Community wins out against council’s bin lorry depot expansion

Twm Owen, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents have defeated a council plan to expand its depot over a recreation ground so it could park bin lorries. 

Around one third of the recreation ground, where there is a football pitch and a children’s playground, would have been taken over by the expansion of the neighbouring depot. 

Among those to have objected to the plan was comedian Marcus Vine whose home in  Estuary View neighbours the existing Pil Row depot in Caldicot and the recreation ground. 

Destruction 

The comic said he wasn’t prepared to stand for the destruction of the open space and didn’t consider it a laughing matter: “We have a child who is nine months old and eventually he will use the area but our main reason for objecting was down to noise and light pollution. 

“All those things are there with the existing compound, but we have to accept that was there before we moved into this property,” said Mr Vine whose objection was among 22 submitted to Monmouthshire County Council’s planning department. 

Objections highlighted the area is used by children for playing, is an important area of open space close to the Newport to Gloucester railway line as well as fears over increased noise and smells from the depot expanding towards the homes.   

The application had been made on behalf of the county council but a letter, sent by its planning agents, confirmed it had bowed to public pressure and no longer wished to pursue the plan. 

The letter stated: “In light of the objections received, our client wishes to formally withdraw this application.” 

Caldicot Town Council had also objected while Monmouthshire County Council’s own biodiversity officer, Sali Palmer, highlighted the area to be developed had been left to grow wild as part of the unitary authority’s “flagship Nature Isn’t Neat” initiative and objected on the basis a more detailed ecological plan was required. 

Recreation 

Mr Vine said he’d like to see the council commit to maintaining the land for recreation and open space but said he was encouraged the community had persuaded the council to change its mind and thought the support of the town council was crucial. 

“It’s nice the local authority listened to residents and made a change based on the impact it would have had on people,” said Mr Vine. 

“A lot of people in community forums had said there was no point objecting, it was a council plan on council land and approval was always going to happen so it’s quite nice to prove people like that wrong. 

“I think the local town council was important had they not listened, and put in a joint objection, I think it probably would have gone ahead.”