Theresa May has asked Wokingham Borough Council to reject a planning application that would allow work at the Grundon Star Works site in Knowl Hill to be extended to 2021. The application has been opposed by local residents, many of whom have suffered disturbances as a result of the landfill work at the site, including high levels of noise pollution, unpleasant odours, and increased levels of traffic on local roads.
The application would amend two of the conditions placed on work at the site. These conditions currently require the work to be completed by 2016 (for the deposit of waste) and 2018 (for restoration of the site). Under the planning application, this would be extended to 2021, and the restriction on the number of Heavy Goods Vehicle movements related to the importation of waste and soils would also be removed.
Commenting, Theresa said: “Local residents have had to put up with numerous inconveniences as a result of the work at this site. They have done this with the knowledge that the work would at least be completed by 2018. It is therefore extremely unfortunate that Grundon is seeking to extend the time in which work can continue. This will serve to extend the inconvenience suffered by local residents. Coupled with an increase in HGV movements, local residents will be potentially facing not only a further 11 years of disturbance, but higher levels of disturbance than they have faced at any time in the recent past.”
