This request is in two parts to The Environment Agency
Site licence SL130 Duport Properties Limited
and
Sandwell council
Site licence SL130 Rear of London Steel Works
BACKGROUND
This site also known as Landfill site 644/228 was the area to the rear of the London works steel “London works Tip”(including the Vono lagoon) that became the Autobase site. This site is known to have been operating without valid planning permission after site licensing, by the dubious Duport Properties Limited, hence its very short curtailment after 1978. It was issued with the licence SL130.
WHAT DID WE ASK AND WHAT DID THEY KNOW?
To EA
“Please provide by electronic means the full waste disposal site licence SL/130 latterly reissued as 644/228 Rear of London Works Steel, Tipton Road, Tividale, West Midlands.
Could you also provide a map of the site as it appeared and the area which it now occupies and summary of when this licence was surrendered. Could you also indicate if any additional modifications were made to the license or at the site during the life of the license in respect of additional materials that could be deposited.”
The EA provided the data sheet which can be viewed HERE.
According to this , the first input of waste was recorded as 6/10/1977
The licence was issued just a month later on 16/11/1977
The last input if waste was recorded as 25/10/1978
Thus it operated for just over one year.
The sheet contains the following information in that the site could be filled with “inert solid wastes”. This it claims consisted mainly of foundry sand and also polystyrene, paper and wood.
They also provided the highlighted map cross hatched blue showing the position of the square landfill site.
The council add on request
“The Environment Agency have suggested that you may hold more information than they do about this site.”
The council replied “Sandwell MBC does not hold a copy of waste disposal site licence SL/130 latterly reissued as 644/228 Rear of London Works Steel, Tipton Road,
Tividale, West Midlands. As such I am unable to provide further information regarding the following’ A map of the site as it appeared;· A summary of when this licence was surrendered;· Any additional modifications made to the licence or at the site during the life of the licence in respect of additional materials that could be deposited.”
They did however provide a map of the area as it now stands which we already know.
DISCUSSION
It is perhaps not surprising that Sandwell council could not or were not able to provide the site licence as they have on most of the other sites that I have requested. This is due to the fact that this site was operating illegally in that it had no valid planning permission to do so as was required under law. The following letter from Sandwell council in respect of this and the future Autobase site which was created on top of this site proves this point.
The Duport Group and anyone acting on their behalf were therefore breaking the law, but the cowboy landscaping operations were always “criminal” to start with in the entire area.
“there is no record of any planning application being submitted for tipping operations on any part of this site”.