Tip fight will be hard warning

THE fight to block plans to expand the life of the Arpley Landfill site at Warrington may prove harder to win than its opponents think, an environmental campaigner has warned.
John Mulhall (pictured), a long-standing critic of tipping operations at Arpley, says local residents are not just fighting the Waste Recycling Group (WRG) – who are seeking permission to extend the life of the tip until 2025 – but also the giant Peel Group.
Peel own the landfill site and, on their website, state: “We will continue to provide landfill sites such as the one at Arpley in Warrington which is the largest landfill site in the region, and which also provides significant levels of renewable energy by using landfill gas.”
Mr Mulhall said: “WRG are making the application to extend the life of the tip when it expires next year and they will be formidable opponents.
“But we will be fighting Peel also.
“At the end of the day, the Secretary of State will make the final decision and Peel have enormous lobbying power in London.”
The Arpley Landfill Opposition Group has been set up to fight the proposals.
They have the support of all three major political parties and numerous other organisations in the Warrington area.
They say if the proposals – expected to come before local planners next month – are approved, it will mean waste will continue to be brought to Warrington from all over the North West for a further 12 years.
After next year, Warrington itself plans to send it waste to incinerators outside the borough. But other local authorities will continue to send it to Warrington.
The group says Warrington – and the Sankey Bridges area in particular – should not have to put up with heavy lorries bringing waste in by road after next year.
Mr Mulhall is pressing for Warrington Borough Council to assemble the strongest possible team to oppose the WRG application.
“I believe it will not be the barrister who represents the council that will be key to defeating this application but rather the expert witnesses called.”