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Row over plan to move tenants into homes next to toxic waste site

A waste management firm has said it is “extremely concerned” at a Staffordshire council’s decision to move tenants into housing association homes at a development next to one of its hazardous sites.

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Picture: Getty
Picture: Getty
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Axil Integrated Services claimed that children living in the homes would play closer to toxic and flammable waste than it allows its own staff to go.

Cannock Chase District Council’s cabinet agreed last Thursday to nominate people on its housing waiting list to move into 48 homes at the Chenet Chase scheme owned by 21,000-home landlord WHG.

The 111-unit development was built by Galliford Try and received planning permission in January 2016.

Most of the 63 for-sale homes on the site are already occupied, but the social housing – which is closest to the hazardous waste facility – has sat empty because of Axil’s safety fears.


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Axil accused the council, the housing association and the developer of deliberately ignoring its concerns.

However, the council and WHG said they are taking steps to ensure the homes are safe, including the planned installation of a four-metre heat shield along the boundary of Axil’s site and sprinklers in the closest homes, together costing £385,000.

The council has also agreed that anyone from its housing list offered a home at Chenet Chase will be made “fully aware of all the risk information beforehand” and will not be penalised if they refuse to move in.

Edward Pigg, managing director at Axil, said: “The council, Galliford Try and [WHG] want to put in some mitigation measures. However, we believe that will not remove the risk to residents, which could be substantial.

“It is disturbing that the council says that it recommends that any resident planning to move in should be briefed by the fire and rescue service about the risks of doing so.

“That seems to justify our views that the homes should not have been built in the first place, if they are acknowledging that there are risks that people need to be warned about.

“We feel that it would be better to remove the risk altogether, either by not occupying the homes or helping us to relocate our operations.”

Axil said the facility processes up to 100,000 tonnes of high-risk substances a year and that people living nearby will increase the chance of an accident.

Gary Fulford, chief executive of WHG, said: “We understand that the recent increased attention to safety issues across the UK housing sector has led to increased scrutiny of the safety of the homes we own and manage.

“WHG has been working to ensure all reasonable steps have been taken to address any potential concerns.

“We do not compromise on customer safety and are being thorough in our approach prior to making any lettings, including the installation (subject to planning permission) of additional non-statutory safety measures to provide further reassurance to our residents.”

A letter from Mr Fulford to the council, presented to its cabinet last week, said the association’s board has “previously agreed appetite for risk in relation to health and safety matters” when laying out what it had considered before taking the decision.

Mr Pigg called the specific remark “shocking”.

Tony McGovern, managing director at Cannock Chase District Council, said: “This is a significant step forward in trying to resolve the current issues at the Chenet Chase development.

“We are grateful for the support of our partners, and particularly to [WHG], in supporting the range of measures designed to provide a sustainable way forward and allow occupation of the vacant dwellings.”

A spokesperson for Galliford Try said: “We are delighted that, through the strength of partnership between the key parties, including the council and WHG, agreement has been reached on mitigating measures that will see these much-needed new homes occupied.”