MP backs campaign to stop asphalt plant being built amid concerns for children's health

• Jonathan Brown spoke to campaigners today as they met with the local MP.

Dozens of villagers have joined forces in North Yorkshire to voice their opposition to plans for a new asphalt production plant near their homes.

The Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough is backing the campaigners, who have fears around pollution and industrialisation.

It comes days after the Prime Minister pledged to spend billions on repairing roads nationwide.

Members of the Communities Against Toxins (CATs) fear that anyone living within a 3-9km radius of the site would be affected by numerous potentially harmful pollutants with the region’s air, land, and waterways exposed to a dangerous cocktail of chemicals.

The group says there are more than 800 objections to the plans.

MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Andrew Jones, said "I understand residents’ concerns about the proposal for an asphalt plant. That is why I am supporting the campaign to stop this happening.

"There are many red lines which these plans cross – air pollution, chemicals leaching into groundwater, noise and others.  And it also represents industrial creep further into the countryside."

The plant would be built at Allerton waste recovery park and operated by Tynedale Roadstone Ltd. A petition against the sites controversial incinerator attracted 10,000 signatures before it began operating in 2018.

CATs organiser, Michael Emsley said: “The campaign is really starting to gain momentum and we are delighted that Mr Jones has agreed to come out and meet with residents who are seriously worried about these plans.

 “The risks to health and to the environment are numerous and too great for this proposal to be given the green light.

 “We need all the support we can get to make sure North Yorkshire Council do the right thing and move to reject these proposals.”

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director of planning, Trevor Watson, said: “This is a live application and is currently going through the statutory process before a recommendation is established.

"All comments received, including those from campaigning groups, will be given due consideration alongside all material considerations most significantly relevant national guidance and policies in the development plan.”

A spokesperson from MGL Group said: "A full planning application was submitted to North Yorkshire Council in September 2022, supported by an environmental statement to address environmental matters.

"Tynedale Roadstone has and continues to engage with North Yorkshire Council through the planning application, and the most recent set of application documents seeks to address technical comments raised at the consultation stage. We are aware of some concerns regarding pollution, traffic movements, operational hours, dust, odour and noise.

 "The asphalt production process involves heating natural minerals and then a mixing process that includes the addition of bitumen to produce the specific types of asphalt materials that are required.

"The installation of the proposed asphalt plant at Allerton Park will be a brand-new state-of-the-art facility that will meet stringent environmental, noise and emission criteria in the asphalt production process.

"Modern asphalt plants have extensive process filtration systems used with clean fuels to constantly maintain and monitor all the emissions from the production processes and ensure that they are kept within the correct protocol.

 "The plant will primarily be operational between 06:00 and 17:00, Monday to Friday, and reduced hours on Saturdays and Sundays. Outside these hours, operations will be limited to vehicles coming to and from the site to collect material and service-specific contracts in the region.

"Evening operations will be limited to production only, with no feedstock deliveries to the site. The evening asphalt production process will generally consist of materials being mixed principally in advance during core working hours and then stored in the integral hot material storage facility ready for collection at pre-arranged times by the transport, which will then deliver the asphalt materials to the site.

"Tynedale Roadstone Limited is committed to responsible, sustainable, and safe operations. 

"The technical material supporting the planning application concludes that there will be no significant environmental effects as a result of traffic movements, dust, odour, and noise, subject to best practice measures being employed at the site. Tynedale Roadstone commits to delivering these measures to the required standards.

 "Both we and our planning consultant, Lichfields, continue to work with North Yorkshire Council and are committed to alleviating concerns and addressing any comments made on the application."