Unity against landfill plan for Ashdown Brickworks

Politics were laid aside for the event, as speakers from all corners of the town united in solidarity against the possibility of a new landfill site.

Bexhill High School hall reached its 350 capacity well before the 7pm start. Around 60 people were locked out in the rain.

Bexhill's MP Greg Barker, who chaired the meeting, said: "There will be a battle to stop this site being used for landfill. There's a huge amount at stake '” the future of the town, the value of your homes, the environment you pass on to the next generation and the health of our residents.

"We can win if we all come together."

Donations on the night raised 1,170 to support Bexhill Against Landfill and Incineration (BALI), which organised Friday's meeting.

The two-and-a-half-hour meeting, the third of its kind since 2002, gave context to East Sussex County Council's (ESCC) decision to name Ashdown Brickworks, Turkey Road, as the preferred choice for a major new landfill site designed to take 4.5million tonnes of waste from East Sussex and Brighton and Hove until 2026.

Geoff Smith, BALI's legal consultant, urged residents to submit protests and passed around a handout explaining the best way to register an objection.

He said: "Some people think all the letters you write will not make any difference at all. I know there are key times when letters and submissions matter. This is that time. They will matter. We have a really big chance to take Ashdown Brickworks out of the waste plan once and for all."

ESCC was represented by Ian Blake, a team manager for the Waste and Mineral Planning Policy document, published in September, in which Ashdown Brickworks is the only site specifically named and highlighted on a map detailing possible landfill locations.

After explaining his role, Mr Blake took questions from an audience angered by the prospect of accepting around 1,120 tonnes of the county's waste each day for 11 years, during which he confirmed ESCC plans to ignore government recommendations that the new landfill accept 8.8 per cent of London's waste '“ 106,000 tonnes a year.

A procession of Bexhill's community figures outlined the damage they believed the landfill could cause.

Alan Malpass, president of Highwoods Preservation Society, said the landfill would be a "tragedy" for the nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest, and warned of a devastating explosion in the population of rats and gulls.

Dominic Manning, of Rother Environmental Group, and Dr Edward Echlin both counselled a responsible attitude towards recycling before Stuart Earl, of the Little Common Business Association, spoke about the damage such a landfill would do for the town's business community.

Brian Storkey, of the Bexhill Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, said: "Bexhill absolutely depends on tourism for our shops to survive. This could deter big business from investing, and small businesses from starting up.

Mr Storkey, of the Bexhill Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, continued: "It could be disastrous. One thing is certain '“ it will not be a visitor attraction."

Further speeches from two of the 12 Rother District councillors who attended, Cllrs Forster and Lendon, added weight to the objectors, balanced by a cautious approach from Cllr Michael Ensor, also a county councillor, who said he was "neither definitely for, nor against the plans", but encouraged people to comment.

Cllr Lendon's 93-year-old father, Ronald Lendon MBE, told Bexhill to "have none of it", and remembered bad experiences of St Mary's Lane landfill when he was a Bexhill councillor 50 years ago.

Closing the meeting, Greg Barker said: "The town turned out in force tonight and sent one very clear message. We will not stand for a landfill site at Ashdown Brickworks and the people of Bexhill will fight this proposal every step of the way."

BALI chairman Nick Hollington added: "BALI was very satisfied with the meeting overall, with such a vast range of speakers from different backgrounds and a great public response which humbled us and from which we take great encouragement.

"We hope that everybody will express their objections in the ESCC consultation and in letters to their councillors. In the latter respect, while some councillors came out strongly against the landfill, we would have liked to have seen more support from them and I trust this will be more forthcoming in the coming weeks."

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