Wisley Airfield

WAAG have posted a petition on the number 10 website against the proposed composting site. It is important that we let Whitehall know just how many locals object to the plan.

The Wisley petition reads:

The Royal Horticultural Society’s world famous gardens and plant collection at Wisley are currently under threat from a planning application for a huge composting site within 300m of its borders. The proposal is for a building of one hectare in size with five 20m high chimneys which will not only be visible from the gardens in winter, but will also be seen from the AONB in the Surrey Hills. Additionally the site lies within 150m of the Thames Valley Basin Special Protected Area which is home to a number of rare species of birds and endangered wildlife.

Lastly it is very close to the hamlet of Elm Corner where a number of residents will be plagued by truck movements, odours and vermin as well as the noxious fumes emanating from the chimney stacks.

You can sign it here.

I’m very grateful to Frances Porter and Don Henderson for the following account of the second day of the inquiry. As you can see - this was an important day for us. It’s still very important to have people attending the inquiry. It is held at Surrey County Hall, Penrhyn Road, Kingston from 10am.

Tuesday’s proceedings opened with Mr Stephen Baker witness for GBC who gave good evidence that even though a site in allocated in the waste plan it still meant it has to show special circumstances.

Also that this development would detract from openness of the green belt. Thermal treatment would be a greater impact but doesn’t make either acceptable.It also introduces industrial appearance into an otherwise rural landscape.

The original application without the stacks was unacceptable so this also is. Raised concerns about HGV’s using local roads.

He also said that as the assessment had thrown out other site for poor access so should Wisley have been due to the poor access from Elm Lane.

He also stated that sites with usable buildings might have ruled out other sites in the green belt.

He said that Wisley not near to community recycling centres and waste sites, other sites are nearer.

There was a discussion concerning Slyfield and the possible usage for waste there.

Wharfland cross examined and said their site was too big for Slyfield but Mr Baker said the size of the building was too big for 30,000 tonnes of waste and the actual size of a site for 30,000 could fit at Slyfield.

Mr Baker was heavily criticised for not having done his own visual assessment and pushed that he has no landscape qualification unlike their witness.

Wharfland attacked by saying that Wisley is not a open and rural landscape. Mr Baker stood firm under fire!
Wharfland questioned the visual impact from Semaphore Tower due to its small amount of usage.

Wharfland discussed the photos from the trees at Elm Corner and sad it was stark, brutal and functioning view.

Mr baker had to agree the hardstanding was unattractive but said that was not they only part of the view.

Wharfland said that viewpoint would improve after 5 years and the bund with trees had matured.Mr Baker said the foreground would remain the same and the stacks would still be visible.

Wharfland pointed out the band of trees around Elm Corner that excluded the view to residents this band in varying depth upto 20 metres.

Mr Baker asked that the Inspector actually see the depth on the site visit.

There was a discussion on lighting and noise

Wharfland said construction noise would be limited to 65 decibels. Mr Baker said Wharfland have not shown methodology for this assumption 65db.

GBC clarified with their witness that in Wharfland’s witness Mr Cox’s statement he says the view is not beneficial

The Inspector just asked for clarification on weight restrictions on the surrounding B roads.

After lunch it was the turn of Rebecca Lord, planning consultant from Bell Cornwell.

She stated that a site not in the waste plan WD2 would be subjected to the same special circumstances.

There is no indication that all of the sites in the waste plan will be developed. There followed a discussion on Runfold and the current application there. It was then talked about previously developed land. This was a long point over permanent structures - Ms Lord said Wisley had not perm structure only temp buildings for airfield usage which were demolished by 1998.

A long harsh cross examination about whether the hard standing is a structure…. the end result being Ms Lord said fixed surface infrastructure so falls within the definition of previously developed land.

Wharfland rammed home the point that the site remained in WD2 even though it was objected to in the waste plan inquiry. Wharfland also stated the more recent South East Plan was more supportive of sites in the green belt.

Wharfland said she made a relentless negative exercise to find fault on behalf of her clients.

It was then stated again that SCC had no longer any objection to the visual impact.

Lesley Vining, a consultant environmental scientist and manager of Environ UK Ltd gave evidence on behalf of WAAG/RHS as to the potential risks from the emissions of pathogens and ammonia from the development, highlighting the weaknesses in the information provided and in the modelling adopted by the Appellant. Cross-examination was short, primarily seeking to persuade the Inspector that it was for other regulators to consider any such potential risks at a later stage and that, if necessary, the risks could be controlled by
conditions.

