council.
A spokeswoman for the county council said it had done as much as possible to ensure people were aware of its waste facility consultation.
She said its efforts ranged from publicity to attending as many public meetings as possible. Since the start of the month, council officers have been to eight public meetings two of which were in Walsham.
“We have made ourselves as available as possible,” she said. “This is the very early stages. All we are trying to do at the moment is test the feasibility of the five sites before narrowing it down to three possible sites.”
The spokeswoman said at the present stage the council was merely looking for possible sites. Discussion as to the type of site which might be built, such as an incinerator of a mechanical biological treatment facility, would happen at a later date.
She said the council had also extended the period of consultation from January 30 to February 14.
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