Attendees : John Woodruff LBB
Nic Allan - Veolia
Tom Hall -Veolia
Russell Snashall – Environment Agency
Resident representatives from
Waldo Road
Mornington Avenue
Carlyle Avenue
The Avenue
As it had been such a long time since the last meeting there were many points
of discussion and at times conversations splintered with people debating individual
points so not all individual details were recorded.
However, here is a brief summary of points that were raised for general discussion. It should be noted that all these were issues that have been brought up at previous meeting and remain unresolved;
# Veolia were asked not to use the mechanical shovel before 8 a.m. Mon-Sat. NA advised that in general they don’t but that if a sub-contracted lorry came in early it may be unavoidable. However, they would continue to try their best not to use it before this time.
# Veolia were asked why the signs asking site users to consider neighbours particularly when putting rubbish into the green recycling containers. This point has been outstanding for 10 months but we were assured that these would be in place within 3 months. Of course, this will be after the busier and noisier summer period.
#Veolia were asked why there was not more advertising within the site highlighting the various garden waste recycling areas within the borough. So that people after queuing for possibly some considerable time could take note of where their nearest one was thereby perhaps avoiding using Waldo Road another time. Despite this being unactioned for 10 months we were assured that temporary laminated posters would be displayed the next day with more permanent signs to follow.
# Residents are still waiting for the barrier on the boundary wall of Carlyle Avenue to be extended along the full length and made taller. JW promised that this was in hand and would be done soon. Ivy or other creeper would be planted after for aesthetic effect.
# Residents again reiterated their request that the tip is shut one hour earlier on a Saturday so that they could enjoy their gardens in the warn weather. This will be looked into again ( first minuted 7 months ago!) but JW said that site would have to remain open longer than 1 hour one night (possibly Thursday) to compensate.
# The awful stench that emanates from the site at regular intervals was much debated. As it is not constant, it was agreed that NA would be contacted on his mobile by anyone that smelt it ( 07789272290) and details left of date and time. It is hoped that this will enable Veolia to source it and take steps to stop it.
# Birds are still a major nuisance. Veolia advised that they are being culled ( Sunday afternoons). Residents haven’t noticed any difference to-date.
# Keep Clear or junction boxes were requested for Homesdale Road . Again this is not the first time this has been raised at meetings. JW advised he would discuss this with the Highways Agency.
Additionally Russell Snashall advised that he has just taken over from Tony Hawke so has not has sufficient time to study all previous paperwork . He requested copies of previous minutes and advised that a new licence and working plan is currently being drawn up. He re-iterated the fact that every complaint to the EA is followed up and gave the free telephone number available 0800 807060
Following this meeting it was pointed out by a resident:
"Nearly all the points raised at the meeting were originally raised at the first meeting back in nov 05. This just goes to show that Onyx/Veolia, Bromley Council and The Environment Agency are doing nothing for the residents"
John Woodruff (Head of Waste Services for Bromley Council) gave the following reply:
"One of the
issues that was raised at the most recent meeting was the difficulty in agreeing
changes or refinements to the site's operational methodology that are of equal
benefit to all the residents involved in the forum.
Since residents represent streets on differing sides of the site, we have to
balance the fact that, for example, changing the location of a particular element
of the operation, or altering vehicle flows, may simply transfer a perceived
problem from one residential area to another. We thus have to try to look at
such issues holistically, which is naturally more difficult.
Where we have been able to agree actions, we do need to ensure they are acceptable
in terms of the vehicle's operating licences, the EA site licences, our highways
department (they have to approve any changes to the layout of the external roads)
and Health & Safety. These processes can take some time.
A further inhibiting factor is the after-effects of the fire, which have limited
the space on site we are able to use. Once the current repairs are complete,
this will increase our ability to make effective changes on the site.
With some Projects, such as the Webcam, we are in the hands of external partners;
in this particular case the technology was more complicated than we expected,
hence the delay.
Finally, where we are looking at significant changes, we have to find appropriate
funding - depending on the resources required, this can also cause delays, or
potentially require that the project be down-scaled.
However, in some cases the fault may lay entirely with ourselves. In such cases,
we will aim to own up to these and get them resolved as soon as possible. Where
other factors are affecting our ability to move things forward, we will report
back to the group."