10am: The Ashbourne suite in Surrey County Hall in Kingston is pretty much full as the inquiry gets underway.

At the moment, the inspector Bob Lyons is just running through the general housekeeping matters. We’re going to try to give at least a daily update of what’s happening at the inquiry.

The inquiry into the proposed in-vessel composting plant on the Former Wisley Airfield site starts next Tuesday, September 15 at the County Hall, Penryhn Road, Kingston (map here).

Over the summer, the land owners, Wharf Lands changed the design of the plant - it now has five 20 metre high chimneys (10m stacks on top of a 10m building), dramatically increasing its visual impact - and making it all the more important that we make sure this proposal is rejected.

Over the summer the WAAG committee has been working hard to make sure we have an excellent barrister to represent us at the inquiry, and some very strong experts on our side.

However, there are still three ways you can help.

1. Email your objection to the adjusted design with five 20m chimneys

The following notice appeared last week in the Surrey Advertiser, notifying everyone about the adjustments to the composting plant and the addition of the five chimneys. As it says at the bottom of the notice, please e-mail your concerns to sarah.banwell@pins.gsi.gov.uk.

2. Come along to the inquiry

The inquiry runs for 8 days - Tuesday 15 - Friday 18 Sept; and Tuesday 22 - Friday 25 Sept. Ideally, we will have residents there throughout the hearing. We realise it’s not always easy for people to give up their time, and the inquiry itself is going to be densely legal - but if you can come along at any point it will be much appreciated, and let the inspector know just how much the residents of Ockham, Elm Corner, Wisley and neighbouring villages care about this proposal.

3. Make a donation to the fighting fund

Bringing a strong, credible case against a well-funded business like Wharf Lands isn’t easy - and it certainly isn’t cheap. We know that many of you have already been extremely generous. But if you can make a (further) donation, it would really help. If you want to know more please e-mail MaryCTravers AT aol DOT com.

We plan to use this blog to update people on progress throughout the inquiry as well as the usual residents e-mails. So keep an eye on it.

The Surrey Advertisers has carried a story about the proposed composting on the former Wisley Airfield site. In it, Elm Corner resident explains some of his objections.

“I have four children aged between one and nine and we spend a lot of time, as do all the residents of Elm Corner, walking on the footpaths and enjoying the brilliant views around the airfield,” he said.

“It’s very clear that what we enjoy currently would be destroyed, notwithstanding the effect of pollution coming from the site.”

The plant would be open six days a week with waste lorries making 36 round trips to the site each day.

Householders fear approval for the scheme could open the door for future development on the old airfield.

“It would lead to increased access at the Ripley roundabout [at the junction with Portsmouth Road] and allow for a massive increase in traffic,” Mr Barklam added.

“At the moment there’s a huge volume of traffic going down the A3. The number of HGVs thundering around would have a dramatic impact on the area.

“There’s been no form of development on that land for 35 years. The fact that there’s some hard standing on the airfield does not stop it from being green belt land.”

Aerial view of Wisley Airfield

The owners of the Former Wisley Airfield have taken their application for a waste site to appeal as Surrey County Council have not determined the case within the allotted time frame.

This application will now be heard by one inspector appointed by the secretary of state, we are very concerned, and we need you to write to the inspector now.

The site chosen for an incinerator (Capel) have recently won a judicial review means that there is a much GREATER risk of a waste site on Wisley Airfield.

Please write this week to the inspector - sending three copies of your letter. Here is a draft letter which you should edit and make as personal as possible. Please get your neighbours to do the same.

The address to send it to is: The Planning Inspectorate, Room 3/21, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN. Reference LCM/LA/38754 Former Wisley Airfield

It is more than 60 years since the farmland north of Ockham was requisitioned and turned into an airfield.

Ever since the end of the second world war the use of the land has been contested. In 2004, local resident Wendy Lloyd wrote the definitive history of the site for a neighbourhood newsletter - and we have now made this available here online for the first time.

The RHS has urged its members to oppose planning applications for Waste Management facilities at the Former Wisley Airfield Site. Saying

We have lodged objections to both applications and are working closely with the Wisley Airfield Action Group (WAAG) and adjacent Parish Councils. We are especially concerned about the potential risk to plant health from bioaerosols originating from the proposed large scale waste-composting facilities. The RHS has commissioned research from independent environmental consultants, Environ, which indicates that there is a principled scientific basis to anticipate an identifiable risk from bioaerosols to plant health at the garden and ecological health at the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area.

Find out more at their site.

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