Could woodlands replace “killer mill”?

Exposed asbestos in the Spodden Valley

Spodden Valley campaigners have welcomed the publication of a new government agency report on land remediation. It is entitled: 'Best Practice Note 27 – Contamination and Dereliction Costs.' Emphasis is placed on the need for due diligence when assessing potential contamination and other related problems.

The extensive Spodden Valley coverage on Rochdale Online was the source for national headlines such as the Guardian investigation “Homes to Die For” and a series of reports by the BBC.

Today, at a time when house prices face collapse, concern has been widely raised about the need to still address the legacy of Britain’s former industrial sites. New tax measures have been welcomed but the need for European and UK public money to clean up the most dangerous sites must be recognised. Schemes to create community amenity projects such as woodlands and urban parks are gathering favour.

SSV campaigners suggest that the current economic realities, together with new reports such as that from English Partnerships, could pave the way for a permanent solution for the Spodden Valley.

In commenting on the report, Professor Paul Syms, English Partnerships national brownfield advisor, said: "Brownfield land development is not just about building much needed homes, it is also about decontaminating blighted areas, clearing and recycling derelict sites and creating open green spaces in urban centres too."

Professor Syms also stressed that while he hoped the guidance was valuable to those working within the sector, nothing can be a substitute for good quality site assessment.

Recently, financial commentators have reported on a dramatic change in the housing industry. Stock market reports suggest that new house sales are drying up. Some predict double digit drops in house prices if the expected “correction” occurs. As the credit crunch bites, many new-build schemes are being mothballed or cancelled.

This is in contrast to industry and government attitudes prior to the collapse of Northern Rock and the US sub-prime lending crisis. During the former house price boom it was a commonly stated government policy to remediate contaminated land through the development process. Cash incentives, in the form of 'Planning Delivery Grants' are given to local authority planning departments for hitting brownfield house targets.

It was often hoped that the cost of clean-ups could be paid for by building homes on blighted or contaminated sites. However, critical voices suggest that such policies may not effectively police privately funded de-contamination projects. Fears have been expressed that ‘corners could be cut’ with clean-ups. Such concerns could be exacerbated if commercial profit margins are reduced because of falling house prices and increased interest rates.

Is contamination a hidden cost that could be buried from the balance sheet? Could health be compromised for profit?

Controversy over brownfield remediation hit the news headlines regarding the Spodden Valley site. Once known as the Turner and Newall it was its worldwide headquarters and the world’s largest asbestos factory. It processed asbestos from the 1870s until the 1990s. Apparently, with little open consultation, the 72 acre factory site was earmarked by the local authority in 2004 as an “area of opportunity” with the potential for an “urban village”.

Concerns about contamination turned to consternation when in May 2004 the site’s new land owners brought in forestry workers at dawn on Saturday. During that weekend over 2 acres of mature broadleaf woodland were destroyed.

A prosecution under the Forestry Act was planned but, according to the Forestry Commission files obtained under Freedom of Information, a criminal prosecution was dropped - apparently after consultation with the local authority.

Soon after, a controversial planning application was submitted to Rochdale Council: MMC Developments Ltd, Rathbone Jersey Ltd and Countryside Properties (Northern) Ltd applied to build over 600 homes and community facilities, including a children’s nursery, on the huge former asbestos factory site.

The applicants’ Environmental Statement submitted at paragraph 5.30: “…of particular note is the absence of any asbestos contamination”

Such claims were met with utter consternation. A BBC investigation confirmed that exposed asbestos waste could be seen in woodlands within metres of where the landowners’ furtive weekend felling had occurred.

The planning application has remained firmly on hold since 2005.

The last three years have seen the applicants apologise for “past actions” and “miscommunication”. The Advertising Standards Authority have ruled that leaflets published by MMC Estates, in association with Countryside Properties, were misleading and breached its code for honesty, substantiation and truthfulness.

In 2006 an independent desk study of the planning application by Atkins Global was published. A critical BBC investigation reported on the findings of the Atkins Report that confirmed parts of the site had thousands of tonnes of asbestos dumped - up to 4 metres deep, yet just covered by a few centimetres of soil.

SSV spokesman Jason Addy said: "Despite three years of repeated pleas by local people and Rochdale Council, the landowners still haven’t adopted simple measures, such as placing asbestos warning signs or effective temporary fencing, around the known asbestos dump sites."

In 2007 Countryside Properties announced it had withdrawn from the planning application. Landowners MMC Estates informed Rochdale Council that Knight Frank had been appointed together with Environmental Consultants WSP and Jacobs Consulting. But six months on from this news, it is not known how much input the new environmental consultants have had in the Spodden valley asbestos site.

Meanwhile, with the Best Practice guidance just published by English Partnerships, although there is mention of asbestos contamination, the report specifically excludes the deadly mineral from its advice and conclusions.

So what of the troubled site of what was the world’s largest asbestos factory? What about the plans for hundreds of homes? Local residents and national commentators had described the planning application as “sheer madness” that “beggared belief”. Many are calling for a precautionary approach and suggest the site be used for amenity use such as woodland and an urban park.

The need for legally enforceable soil guidance values (SGV) for asbestos in soil is a widely recognised issue. Consultation is ongoing but an agreed SGV is not expected until at least 2010.

Mr Addy concluded: "The Spodden Valley must certainly be a test case for asbestos contamination and appropriate Soil Guidance values, risk modelling and community-centred land remediation.

"Perhaps in years to come, tranquil woodland will replace the dark satanic mill that took too many lives to asbestos cancer?"