Political Opinion: Lee Anderson's Weekly Column - “Just stop the smell”

As the Member of Parliament for Ashfield, one of my most important responsibilities is helping local people with the issues that affect their everyday lives.

This is no exception for the residents living near the Southwell Lane–Lowmoor Road roundabout in Kirkby, who have for far too long been forced to endure the awful odours coming from the Veolia Welshcroft site. It is an issue that has caused real frustration and distress, and I have been working with local residents on this matter for several years.

There are residential properties within just 50 yards of this waste collection site on the business park at the end of Southwell Lane. This is not a suitable location for this kind of site when nearby families are having to endure the disgusting smells on a regular basis. Several residents have told me that on some days the odour can be so strong that they are unable to open their windows or enjoy their gardens.

Some residents have even told me that the smells are preventing them from being able to sell their homes. It is unacceptable that ongoing problems like this are leaving people feeling trapped in their own properties that they cannot move on from. Residents need action.

Last week, I held a meeting bringing together local residents, Veolia representatives, the Environment Agency, and the Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, Councillor Mick Barton.

This meeting allowed residents the opportunity to explain first-hand directly to the relevant organisations the impact the smells have had on their daily lives.

Encouragingly, the Environment Agency outlined a range of potential measures that could help reduce the smell coming from the site.

This included installing specialised industrial double-door systems, which are designed to contain odours within waste collection facilities and prevent them from escaping into surrounding areas. Veolia confirmed during the meeting that they will look at implementing this at their site. This is a step forward for residents, and hopefully this will make some improvement. But more measures are needed to prevent over-reliance on a single measure.

Going forward, the Environment Agency has encouraged all local residents to report all smell disturbances directly to them. This will help them build a portfolio of evidence for any future action. I will also be organising a follow-up meeting in six weeks’ time for a report of the proposed plans that will be taken to help tackle the smells emanating from the site.

However, because the issue has been going on for so long, residents have told me they are beginning to lose hope that this problem will ever be resolved. Understandably so, as to date there have been no improvements from Veolia despite having known about the issues. Residents just want the smells to stop.

I will continue to work with all parties involved to make sure that my residents’ concerns are properly addressed.