Sunday 15 December 2013

Dangerous soil is a threat to Traveller site - experts - Somerset

From the Weston Mercury

races of the three potentially dangerous elements have been discovered and should not be ignored, according to surveyors Craddy Pitchers Davidson after it tested soil samples.


Its report says people living on the site at Old Junction Yard, off Winterstoke Road, would be at risk.

It also states that anyone living on the site should not plant vegetables in the ground because of the contaminated soil, while exposure to dust by direct and indirect ingestion and inhalation of indoor air are also potential dangers.

Elim Housing Association has applied for planning permission to build 24 permanent Gypsy and Traveller pitches at the site, which is adjacent to the former refuse tip and can be accessed off a roundabout close to a retail area which is home to an Iceland store, McDonald’s drive-thru and Pizza Hut restaurant.

A 30cm-thick cover under the ground would need to be provided in areas of soft landscaping, and Craddy Pitchers Davidson recommends a cover 60cm thick to be placed in any gardens.

The report says this would remove the ‘principal pathways’ through which residents ‘could potentially be exposed to contaminated soils’.

It says: “It cannot be discounted that significant risks to chronic human health in the context of the proposed residential development, arising from near surface soils, are present.”

Elim Housing, in its design and access statement, said: “The aim is to provide a well designed, neat and attractive site for Gypsy and Traveller families to settle within Weston.

“It is designed to facilitate effective site management to safeguard the living environment for the residents on the site and those within the locality.”

Last week, Weston Town Council recommended North Somerset refuse the application due to the high number of objections to the plans and the contamination and railway noise.

The application will be heard by North Somerset Council’s south area committee on December 19.

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