Stowey Quarry asbestos dump plans go to appeal
The firm behind plans for a hazardous waste dump at a quarry in Chew Valley near Bristol will appeal against the decision to refuse planning permission.
Bath and North East Somerset Council planners had recommended refusal of the proposal to dispose of materials including asbestos at Stowey Quarry.
They said it had not been shown the quarry was an "appropriate location".
Applicant Oaktree Environmental has lodged an appeal to be overseen by the Planning Inspectorate.
The application is to use the site to bury 150,000 tonnes of waste a year over a 10-year period, but a petition against the plans received more than 4,000 signatures.
The appeal will be heard in public in the autumn.
Noise and dust
The Stowey Quarry Action Group has been permitted to speak against the proposal at the appeal.
It fears asbestos could leach via springs into the Chew Valley reservoir about 1.2 miles (2km) from the site.
The impact of lorries travelling through villages carrying waste to the site, and noise and dust pollution, have also been raised as concerns.
The group's Sally Monkhouse said it would be "co-ordinating a vigorous campaign on behalf of the community, along with the council, to fight this appeal".
Conservative councillor Vic Pritchard, who represents Chew Valley South, said he is hoping to make a representation at the inquiry.
He said: "From the outset I have been opposed to the intentions of that application, and I hope we can be successful."
A spokesman for Oaktree Environmental said it did not wish to comment at this stage.