Proposed Abattoir and meat/food processing plant at the Maxell Site, Apley, Telford

MINUTES OF MEETING

Civic Offices Darby House Telford

13^th July 2011

Proposed Abattoir and meat/food processing plant at the Maxell Site Apley Telford

Present:

Councillor Karen Blundell - Apley Castle Ward

Councillor Bill Tomlinson - Shawbirch Ward

John Freeman, resident of Apley

Corin Crane - Telford and Wrekin Council, Economic Development

Nick Scott - Chief Executive, J. Ross Developments, Pickstock Group.

1. It was agreed that the meeting would be "open" and not off the record. The parties introduced themselves briefly. Nick Scott said that he had been asked by Roland Pickstock, Chairman of the Pickstock Group, to consider a number of the sites owned by the Pickstock Group for development and use as an abattoir and meat/food processing plant. This includes the Maxell site at Apley in Telford, he explained, which was bought by Pickstock from Maxell in 2009. He said that there was a fairly urgent need to identify and develop a site in order to meet new meat contracts within the next 18 months and that they would like to relocate from their Ashby de la Zouch abattoir as that site does not allow for expansion without some issues.

Nick Scott stated that they wanted to adopt a consultative approach and Simon Hoare, a community planning consultant appointed by Pickstock, would be facilitating this.

2. Councillor Blundell replied by saying that she had tried on a number of occasions to contact Roland Pickstock to apprise him of the very substantial local opposition to the proposal but that her letters of 7 April and 9 June and phone calls had not received any reply. She had told him that the level of response to our recent petition showed that residents are strongly opposed to any development of this kind.

3. Corin Crane said that Pickstock had originally approached the Council with a proposal for "off-site" construction manufacturing to be carried on at the Maxell site. Then a proposal was made to use the site for meat processing and in March Roland Pickstock spoke to the head of the Council's planning department about a proposed abattoir.

4. Nick Scott said that communication was important. John Freeman said that communication was a two way process and that up to now mixed messages or no information had been forthcoming from the company. It was understood that in April Mr Pickstock had spoken to Councillor Tillotson and had assured him that no planning application for an abattoir was being proposed.

5. John Freeman said that as a local resident for the last 13 years and whose house overlooked the Maxell factory, he was concerned that the use of the Maxell site as an abattoir or meat or food processing plant would inevitably cause offensive emissions of noise, the sound of distressed animals, smell of animal faeces and by products, traffic noise around the clock and offensive emissions from the site. As a neighbour living downwind from the site where westerly winds prevail, this would seriously and substantially and detrimentally affect the use and enjoyment of his house and garden as well those of hundreds of residents in Apley and Shawbirch and further afield.

6. John Freeman said that when the former Allscott Sugar Beet plant was in operation, the sickly and offensive smell of boiled sugar beet pervaded the atmosphere over the heavily populated areas of Apley, Wellington and North Telford, despite the fact that Allscott was a newly built facility and that the site is some three miles to the west of Apley. Despite whatever emission controls and environmental regulations were imposed, it was inevitable that noise, smell and other emissions would escape from the Maxell site if it is used as an abattoir and meat/food processing plant.

7. John Freeman said in addition to ruining the atmosphere and amenities of the area, that the abattoir would also depress house and property values in the area and make it even harder to sell. It may also result in a widespread demand for Council tax reductions due to fall in values and loss of amenities.

8. Both Councillor Bill Tomlinson and Councillor Blundell said that the Maxell site was part of the urban area of Telford and occupied a particularly sensitive area. Immediately to the south is the Severn Hospice, where terminally ill patients are treated, some as day patients and others on the ward. The hospice enjoys an outside sensory garden where patients are able to do a little gardening and enjoy the fresh air. It would be totally insensitive for a major abattoir and meat food processing plant to operate next door to the hospice on a 24 hour shift system. The noise and smell would be both offensive and distressing to patients, staff and their families. This would affect the quality of the end of life services that the hospice can provide for patients.

Immediately next to the hospice is The Princess Royal Hospital where thousands of people visit the patients every day parking in the open air car park which is only a few hundred metres from the Maxell site.

