AN APPLICATION for a judicial review into a proposed waste plant in the Caerphilly borough has been dismissed. 

The application was put in by The Lower Sirhowy Valley Residents Group who believed the Hazrem waste processing facility at Nine Mile Point Industrial Estate in Cwmfelinfach was unlawful and dangerous. 

They cited the problem with emissions and the traffice going through the village as concerns.

The application was dismissed at an appeal hearing on September 2.

Following the dismissal, Caerphilly County Borough Council leader Cllr Philippa Marsden issued a statement relating to the plant.

Cllr Marsden – who is also the local councillor for the ward – said in the statement: “Residents in the Sirhowy Valley and surrounding area will be acutely aware of the ongoing concerns around proposals for a waste processing plant at Nine Mile Point Industrial Estate. The matter has been subject to ongoing legal proceedings over recent months and, as these are now reaching a conclusion, I feel I can now offer my views on the issue.

“As leader of council and local councillor for the ward where this proposed development would be sited, you can appreciate that I am in a very difficult position.

“I am, of course, dedicated to supporting my constituents and I completely understand the strong opposition to the proposed facility within the community and share the concerns, but at the same time I must be fair and impartial in order to allow due process to be followed.

“I also need to stress that this is an historic issue which dates back to a period time before I was the leader of council – and indeed before I was a local councillor.

“There are complex technical and legal arguments around this development which have been considered in court during the unsuccessful judicial review application.

“It is now time to move forward and heal the divisions within the community. I want to assure residents that the council will continue to work with the applicant and other agencies to ensure that the proposed development continues to comply with all appropriate legislation to minimise any impacts on the surrounding community.

“I will be asking the senior management of Hywel NMP to provide details of their plans to engage with the community going forward. I would like to see a residents’ liaison group established as it is critical that community engagement forms a key part of their strategy. Mechanisms need to be in place to seek feedback and respond to concerns and questions about the development in future.”

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Residents who are members of the opposition group to the waste plant are unhappy with the response and feel that Cllr Marsden has not done enough to provide the residents with the support and information they deserve.

“We feel like she does not care,” one resident said.

“We have raised concerns about the amount of emissions that would be caused and the number of HGVs which would be expected to drive through the town and we have asked for risk assessments and they have not been provided.

“The application was also filed incorrectly meaning that an environmental review was not carried out when it should have been.”

Planning permission was granted for the site in 2015 and the council are ‘keen to set the record straight about a number of inaccurate and misleading claims that are circulating in the community.’

The council also say that the development is legal and the claims it is illegal are unfounded, as well as accusations of corruption and impropriety within the council.

They believe that anyone with evidence otherwise should contact the relevant authorities with the evidence for it to be investigated.

There is now a 21-day appeal period following the September 2 judgement. The council are awaiting the outcome of this before considering their next steps.

The Lower Sirhowy Valley Residents Group are holding a get together on Sunday, September 12 at 6pm at the Hazrem site on Nine Mile Point Industrial Estate where they will be singing a reworked version of Woody Guthrie's song This Land Is Your Land.

The song has been reworked by poet Patrick Jones and sung by Martin Joseph.