Lorry trips from Wath waste centre to begin at 7am

TK Lynskey in Wath was given permission for its HGVs to begin work an hour earlier than the previous planning condition of 8am.

The company’s last request in January was turned down as Rotherham Borough Council said there would be a loss of amenity for residents.

But planning board members approved the new application for a 7am start at a meeting last Thursday (24).

The nearest houses are 25m from the site boundary. One resident said: “The noise destroys the early morning peace on Cadman Street at 8am each morning. In fact, despite the conditions, it is often earlier than this.

“The noise is constant, insistent and irritating. I get up earlier to enjoy the peace before the noise pollution starts. At 7am, all is quiet and I believe we have a right not to be further disturbed.”

In January, the council said the earlier start would adversely affect nearby residents’ quality of life.

But a new noise assessment submitted by TK Lynskey has changed officials’ minds. 

The firm said there would be no extra journeys — the ones taking place between 7am and 8am would replace those previously happening an hour later.

Sleeves would be fitted to skip lorry chains to reduce noise, it added, and lorries would be directed away from the nearest houses.

But alleged breaches of the previous start time were already being investigated by the council, the meeting heard.

Board member Cllr Simon Tweed said: “This should be sorted out first. What faith does it put in? I’m not saying they have not made some changes but they are still breaching what we agreed. This absolutely makes us look daft as a planning authority.”

But Cllr Bob Walsh said: “It’s a standard thing in the building trade that it starts at 8am. That’s normal procedure, so somebody involved in waste disposal is going to have to have skip carriers on site ready, hopefully at about 7.59. A seven o’clock start seems quite reasonable.”

Chris Ballam, agent for TK Lynskey, said: “A refusal of permission would have an adverse effect on my client’s business and its ability to compete for work. An earlier start will not cause unacceptable impact on residents.”

The application was passed by eight votes to four.