A 1.8KM coastal path could be built at La Collette as part of government plans to increase the height of a mound of hazardous waste that has been growing there for decades.
If the planning application is approved, a mound which runs down the eastern edge of the La Collette reclamation site, south of the incinerator, would be allowed to increase by 4.5m and two new piles of inert waste would be formed to the south and west of the site.
A 1.8km coastal path could also be created around the perimeter of the site, from near the incinerator to close to the tanker berth.
The application, submitted on behalf of the Infrastructure Department, 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 if La Collette was 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.
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.”
