MORE than 300 people have signed a petition opposing plans for a waste transfer facility for asbestos on an industrial site in Cleckheaton.

Check Environmental has submitted a change-of-use application for premises at Brookside Works, Brick Street, that were previously used by a stone-cutting firm which left in August.

The petition warns of the potential health risks associated with coming into contact with asbestos.

It states: “Who should be worried about this? Everyone in the Cleckheaton and surrounding area. Newborn babies and young children are at significant risk. Your family, friends, pets – even the animals we eat. WE DO NOT WANT high levels of asbestos anywhere near housing estates, schools, offices, care homes: our community.”

It also warns that the majority of other asbestos waste sites are located on industrial estates, well away from housing and schools, or in rural areas.

The Brick Street site backs on to homes on cul-de-sacs off West End Drive.

The proposed facility would house up to ten containers at any one time.

Documents submitted with the application to Kirklees Council state that the process will be for individuals to bring asbestos to the site in small vehicles.

“It must be wrapped properly and or double bagged and sealed,” say the documents. “The asbestos waste will be received by trained staff and loaded into a container that is completely sealed.

“Once the container is full it will be collected by an HGV skip lorry and taken to landfill.”

Containers would also be hired out to demolition sites or sites where asbestos is being stripped from buildings.

Steve Dawson, managing director of Check Environmental, which already runs two similar sites in the North, said there was a lot of misunderstanding about asbestos and the associated risks.

“The risks are controllable with the correct procedures. Asbestos can be deadly and there are diseases associated with it, but we have standard operating procedures in place to mitigate this.

“We also operate within an Environment Agency permit which has strict rules and regular assessments.”

“We have never had any safety issues at our other sites.”

Mr Dawson said the firm had been running HGV operations from a site on Brick Street for the last six to eight months, and the change of use application was the next step in bringing its asbestos operations to the site.

The plans would see the asbestos transfer station open from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

There are expected to be two HGV trucks based at the site which may leave the site early in the morning to take skips to sites where asbestos is being removed.

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They would then return at the end of the working day to park up. Small delivery vans would also be on site and are expected to create between two and four vehicle movements a day.

The full containers would only be taken to landfill between 7am and 3pm, Monday to Friday.

People have until Thursday, December 7, to comment on the application and a decision is expected to be made by Kirklees planners shortly afterwards.