A bid to create a new hazardous waste facility in South Hykeham which will deal with items including asbestos has caused a panic among residents, Lincolnshire Live has reported.

But the team behind the planning application have assured people who live in the area that they have absolutely nothing to fear, because waste designated as ‘hazardous’ can include common household items like televisions or microwaves.

And a spokesman for the firm behind the plans, GBM Waste Management, said while they will deal with asbestos at the site, it will be in only small quantities and will be disposed of safely.

As well as fears over asbestos, other objections raised to plan for Boundary Lane, include fears over too much traffic, harmful spillages, loud noises and pungent smells.

Jim Drury, 72, who lives on Boundary Lane: said:

“Over the recent history there has been three applications and they have all been similar, the first two were thrown out, we put in a lot of time and effort to fight them.

I wrote to the council when the third application went in saying ‘why are they wasting their time?’ – but it went forward.

It is a recipe for disaster. People aren’t going to be able to sell their house when it is here. A lot of people are concerned.”

Another worried resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said:

“A lot of the worries are in regards to traffic – it is a blackspot for accidents.

Since I created a flyer about the development, there have been two accidents.

I do not want it on my doorstep or anyone else. It should be in the middle of a field not in a residential area.

I want a private body to go in and do a risk assessment.”

The homeowner, who has lived in the area for two years, also claimed that not all residents had been made aware of the plans.

North Hykeham Town Council has also objected to the amount of traffic which will be going to the site and raised concerns about the ‘possible contamination of nearby water courses and drains due to their close proximity with the site’.

But GBM Waste Management has insisted everything will adhere to strict health and safety rules.

It says only small quantities of asbestos will be dealt with at the site and it will be stored in special containers when it arrives.

Clients who want to dispatch larger batches of the mineral will have it picked up from their premises before being transported to a landfill in Peterborough, meaning they will not be transported along Boundary Lane.

A spokesperson for the firm said:

“In response to concerns raised by some of the residents of South Hykeham; I would first like to clear up a few misconceptions.

The application states that there will be 150 vehicle movements per day; this actually refers to two-way movements and therefore equates to a maximum of 75 vehicles per day. It is important to stress that this is a maximum number – there may not necessarily be this many movements on a daily basis.

Further to this; I would also point out that GBM has been operating an adjacent site on Boundary Lane for the last 4 years and therefore the actual difference in vehicle movement numbers will be relatively small; the vehicles will just be entering a different site.

Secondly, I understand some residents have concerns about the site accepting hazardous waste. To clarify; hazardous waste does not necessarily mean oils, chemicals or other toxic material, none of which will be accepted by this site.

It can include household items such as televisions and kitchen appliances. If you were to dispose of any of these items, the site which accepts this from you would more than likely need to have permission to accept hazardous waste.

I would like to reassure the residents that any hazardous waste accepted at this site will be handled in small quantities and in accordance with strict Health, Safety and Environmental regulations which include storing all materials in sealed and lockable containers.”

Regarding the concerns of unpleasant odours, GBM operate the adjacent waste management facility on Boundary Lane, which also has permission to accept biodegradable waste and in this time has never received any complaints about such.

Mushroom Farm has been a waste management facility for over twenty years and therefore what we are trying to achieve is nothing new; it is simply a case of changing old permissions into something that is suitable for a modern facility.

This process is beneficial to both GBM as the operator as well as the local council and Environment Agency as it will allow them a chance to impose any new conditions into the permission and as a result have tighter control measures in place to make sure the site is being managed correctly.

It is GBMs intention to provide a facility which will serve the local community as well as providing jobs in the local area.”

Residents had until May 25 to make their feelings heard. If anyone wants to contact GMB Waste Management to discuss the plans, email enquiries@gbmuk.com

If the plans do go through, the new site is expected to open in October this year.