Hearing over future of Walsham sewage plant

A planning inspector will spend the next few weeks assessing evidence presented by a large number of people at an informal planning appeal hearing yesterday about the future of a sewage treatment site on the edge of North Walsham.

A planning inspector will spend the next few weeks assessing evidence presented by a large number of people at an informal planning appeal hearing yesterday about the future of a sewage treatment site on the edge of North Walsham.

Planning inspector Elizabeth Ord heard a series of representations from the company at the centre of the appeal, HFS Liquid Waste, and also Norfolk County Council, North Norfolk District Council and a number of other interested parties.

The hearing was held in the North Walsham Town Council offices and around 50 people attended, the majority residents from Spa Common unhappy about the plans for the site at The Old Works, Marshgate, which would retrospectively allow the site to be used as a non hazardous liquid waste transfer station with associated works.

A planning application submitted by HFS was turned down by the county council several months ago because of highway safety concerns.

Discussion ranged from how the timings of journeys could be managed to avoid school times, the size of the roads and their ability to cope with traffic volumes and which routes drivers would take.

A large amount of written evidence has also been submitted from both sides as part of the appeal and a decision is expected to take several weeks. The planning inspector also took a tour of the site and the surrounding roads.