It didn’t take long for the failed nonsense of “the garden city” to rear its ugly head again in the guise of a new document entitled “Dudley Port supplementary planning document” , recently published on Sandwell council’s website. This glossy brochure has been recommended for consultation at the borough’s cabinet meeting which of course just gets waived through. This consultation apparently according to the pretty picture laden article will take place in June.
“the SPD will be subject to public consultation with a range of stakeholders, agencies, residents and businesses in order to capture and consider all issues and options that will lead to the development of this spatial plan.”
There are many aspects to look at from this utter pile of bollocks, some of which I already mentioned in a previous post about history of some of the proposed site around Rattlechain lagoon. I am not aware of who is behind this or if they are just naïve about the history of the area and its industrial contamination for profit. That I can educate them on by reading this website and the proven link sources which confirm reliability- very often from SMBC’s own files.
What I am not going to tolerate is ignorance once they are familiar with that history, and a fantasist belief that they can somehow bypass, ignore or get around that history by trying to create the kind of fantasist brochure as outlined in the supplementary document.
Flowery .GOV language abounds as usual in the prospectus with “sustainability” “diversity”, “community cohesion” etc mentioned throughout hitting the reader like a rag covered head butt.
It appears a secret meeting between different parties took place at the ever expanding temple in Tividale- although no members of the community or public appear to have been invited for their views. This led to a so called “SWOT analysis”- how they love their acronyms, which refers to strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It is stated in the document that the full SWOT analysis is in the appendices, though there are no appendices with the document. I have asked for this in a freedom of information request to Sandwell council. It will be interesting to see what they consider to be the weaknesses and threats.
There will be many posts to come and also pages regarding the main focus of land in this supplementary planning document surrounding Rattlechain lagoon, which is located on the former Rattlechain/Barnett’s brickworks site. The term “Rattlechain Tip” does not in fact really apply to this land, but has been identity grabbed at some point in time in order to try to muddy the waters of history- that history being coloured by indiscriminate and unsanctioned dumping of waste and more precisely the over tipping of foundry sand across vast swathes which has left a giant plateau overlooking the Birmingham canal and lagoon itself.
The description below from Sandwell council offers a good starting point in investigating what went on here, following the absolute con artistry from Sidney Sheldon’s dissolution of brick making at the site.
According to M.W Harris, chief planning officer at SMBC, the sprawling site by 1984 which included the so called “Duport’s Tip” .
“I have been aware of tipping at the site for over 16 years, and for at least four years, no control was exercised over the materials deposited or placement of those materials.”
He also goes on to state that “pictorial records have been kept of the various stages of filling the site from 1973 onwards.”
“Materials of organic origin, chemical drums and unsuitable industrial waste are present. Some evidence of dumping of liquid waste exists. Unmarked tankers have been witnessed pumping liquids into lagoons in the centre of the site. Additionally large quantities of hazardous waste , including asbestos were deposited.”
“The area of the land holding which was the former Duport Tip was subject to the bulk of the indiscriminate dumping.”
Harris goes on to state to the Black Country Development Corporation that
“The bulk of the surface fills within the Duport Tip contain dangerous and obnoxious materials. Any scheme involving excavation, moving or removal of such materials should provide sufficient safeguards to protect the adjoin housing estate against dust and gases from dangerous and obnoxious waste. Potentially dangerous materials such as asbestos will require special licences before it is disturbed. The Health and Safety Executive should be consulted regarding their special requirements.”
I am aware that this material referred to was excavated under licence but never removed legally from the site. IT IS STILL THERE.
I will look at the full story of this site and its interface with the real “rattelchain site” in future posts and pages.
This vast history can be detected and précised and I will do this so that those now living on the Temple Way Estate and also the new former sewage works site of Callaghan and Wilson Drives are not conned into believing that any form of new works associated with this site will bring anything but “misery” to the area, as it did throughout the 1990’s.
This term “misery” is not one I use , but one of a resident who lived in Temple Way at the time and which was clearly shared by others who became used to the daily soiling of their windows and washing together with black dirty foundry sand with non stop vehicular activity also shattering the peace. This took place over a number of years through sustained planning applications sort to extend the time of tipping- in reality allowing more tipping to take place which would have course generated associated income for doing so.
