A rubbish dump will be built opposite a Bristol nursery after a planning inspector overturned city councillors’ decision to refuse permission. The local authority’s development control committee rejected Grundon Waste Management’s proposed waste transfer station next to St Philip’s Marsh Nursery School in April last year, with members saying they were not prepared to “gamble” with children’s lives.
They were concerned about rats, flies and nasty smells from the sorting plant but their main fear was that it would worsen air pollution and harm the health of youngsters, many of whom have breathing difficulties. But the company appealed against the decision and a government inspector has now ruled in its favour and thrown out Bristol City Council’s rejection.
Nursery headteacher Simon Holmes said he was disappointed and that this wouldn’t have happened anywhere else in the city. In his decision, the inspector said planning conditions could satisfactorily mitigate the potential harms from the site formerly occupied by Gulliver’s Truck Hire in Albert Crescent and that enforcement action could be taken against any breaches, so a refusal was not necessary.
