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With the reclamation area set to be filled with inert waste by May, Guernsey Waste is seeking permission to temporarily stockpile any subsequent waste in a nine-metre high pile on the reclaimed land.
If the entire area proposed is utilised it will nearly double the height of the Liberation monument, with the total area of waste being just under five football pitches with enough material to fill 52 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The States department is also seeking to extend the three metre high water embankment around the whole site and erect security fencing around the waste piles.
The reclaimed land in the north has received all the island’s inert waste since 1995 and is just months from being filled.
But the States are still yet to decide the best place to dump future waste and are awaiting a report on what to use the soon-to-be exhausted Les Vardes Quarry for which is expected imminently.
It was agreed in 2020 to extend the reclamation area to the south, possibly to allow a new commercial harbour to be created, but this was paused pending further investigations.
If this new planning application is approved, the stockpiling may be required for a minimum of two and a half years until the States agree on a more permanent solution.
Pictured: The difference in size of the lagoon over the past few years.
In a cover letter submitted to planning, Senior Technical Advisor Rob Roussel, said the island couldn’t wait for the States to make a decision.
“There is now insufficient time to prepare the next inert waste disposal facility site ahead of the current site being filled. As a result, the temporary stockpiling of inert waste will be necessary,” he said.
“This site already has a waste management licence for the disposal of inert waste and all the necessary infrastructure is already in place.
“Diversion to strategically important development sites will be encouraged during the stockpiling period to minimise the amount of future double handling of stockpiled material."
It was noted there would be additional cost in transferring the waste to any new site should stockpiling begin.
A report environmental impact wasn’t required for the application since the waste is hoped to be relocated once a permanent location has been agreed.
You can read the full application ONLINE.
"Les Vardes is now the best long-term solution for inert waste"
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