Plans go in to make toxic mound taller and create new coastal path

Thursday 26 October 2023

The height of a headland of hazardous waste will increase by another 4.5m – and a new coastal path will be created – if a newly submitted planning application from the Government is approved.

If consent is given, a mound which runs down the eastern edge of the La Collette reclamation site, south of the incinerator, will grow and two new mounds of inert waste will be formed to the south and west of the site.

A 1.8 km coastal path will also be laid running around the perimeter of the site, from near the incinerator to close to the tanker berth.

The application is the latest development in a controversial saga over how the island disposes of its hazardous and non-hazardous waste.

The matter came to a dramatic head in April, when the Planning Committee refused to pass an application, first submitted in 2016, to grow the eastern headland, which had been created over two decades without planning permission. 

This prompted Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet to warn that the island’s construction industry would grind to a halt because La Collette would be forced to close its gates, with no space to legally accept contaminated waste, including asbestos.

However, the committee then chose to defer its decision by six months, giving Deputy Binet time to come up with another proposal.

In July, he received political endorsement for a “short-to-medium-term” plan to grow the headland of toxic waste and create the new mound of inert waste, and last month the Planning Committee approved a retrospective application to legalise the eastern headland already there.

This new application is a move to legalise that political decision in planning law; however, there are some changes, principally, the proposal to build the south mound and west mound with inert soils to a height of 10m and 12m above the perimeter wall.

This is 11.5m and 9.5m lower than the maximum height approved in the States debate.

Pictured: The application seeks to increase the height of this mound containing cells of hazardous waste at La Collette by 4.5m.

This is because the mounds have been repurposed to solely screen the waste site from the proposed perimeter path rather than as storage areas.

The application also proposes “landscaping and restoration of the east headland, south mound and west mound with a focus on ecological enhancement and habitat creation.”

With regards to the new 5.5m-wide, ‘multi-user friendly coastal path’, the application states it will have “public amenities such as seating, informal play and interpretation around the perimeter of the site".

It adds: “The proposed development [increasing the size of the eastern headland by 4.5m] will extend the lifespan of the hazardous waste disposal facility by ten years if waste continues to be generated at current rates.

“This could be extended through regulatory control under the Planning Law to minimise the quantity of waste generated that goes for disposal at La Collette and greater waste minimisation, reuse and recycling across the construction and demolition industry.”