Owners of an animal rendering plant in Denholme have told government officers Bradford Council has been “illogical,” “irrational” and “unreasonable” in its dealings with them.
The Leo Group, which runs Omega Proteins at Earling Works in Half Acre Road, has written to the planning inspectorate to request a public appeal to decide how much involvement the council should have in what happens on the site. It has asked for a number of conditions currently imposed on the plant by the council to be lifted.
If the appeal is successful, the company would be much more free from council scrutiny.
Bosses say the council’s interpretation of planning laws has been “novel and unique”, and that they have been burdened with “unnecessary” conditions.
Omega Proteins has been the subject of controversy in recent years, with many Denholme residents complaining about smells emanating from the site and HGVs laden with animal parts passing through the village.
The council has imposed a number of restrictions on the company’s operations in the past, and last month the Leo Group tried unsuccessfully to lift them. These included a ban from building any machinery or buildings outside the main plant building without first seeking council permission and no off-loading of HGVs, except inside plant buildings.
The Leo Group lodged an appeal with the government last week in another attempt to have these conditions lifted.
The council has argued it needs to control what is built on the site “in the interests of visual amenity and to ensure sufficient space is available for the manoeuvring of vehicles in the interests of highway safety”.
The appeal document points out the plant is nearly 700 metres from a public road, and adds: “The highway safety reason is not relevant to planning and is both illogical and irrational. There can be no possibility that there will be any effect on highway safety – it is inconceivable an HGV or other vehicle would back along 700 metres of private road and then back out onto the highway.”
It says the condition dictating where HGVs can be loaded “is not relevant to planning, is unnecessary and unreasonable. It removes the normal and necessary commercial and legal rights of the company to operate its business.”
It adds: “The plant generates very considerable interest, both locally and beyond, and raises issues of national importance as this is a rare and specialised industry.”
A date has not been set for the inquiry.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here