by Rebecca Hannant
A group campaigning against plans for an asphalt plant near Brandesburton have urged the community to keep up the fight after the revised proposals attracted more than 180 objections.
A previous application submitted by Newlay Asphalt in 2022 was rejected by East Riding Council, whose planning officers said: “The proposal, by virtue of its the overtly industrial appearance, would have a significant adverse visual impact on the rural character of the area.”
Newlay Asphalt said it had recognised the environmental impact on the previous site near Bridlington Road and now proposes to move it half a mile away to the industrial estate near Catfoss Road.
The planning document states: “It is anticipated that the plant will fit in with the context of its surrounding uses, given that there will are already long-established commercial users within the wider industrial estate that subject nearby residents to noise or visual impacts. The existing dwelling on the site will be vacated prior to the commencement of the use. The impact of the proposed development on nearby residential properties will therefore be negligible.”
However, members of the Communities Reject Asphalt Plant group argue that the plant would still affect the village and have raised concerns over noise and air pollution, as well as the impact on local tourism.
At the time of going to press, following the initial response to the proposal, 181 objections had been submitted to the East Riding Public Access website.
Members of Brandesburton Parish Council have also raised their concerns about the proposal. Commenting on the planning portal, they said: “Brandesburton Parish Council objects to this application. This application is virtually community harassment! It differs little from the previous one that created hundreds of objections and was rejected.
“The grounds for that refusal, of adverse visual impact and no overriding functional need in this location, apply equally to this proposal. The proposed site is a stone’s throw from that of the previous proposal. All the objections raised by the residents of Brandesburton, the parish council and surrounding parish councils, still apply.
“The proposed plant will not, as suggested, sit easily in an existing industrial estate. The businesses in the area bear no resemblance to the overtly heavy industry proposal here. Indeed, surrounding businesses have raised serious concerns and objections. Noise and dust impacting on their employees, excessive and dangerous traffic movements on an entirely unsuitable access road and totally inadequate infrastructure are among the issues raised with the parish council.
“Furthermore, the proposed site is not within the current light industry estate. It is adjacent to it and represents an unwelcome development in the open countryside of an uncharacteristic large-scale major industrial plant, buildings and process.”
To comment on the application, visit the East Riding Public Access website using reference number 22/03433/CM.
