A group of Wrexham campaigners will be on the way to Brussels in early April to make their submissions to the European Parliament's Petitions Committee in their bid to bring a halt to landfill operations at the Hafod site.

Photograph shows Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans when she handed the Hafod petition over to Marcin Libicki, Chair of the European Parliament's Petitions Committee.

In November 2006 Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans handed the petition to the Committee Chair Marcin Libicki in Brussels (photo attached), on behalf of the Hafod Environmental Group campaigners. Jill said today:

"The fact that we have reached this next stage is very good news, especially as the Petitions Committee has been faced with an exceptionally high volume of cases in recent months. The perseverance of the Hafod campaigners is greatly to their credit, and, of course, these are the people who have to live with this landfill site. I hope that this petition will equal the success of my own petition dealing with a similar case at the Nantygwyddon landfill site some years ago which certainly helped in closing it down.

"Back in November 2006, when I handed over the Hafod petition, I remarked that it was crazy that in the twenty first century we are still transporting waste for miles and dumping it in holes in the ground when we know that it will affect people's health and the environment. This strengthens my resolve to work in the European Parliament to get stronger laws on reducing waste, increasing recycling and phasing out landfill.

"I look forward to welcoming the Hafod campaigners to Brussels on 2 April."

Pauline Smout is Chair of the Hafod Environmental Group. She said:

"We are delighted that the Committee is going to hear our submissions, and a number of campaigners will be there for the hearing. It was always clear that the process would not be a speedy one but nevertheless we have reached this point a little sooner than we might have guessed.

"Now we have now to get our case across in the time granted to us, and we hope that the Committee will act on our submission over the designated Special Area of Conservation and its immediate surroundings."

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

Submissions will be heard by the European Parliament's Petitions Committee on 2 April 2008. If it can be demonstrated that European law has been broken, then ultimately the site can be closed.

Petition to the European Parliament on behalf of The Hafod Environmental Group

This petition is submitted by:

Surname: Smout
First Name: Pauline
Title: Mrs
Address: Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales
Nationality: Welsh, U.K.
Occupation: Voluntary Member of the Hafod Environmental Group

I agree that this petition be considered in public if the Committee on Petitions declares it admissible.

Subject of petition

Mineral extraction and landfill at Hafod Quarry, Wrexham, Wales, U.K, and its effect

i on the European Union’s policy for recycling of waste material:

ii on the quality of life of local residents:

iii on a site designated as one of Special Scientific Interest and classed as a Special Area of Conservation.

Text of petition

Planning permission by the local authority (Clwyd County Council) was granted in 1988 for the extraction of minerals at the quarry. An application to allow landfill was refused. The applicant appealed against the refusal, and a public enquiry was held in 1992, at which the Council, together with Wrexham Maelor Council, gave evidence against the appeal. The Secretary of State for Wales allowed the appeal in 1995. Ownership of the site changed several times following the appeal, but no landfill took place.

Part of the site was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 2001 and classed as a Special Area of Conservation in 2004. Two further planning applications were thus required, one of which was refused by the Wrexham County Borough Council, the relevant new local authority. The applicant lodged an appeal. This was granted by an Inspector appointed by the National Assembly for Wales, the Assembly having subsumed the responsibilities of the Secretary of State. The granting of the appeal was challenged in the U.K. High Court by a group of local residents (The Hafod Environmental Group). Lawyers for the Assembly conceded that there had been procedural improprieties in submitting the original application. The Court quashed the appeal and granted costs to the Environmental Group, but gave no ruling on the substantive issue.

A permit to landfill under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (2000) was granted by the Environment Agency Wales in October 2004. Work on landfilling began in August 2006. The Environmental Group are petitioning against this permit.

They do so because of:

i the effect of the land-filling on the health and quality of life of local residents:

ii the cumulative effect of three major landfills, several smaller ones and a toxic lagoon, all in one small residential area:

iii the incentive provided by the permit against effectively applying the European Union’s recycling policy:

iv the de facto disregarding of Special Area of Conservation requirements.

We call upon the European Parliament to emphasise the duties imposed upon Member States by Article 4 of the Waste Framework Directive, EU recycling policy and protection for Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).

Signed ……………………………..

Date ……………………………..