Immediately opposite the Maxell site are houses and an hotel which would be adversely affected. The Apley Woods, operated by The Woodlands Trust, immediately abuts the Maxell site. It is a highly regarded local amenity for people to walk in the fresh air and has recently received Lottery Funding. An anglers club regularly fish in Apley Pool. All these facilities used by local people would be substantially, adversely and irretrievably affected by the smell and noise from an abattoir next door. Councillor Blundell stated that during the recent elections whilst out canvassing many residents had spoken to her about the use of the Maxell site as an abattoir/meat processing plant and they were stunned that any company could suggest such an inappropriate and insensitive idea for the site.

9. Nick Scott said that he had come to the meeting to listen to local concerns. He assured the meeting that no decision had yet been made by Pickstock as to their preferred site for the abattoir which would include keeping livestock in the fields outside of the factory building.

10. Both Councillors Blundell and Tomlinson said that they would welcome jobs to Telford but that a more appropriate site should be found where an abattoir use would be more suitable. Councillor Blundell added that this does not justify thousands of residents having their home environment or lives ruined, and therefore Maxell's was a totally inappropriate location. A 700 plus name petition from local residents had already been collected opposing the proposed use of the site as and abattoir and/or meat or food processing plant. Councillor Bill Tomlinson said that there was universal revulsion and disgust in the area for what Pickstock were proposing on the Maxell site. He urged Pickstock and the Council to identify an alternative site which would be more appropriate for Pickstock's proposals.

11. John Freeman said that Telford had been developed as a New Town

in accordance with a Master Plan drawn up in the 1970's which strictly segregated residential and industrial areas. The Maxell site had been an exception to this rule only because it was a high tech use and was not incompatible with the use and enjoyment of the neighbouring areas by residents and other users and occupiers. In particular, before the site was sold to Maxell in 1984, very rigorous tests reports and data were obtained from Maxell regarding potential emissions from the site of smell, dust and noise in order in particular to protect the use of the hospital site to the south. He urged Pickstock to consider some other more appropriate use for the Maxell site and for the Council to give reasonable support for this where possible.

12. Councillor Karen Blundell mentioned that a local group of Apley residents had successfully managed the regeneration of the woods with the local authority, which has won several awards and that the field facing Apley Pool was secured as part of the woodland. Residents of Apley are very proactive and take a pride in the area. She also said that a planning permission for residential use of land off Peregrine Way at Apley Woods had been successfully opposed and modified and that development had still not commenced some five years after the initial planning process was started.

13. Nick Scott acknowledged that residents are worried and reassured the meeting that no decision had yet been made. He said that all communication should be made through him, but that if the matter became more contentious, complaints should be addressed to Simon Hoare, Pickstock's community planning consultant. He assured the meeting that there was "no hidden agenda" and that there would be full and proper consultation with local people before any planning application was made.

14. Councillors Karen Blundell and Bill Tomlinson said that there was absolute and total opposition locally to Pickstock's proposals, that the Maxell site was totally inappropriate for such uses and that an alternative site should be identified within an industrial estate in Telford. They called for Pickstock to exclude the Maxell site from its abattoir and meat/food procession proposals and to seek some alternative and less objectionable use for the site. Any application for planning permission for use as an abattoir and / or meat or food processing plant would be vigorously opposed. They called upon the Council through Corin Crane to help to find an alternative and more appropriate site for Pickstock.

15. John Freeman said that as a resident of Apley, a voter and a Council Tax payer for many years, along with hundreds of other local residents and occupiers, he expected the Council to respect, represent and support the overwhelming views of local people.

16. John Freeman also pointed out that there are a number of restrictive covenants on the legal title of the Maxell site which restrict the use of the site to certain defined planning uses and that these do not include an abattoir and meat or food processing use. Covenants burdening the site also prohibit any emission of smell, dust or noise from the site. These covenants were imposed to protect the use and amenity of the surrounding and neighbouring land and are drawn in favour of local residents and occupiers.

Agreed Action:

1. Corin Crane would seek advice from the Council for some alternative site in Telford for Pickstock's proposals.

2. Nick Scott would report back to the Pickstock Group on the opposition from local residents and occupiers.

3. There would be a further meeting of the Apley residents to report and update.

The meeting ended at 5.30pm.