Latest news with #odourissues
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Jersey States panel backs cannabis farm noise and smell complaint
A States' panel has upheld a complaint over the way the government handled residents' concerns about noise and smells from a cannabis farm in complaints panel said the Infrastructure and Environment Department had prioritised the interests of the Northern Leaf farm in St Lawrence to the detriment of people living nearby last panel said the government had taken too long to deal with residents' complaints, criticising its use of an unjust "sniff test" to decide whether cannabis odours from the farm were a Scate, Chief Officer of Infrastructure and Environment, said the department acknowledged the report but did not accept the findings. The panel said the government officers had "misinterpreted" the law that covered how nuisances should be dealt added that delays in bringing forward an abatement notice for noise and any action in relation to the odours had been unreasonable and that there was enough evidence to have acted to quicker in respect to "odours emanating from the site".Head of the panel Geoffrey Crill said: "The fact that no precedents existed should not have prevented action from being taken by the department. "The board considers it unacceptable that the department simply extended the monitoring of odours in order to meet a threshold that had already been acknowledged as unworkable." The government rejected the panel's decision, saying there were "many inaccuracies" in its Scate said: "Our responsibility is to uphold Jersey's regulatory framework fairly and impartially - that means acting in the interests of all parties, residents, businesses and the wider community."In the case of Northern Leaf, the department has issued a number of enforcement and noise asbatement notices and we have taken clear regulatory action in response to concerns raised. "We stand by our actions taken, ensuring that our interventions lead to meaningful and lasting improvements for those affected." 'Panel oversteps boundaries' Mr Scate said there had been a "substantial investment of resources" into the case, including more than 10 officers over a four-year period and "over 1,000 hours of focused effort".He said: "We do not accept the view that more could or should have been done - our team has acted at all times with diligence, professionalism and within the scope of legislation."Mr Scate added that the department was "not afforded the opportunity to participate fully in the panel's hearing process". He said: "The absence of a right to reply or to clarify key information before conclusions were drawn is disappointing and does not reflect principles of procedural fairness."We believe the panel continues to overstep the boundaries of its remit, particularly in matters relating to professional judgment and legal process."The department said it would report to the States within the next three months with a full response to the decision.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Waste company excepts partial liability for Calne smell
A waste management company has accepted partially responsibility for the smell that has dogged a Wiltshire town in recent Waste Solutions' admitted that one of its sites, the Lower Compton landfill, had been "identified as one of the sites in the Calne area which may be contributing to odour issues".At a heated public meeting in the town attended by Wiltshire Council, the Environment Agency and Hills, more than 40 attendees were given the opportunity to question representatives from the various company also announced that it has been served with Section 36 order, which say it has to remedy the situation by the end of July. Residents have complained regularly about the smell, which has been described as "eggy", "gassy", "stagnant" and "sulphurous", in recent months, with the odours often lingering over the town in the early hours of the a sign of the severity of the issue, the Environment Agency said it had received more than 600 complaints in April and May. 'Completely unacceptable' Simon Allen, waste operations director at Hills, apologised to the local community."We accept that we are responsible for some of the odour in Calne," he said."We've accepted entirely through the recent odour complaints, that what we have done, in places, hasn't been good enough."We're working with the Environment Agency. They've served an enforcement notice to ensure we complete the final capping."If I knew 100% what was causing this, and I could fix it, I would. I don't want to be here listening to all these complaints." Ben Shayler, area environment manager for the Environment Agency said that he sympathised with local residents."I completely understand the problems that are being experienced in Calne, and I really feel for the residents", he said."It's completely unacceptable the levels of odour that we're experiencing at the moment."Local councillor Sam Pearce-Kearney said "it was good that Hills' have taken responsibility" and added he is "confident" the issue will be resolved by late summer.
