A waste firm has said it has an “uncertain” future after its plans for a new composting facility were rejected by councillors.
Bryn Compost had applied for planning permission to build an indoor anaerobic digestion facility at its site at Gelliargwellt Farm, Gelligaer, after complaints its outdoor operation was causing a foul smell.
The company has claimed the new anaerobic digestion facility would help with the smell from its in vessel composting operation, although the planning application said the new facility would be in addition to its current one.
Speaking at Wednesday’s planning meeting, Labour councillor Hefin David, who represents the St Cattwg ward, said that residents were weary of an application from the company because of their previous complaints.
He said: “You will be aware of the history of odour complaints from the In Vessel Composting (IVC) facility at this site and I would reflect that any planning application from the applicant will have been seen by many residents as hugely controversial.
“The IVC process has caused some significant divisions within the community as whole in Gelligaer, Penybryn and Nelson. These divisions pain us as local members and we have done all we can to find a way to resolve the odour issues without causing that divide to widen.”
He added: “Residents I have spoken to told me that this is not a case of ‘not in my back yard’ but more that ‘it’s the wrong kind of backyard’. Given all that they have put up with, you may have expected residents to have put it more strongly. With this in mind, I urge the planning committee to support the recommendation contained in the report and refuse planning permission for this facility.”
Councillors on the planning committee followed the advice of council officers and turned down the application.
They felt the development would be outside the council’s local development plan and not in keeping with the council’s waste management strategy.
Officers also had concerns about the impact of such a development on its rural location.
Jeff Cuthbert, Labour AM for Caerphilly, welcomed the decision.
He said: “I support the decision to turn down the Bryn Compost application, in line with the wishes of local residents of Gelligaer, Penybryn and Nelson, who have little confidence in the assurances of the operator that the anaerobic digestion process within a new building would have ended the awful odour problems.
“Local residents have very little trust in the Bryn Compost operators.”
Commenting on the council’s decision, a spokesman for Bryn Compost said: “Naturally we are disappointed that the council has recommended the application is refused as we see no planning grounds for this decision.
“We have been working hard with council and the community to find a solution that meets the waste management and recycling needs of the area, and eliminates any odour which might be emitted during our current operations.
“We were hopeful the councillors would recognise that this application will provide the long-term solution to the odour conditions at the site and will help Wales to achieve its recycling and other green targets.
“In the current economic climate everyone employed at Bryn Compost is worried about the future of the site and about their jobs. The community should also be concerned about increased costs to the council if our uncertain future means they decide to take the material currently processed here to a site outside Caerphilly.
“At the moment we are reviewing all the options available to us, which might include making an appeal to the Planning Inspector.”