Bushey Hall Road waste site update

Many residents have complained to us about what’s happening at the ASL waste processing site on Bushey Hall Road - on the former donkey field near the Water Lane tunnel.

A firm called All Storage London (ASL) are using this site to process or store waste. This is causing severe noise and traffic disruption, alongside potential environmental damage. 

ASL has now applied for planning permission, which if granted would allow them to operate there permanently. 

As your local councillors, we strongly oppose this - and you can help by registering objections (see below). 

Background

ASL began to operate at Bushey Hall Road in February. They don’t have planning permission to use the site for this purpose, so we asked council officers to investigate. 

However, the enforcement process is slow and complex. Legally, a council can’t just turn up and close a place down. First, it must ask the land-user to regularise the situation by applying for permission. 

This has now happened, after planning officers finally visited the site and spoke to ASL. They’ve apologised to us for not acting more quickly. 

What happens now?

You may well be concerned by the news ASL has now submitted a planning application, but overall  this is actually a positive step. If the application is refused - which we hope it will be - the council can then serve an enforcement to close down the waste operation.

The application will be decided early next year, by Hertsmere councillors who sit on the borough's planning committee. We will implore them to refuse permission, on the following grounds:

• Inappropriate to have a waste processing site in a dense residential area.
• Horrendous noise affecting nearby households.
• Appalling traffic and parking disruption caused by the firm’s lorries. 
• Visual impact on ‘street scene’ and character of the neighbourhood.
• Potential flood risk, as the site is right beside a flood-prone section of the River Colne.
• Potential ecological harm to the original field, and/or biohazard from waste materials.

Hertsmere’s planning rules state that proposals should not cause “serious harm to living conditions and local environment”, or have a harmful impact on the local neighbourhood. With this in mind, we will urge the planning committee to recognise just how much harm the ASL operation is causing. 

How you can object 

Visit the page for ASL application on the planning section of Hertsmere Borough Council's website. Click on the comments tab and the "Make a Comment" option will appear. 

Alternatively you can find this page by doing a web search for ‘Hertsmere planning portal’. Then search for case number 23/1507/FUL, or ‘Bushey Hall Road’. 

You can also email the planning department directly via consult.planning@hertsmere.gov.uk quoting the reference 23/1507/FUL.

It may be particularly useful for you to describe how the waste site is already affecting your household - for example, noise and traffic disruption.

The consultation closes quite soon - 19th December, although officers will accept comments until their assessment process ends on 11th January. 

If you object to the application, please also contact us at busheylibdems@gmail.com or call 01923 549097. We’ll keep you in touch with any developments, including the date of the committee meeting, which the public can attend.