Make no mistake , the provenance of this tipping, the various companies and directors involved are all traceable and are not going to be allowed to consign themselves to vacant amnesia- which is a big problem for local authorities like Sandwell when it comes to “the polluter pays principle”. It is quite clear with this site, mothballed when a site licence was conveniently surrendered by a company going into voluntary liquidation, only to reinvent itself and carry on as almost the exact same named company, who was involved and at what time.
Save for a brief tatting operation for want of a better adequate description which took place in 2010-2011, it has remained untouched but greened over producing a varied and important compliment to Sheepwash and attracts a good variety of biodiversity. One birdwatcher in the area has commented that it is better than Sheepwash Local Nature Reserve in that it is “untouched” with little human activity as is associated with the SMBC owned 90 acre SINC.
View of the green mound that was once black
This therefore is where the planning document instantly starts to fail when it talks of housebuilding- because extra house building in this area will destroy both this site and doom Sheepwash to be nothing other than a dog crap stop with water feature views. Unfortunately it already has become this to a large extent. Whilst business prospers with fellating by political heavyweights , so nature reserves and nature corridors diminish.
The very brief summary of this site that I have given above appears omitted from the new Dudley Port document- but why should public money be spent facilitating the clean up and removal of thousands of tonnes of useless material – some 6000 tonnes were allowed from this licence- per day!- HOW HAS THE KNOWN POLLUTER PAID?
The description of the site offered by SMBC and presumably pitched at unsuspecting developers is priceless and omits the key information- which SMBC as evidenced above are fully aware of or should be!
“Constraints: information regarding ground conditions is limited but it is known that the site will require significant engineering and regrading of the foundry sand to provide suitable levels.
The total site may not be capable of complete development, however, this would provide the opportunity to provide green landscaping belts across the site. access through the existing residential area will need to be addressed to ensure that transport issues are mitigated and resolved. the site has been marketed previously with little interest from housing developers due to perceived market issues, however, the 60 unit residential scheme at Palmerston Drive shows that there is appetite for housing within the local area. “
What a complete and total disingenuous statement this is! So this is basically stating that significant works will need to be undertaken but without a timescale, and of course, all of the green will disappear and become black again. The area which would not be capable of development is of course the former Duport’s Tip- oh yes that was the unsanctioned dumping area that contained “Materials of organic origin, chemical drums and unsuitable industrial waste”
The fact that it has been marketed previously is a good indication that developers are not as bloody stupid as the council would have them believe as long as they have done their homework, or are for example reading this blog post now. Some of the other so called laughably “sustainable” sites mentioned include some interesting links. The Newcomen Drive site is owned by the same entity as that as which deposited foundry sand at the former brickworks site. Granted outline planning permission in 2008 on appeal, a further planning application requesting more time in 2012 to commence the scheme was sort. THE SITE HAS YET TO BE TOUCHED OR RECLAIMED AND WILL ALSO REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT DEPOSITS OF FOUNDRY SAND AND REQUIRE “SIGNIFICANT FUNDING”- DO YOU SEE A PATTERN EMERGING HERE?
Another site off Lower City Road is located next to Rhodia/Solvay’s Gower Tip– another contaminated hellhole where developers consider it a good idea to house people next to an island of toxic and in that case radioactive wastes. The explanation offered to a local journalist a few years ago that this “uranium oxide” had been removed from the site has no credibility or paper trail under licenced consent whatsoever and is not believable at all.
The final insult to people’s intelligence is the brief but telling reference to Rattlechain lagoon itself- that carbunckle which thwarted all attempts by The Black Country Development Corporation and others to build houses across the whole area by infilling the lagoon with the foundry sand- i.e a bumper waste tipping payday for the site operators.
“The area to the south and east of the site is predominantly residential, and to the immediate west lies the wet tip. “
That’s it “the wet tip”. No mention of the fact that it contains tens of tonnes of a banned rat poison –white phosphorus which will catch fire when exposed to air and that is known to have resulted in birds being poisoned who chanced to land on it. That too was covered over and not removed, but developers and “regenerators” are not going to be allowed to forget that it is there- or the threat it still poses with the clear phosphine gas being generated.
I will have plenty to say in the consultation, and though it is ultimately a battle which will only be lost through the skulduggery of business and political forces, I will do all that I can to delay, frustrate and derail any plans to build houses near to Sheepwash and Rattlechain lagoon. The cost to nature the environment and public health is too great to comprehend.