Lordswood asbestos depot on hold
More than 1,000 protests have put
paid to plans for an asbestos depot - for now.
The scheme for the former highways
depot in North Dane Way, Lordswood, has been temporarily
withdrawn.
Despite the Environment Agency
making no objection, councillors, an MP and more than 1,000
residents signed a petition against the scheme by Medway firm
Asbestos First.
It would have allowed asbestos
removal firms to pay Asbestos First to bring up to 70 tonnes a week
of waste into the site, stored double-bagged in locked skips before
being moved to larger tips elsewhere.
The firm’s owner Debbie Hales said
she had withdrawn the plans because there had not been time to hold
a full public meeting, but planned to lodge them again.
If the scheme is re-submitted,
residents will have to lodge their objections all over again.
Farley Close resident Yvonne Maund,
who helped lead the campaign, said: “It’s absolutely great but if I
have got to do it again, I will do it again.
“There’s people been phoning me up
and asking how it’s been going. When we brought the petition into
Lordswood Leisure Centre we got a standing ovation.”
Chatham MP Tracey Crouch said:
“It’s a good thing that they’ve withdrawn it when they haven’t had
a proper public engagement with the residents.
“My position is that having an
asbestos disposal site in the middle of a residential area is not a
good idea.”
12/03/13
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