LETTER: Save our green belt! Land at rear of Heston Services MOTO to become waste transfer station (Hounslow Liberal Democrats)

LETTER: Save our green belt! Land at rear of Heston Services MOTO to become waste transfer station

May 29, 2005 12:00 AM

Satnam Kaur Khalsa speaks out against putting a waste transfer station on part of London's green belt

Dear Editor, I attended the Heston & Cranford Area Committee (Planning) on Thursday 26 May. One of the issues discussed was the planning application for a waste transfer station next to Heston Services, off North Hyde Lane. To my amazement I heard most of the councillors who spoke in the debate (95% according to the chair) recommend this application for one reason or the other.

The borough solicitor, in a rare intervention, pointed out that the land was part of a green belt, and that only for very substantial reasons its use could be changed, but most councillors ignored his remark, not hindered it seems by any knowledge of planning laws.

The statement supporting the application states that 500 tonnes of waste would be processed daily. The application also states that a maximum of 50 HGVs would access the site each day from 7 am to 7 pm.

How are these HGVs to go to, or return from this new facility? This is 100 HGV movements every day ! Whether the HGVs turn left or right into North Hyde Lane, they would not just create a lot of extra noise and pollution, but would clog up already congested roads even more.

I am sure that not just the Heston Liberal Democrats, but all inhabitants of Heston are against this mad proposal. Local residents present left disgusted after the debate. Let us hope that members of the sustainable development committee will take the green belt status and the noise, pollution and congestion caused by the HGVs seriously.

The redevelopment of the motorway service area was approved and implemented in May 1998 subject to a Section 106 Agreement whereby the easternmost 2 acre part of the picnic area would be transferred to the Council for use as an area for nature conservation.

This transfer has not taken place, as the developer still has not infilled the land with uncontaminated subsoil and reseeded and replanted it, which was all part of the agreement. I think that the borough solicitor should look into this matter.

It seems very odd that the developer can keep the land that he had promised to transfer to the council, as a 'reward' for not doing the work he had promised to do.

Yours sincerely

Satnam Kaur Khalsa

Parliamentary Spokesperson for Feltham & Heston

Hounslow Liberal Democrats

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