Planning enforcement officers employed by Bridgend County Borough Council have been asked to investigate a possible breach of planning consent committed by the council itself.
Welsh Conservative Regional AM Suzy Davies has been looking into the dumping of silt dredged from the Porthcawl harbour onto land at Salt Lake.
When the council received planning consent to carry out this work, a number of planning conditions were laid down including one that stated that the material, which is to be used to landscape the site, has to be comprehensively tested in order to prevent any chemical, biological or radioactive contaminants present creating a health hazard.
Another condition states that the site should be landscaped within three months of the end of tipping unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Mrs Davies said she had written to Mark Shephard, Head of Communities, on this matter after her attention had been drawn to it by constituent Gareth Davies of Porthcawl.
“Mr Shephard has sent me some information about testing carried out on the material while it was still in the harbour in 2012. I am now asking if sampling of this silt has taken place, as required by the planning consent, since it was moved to Salt Lake and if so, what are the results.
“The conditions laid down also state that no dumping of material shall take place on this site apart from the silt but I understand that boulders and pipes have been put there as well which is a breach of planning. Also, it is more than three months since tipping ended but no landscaping work has been done.
“But my main concern relates to the need to test this material. The silt lay at the bottom of the harbour for decades and is likely to be contaminated by oil, diesel and probably chemicals from portable loos as well as sewage. If this testing has taken place, the council should publish the results so that everyone can see what’s there.
“If the material is found to be safe then that will reassure people, If not, then action will be needed to take it to a site where it can be properly processed.”
