CONCERNED residents reacted with fury to the decision by councillors to allow a controversial composter near their village.
Hertfordshire County Council’s development committee voted to allow the green waste composter at Cattlegate Farm near Cuffley, despite having received 573 letters of objection, and two petitions totalling more than 500 signatures.
The application was previously up before the committee in March when it was withdrawn, and comes after an application for an anaerobic digester on the same site was granted in January.
Concern was raised by the community, including Northaw and Cuffley’s Parish Council and Residents’ Association, that the proximity of the 1.5hectare site to Cuffley School and a nearby elderly community would cause health risks, as well as odour problems and have a visual impact.
Borough Cllr Colin Couch (Con, Northaw and Cuffley) said: “We are furious about the decision, and concerned for the future health of our school children and elderly community. This is an abuse of the greenbelt and goes against localism.”
The motion was voted for by 11 county councillors, including Cuffley’s representative Cllr Bill Storey (Con, Hatfield Rural), with two voting against it.
The composter, which will deal with 25,000 tonnes of green waste each year, will help the farm to replace its chemical fertilisers with natural alternatives, using waste produce from the surrounding area, such as Lea Valley glasshouses.
Speaking to the committee, Parish Cllr Anita Rust said: “It would harm the openness and the character of the green belt, which is important to us now and in the future.
“This is not just simple diversification, but composting on an industrial scale. What protection is there for the health of the 466 children at Cuffley School?”
The previous officers’ report had recommended the application for refusal due to the adverse visual impact of the greenbelt site, but after it was resubmitted with more landscaping trees and a higher bund, it was recommended to be passed.
The report said that the proposal would “impinge on the openness of the greenbelt and be considered inappropriate development” but that there were special circumstances surrounding the need for green waste facilities in the area and the advantages of the location in terms of screening the site.
It said: “The very special circumstances as set out are considered sufficient to outweigh the harm to the green belt and any other harm occurring from the proposal.”