Retrospective planning permission given for La Collette hazardous waste mounds
Tim Backshall reports...
Permission has been granted in Jersey for hazardous waste mounds to continue to be stored on the waterfront, in piles more than 30 metres high.
The reclaimed land site at La Collette contains cells which store waste from the construction industry including asbestos as well as material from incinerators.
The government insists there is no alternative, but opponents say it is harming Jersey's environment.
The site has been used for several decades but did not have the necessary planning permission.
Today, Jersey's planners were asked to grant that, allowing it to continue.
By a majority of five votes to two it was agreed but opponents made their feelings clear.
Dave Cabeldu, the Coordinator of SOS Jersey said: "The current application is going to build the mounds up and squash down the existing lower cells which are leaking into the environment and which we've picked up the contamination in shellfish which we have studied over the last 10 years."
Christopher McCarthy, a consulting engineer with experience in dealing with contaminated sites, also opposes the plans. He said: "It's going to generate uncertainty for the tourism industry. Am I going to be contaminated on the beaches? It's going to harm our oyster farms when the tide passes the site and ends up on our oyster beds."
The government denies that contamination is taking place and says it can't export the waste.
"The question I would ask is what is the alternative?" says Jersey's Infrastructure Minister, Deputy Tom Binet.
"We've got 400,000 tonnes of hazardous waste in the engineered-designed cells.
"If they'd said no we would have been faced with a considerable problem because it would have been illegal, would have required it to be moved and we've got nowhere to put it."
Andy Scate, the Environment & Infrastructure department's Chief Officer, adds: "What we are doing at La Collette is actually best practice, it is something that is engineered, technically engineered to prevent environmental impact and any hazards so it's actually bringing our waste disposal into better practice and far more control."
The next question is the future of the site and a fresh application has been submitted which would allow the mounds to grow even higher.
If approved they would be able to grow from 31 to 34 metres, just a little lower than the height of the energy from waste plant next to the mounds.
The government says no one would want the waste anywhere else in Jersey but opponents say they'll continue to fight the plans and want an independent regulator to look at the issue.
Want to find out more about the stories making the headlines? Don't miss Channelcast - the Channel Islands current affairs podcast brought to you by ITV News: