Public meeting regarding the Spodden Valley – 2 February NOT TODAY

This morning TV Viewers and radio listeners throughout the North West were told that a public meeting is to be held today about the Spodden Valley. A very surprised Save Spodden Valley campaign co-ordinator Jason Addy began receiving calls from the media and early this morning. There is NO public meeting planned for today.

After some investigating it appears the source of the media attention came from a press release from December when Paul Rowen gave an update of a recent meeting he had attended.
 
http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/News/spodden_news.asp?ID=1123

A speculative date of 19th January was given in that news report. This was because the independent assessment of the TBA planning application was expected before Christmas. However, the report is now not due to be public until next month.

Jason Addy was philosophical about the early morning media frenzy:

“Although there has been confusion about meeting dates, this does show the strength of interest there is in the campaign and how many people may be using Rochdale Online as a source for news about the Spodden Valley.”

The next fully public meeting is the Spotland Area Forum at Spotland Methodist Hall, Rooley Moor Rd, Thursday 2 February from 7.30pm. Ken Smith, Rochdale Council’s Head of Planning and Regulation is due to address this meeting.

A ‘Multi-agency group’ was formed in 2005 to discuss issues relating to the TBA Spodden Valley planning application. This group consists of officers from: Rochdale Council, The Health & Safety Executive, The Environment Agency, Rochdale Primary Care Trust and the Government News Network. The Greater Manchester Health Protection Unit and the national Health Protection Agency have recently joined the group.

The last such meeting was held on 12 December, as reported by Paul Rowen MP in the Rochdale Online article mentioned above. 

These meetings have NOT been open to Councillors or any members of the public. Groups such Save Spodden Valley and the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre have NOT been invited to attend. However, meeting minutes are now made public.

Although excluded from the meetings, the Save Spodden Valley campaign welcomes the work the multi-agency group has started. Jason Addy comments:

“The contamination issues of the Spodden Valley now appear to be taken seriously at local, regional and national level. This must go some way to bridging potential gaps in communication and responsibility between the various government departments as highlighted in Parliament by Paul Rowen MP and Jim Dobbin MP.”

“It is a shame that we are not invited to past meetings or press conferences. However, the publication of the minutes is a step forward. In the past we have had to use freedom of information laws to find out what has gone on. From the paperwork of a past meeting it was suggested that local people were demanding that asbestos contaminated rubble be removed from the site. This simply is not the case and is a misrepresentation of local views that could have been corrected if we had been there. Anyone who reads the archived Spodden Valley news reports on Rochdale Online can see that all we have ever asked for are the facts about the rubble with clear and accountable decisions about how it is handled. The Risk Assessment paperwork regarding the removal of the rubble still remains secret.”

“In the past few days we have learnt that the Health Protection Agency has been to the site for a ‘familiarisation visit’. Who took them round the site? There are many residents and former workers that are willing to help take government officials to areas of the site where asbestos was dumped for decades. 

The site still has exposed asbestos on it yet it is still not legally classified as ‘Contaminated’ under the Environmental Protection Act. 

“We have been told that at a recent meeting about the rejected Greenbooth Mills planning application the conversation turned to the former Turner Brothers Asbestos site. Countryside Properties told Norden residents that local people in Spotland have not shown the landowners where the asbestos is buried in the Spodden Valley. That is quite a piece of spin! – Countryside Properties have NEVER invited local people to tell them where the asbestos is. Incredibly the developers seem to have forgotten the ‘apology’ given for ‘miscommunication’ about the Spodden Valley. Countryside Properties were forced to say on BBC Radio 4 that they did not know about a letter sent by an MMC Employee on 10th September 2004 confirming exposed asbestos in the Spodden Valley”.   

Rochdale Township Committee has arranged a meeting on 31 January to discuss the issues relating to the former Turner Brothers Asbestos site. Representatives from Save Spodden Valley have been invited to this meeting together with Councillors of the TBA Health and Safety Working Party, members of the Multi-agency group and the developers.

This is to give an update on the planning application, news of the WS Atkins Global report, an update from the Multi-agency group and to discuss other issues relating to contamination on the Spodden valley site.  

The report from WS Atkins Global is expected to be with Rochdale Council for 27 January. Before being made available to the public it is to be sent to the members of the Multi-agency group. The report will probably be made public mid-February. 

The first fully public meeting available for people to voice their opinions will be the Spotland Area Forum on Thursday 2 February from 7.30pm. It is doubted that the Atkins Global report will be available for the public to read by that date but assurances have been given that public meetings will be arranged in the months ahead so that a full public consultation can take place.