Waste strategy ‘encourages more dumping in areas like Newhaven’

Green Party campaigner Emily O'Brien in Newhaven - an area she says has already been 'deeply damaged' by East Sussex County Council policy and which stands to lose out further

East Sussex County Council has been consulting on its updated waste and minerals local plan, developed jointly with the South Downs National Park and Brighton & Hove.

Green Party campaigners argued that the plan fails to tackle the mountain of construction waste produced in East Sussex and instead encourages more dumping in areas such as Newhaven, which already have more than their share of both waste and aggregates.

More than 350 people took part in the campaign.

Emily O’Brien, speaking on behalf of the Lewes District Green Party, said: “1.75 million tonnes of waste is produced in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove each year. Construction accounts for an astonishing 51 per cent of all waste in the county. Yet this new plan fails to tackle the waste mountain, fails to set climate change targets, and instead encourages more dumping in areas like Newhaven which already have more than their share of both.

“We have seen that people really care about their areas- but are only able to get involved when a controversial planning application lands in their area.

“By then it’s too late - no matter how many objections and petitions and protests, any application will be decided on the policy that’s already been agreed months or even years ago.

“Brett Aggregates concrete plant and Newhaven incinerator were both given planning permission despite thousands of objections - and the plan we are campaigning on now is the very same plan that allowed those decisions to happen. That’s why this campaign is so important.

“If anything this plan is worse. We are concerned about a new requirement for areas of Newhaven that in future will prevent development which will ‘conflict’ with using the area for waste and minerals (aggregates). How is that going to work with the positive new ‘clean green’ growth plans for Newhaven?”

The group described being delighted with the number of consultation responses sent in as a result of their campaign and they called on East Sussex County Council, along with Brighton & Hove Council and the South Downs National Park Authority, to make the changes demanded.