Minutes of the Village Liaison Committee

Minutes of the last Favor Parker Liaison Committee

Feeds Division (Southern Region)

Stoke Ferry

VILLAGE LIAISON COMMITTEE MEETING

Friday 5th September 2003

Present: Mr Dave Robson (Principal Environmental Health Officer, King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council)

Mr Steve Bannon (Transport Co-ordinator, Grampian Country Foods)

Mr Roy Cooper (Assistant Production Manager, Grampian Country Foods)

Mr Brian Harrison (Village Representative)

Mr Alastair Inskip (Health and Safety Manager, Grampian Country Foods)

Mr Ray Thompson (Editor, The Village Pump)

1 Apologies

Apologies for absence were received from Mrs Holton, Mr Manley, Mr Rosser, Mr White and Mr Mann.

Mr Robson informed the committee that Ms Robertson had left West Norfolk Borough Council to continue in the Environmental Health field in Bracknell Forest.

2 Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed to be an accurate record of the proceedings.

Mr Harrison said that there was still spilt grain on the roads and in the gutters and this was encouraging pigeons.

Mr Harrison said that the graffiti on the Dukes Head was still present after 6 months.

3 Complaints received since the last meeting

Mr Inskip reported on complaints and comments received by the company since the last meeting:

27th May It was reported that there was a heavy fall of dust the previous evening.

9th June A cloud of heavy dust was reported from behind the main gate at 11.35am on Sunday 8th June. The dust cloud was short-lived and a front-end loader was seen in the yard at the time. It is likely this was a fugitive emission occurring when dusty material was emptied into the skips for disposal.

13th June A strong smell on the night of the 12th and morning of the 13th June was reported. There was also a mist at ground level. The smell was bad enough to disturb the complainants sleep. The complainant lives near the river. No cause identified at the time but see also later complaints.

27th June A fine spray was felt in the area by the village hall, and waxy deposits were found on horizontal surfaces. Samples were taken, and Environmental Health officers returned later to take samples.

6th July Complaint was received of a horrendous smell that was making people feel ill. There was also a complaint of noise.

6th July Smell from factory reported as present each morning and evening of the previous week.

7th July Bad smell over the weekend and for the last two weeks, particularly bad over periods of about 30 minutes.

10th July Report of dust fall in the morning associated with a fishy smell that lasted for approximately 30 minutes.

11th July Complainant woken by foul smell at 4 am.

11th July Report of foul smell that morning, general smell has been present for about two weeks.

14th July Complaint of smell in garden.

From the pattern and consistency of the complaints listed above it was obvious that there was a serious problem with the water scrubbers. A service engineer was called and he carried out a thorough internal inspection of each unit. A steel deflector plate inside one of the units was found to have become detached and this was compromising the efficiency of the scrubber. The service engineer repaired this unit and spent several days affecting minor repairs to the other units.

26th July Dust fall over garden.

20th August Fine spray at street level felt in area by village hall between 10:55 and 11:05am

28th August Report of bearing squeaking at 19:50 the previous night. Sound could not be heard during the day and the job was allocated for the technicians attention.

31st August Report of fine white emission, believed to be from the grinders, on cars that had fallen between 7.30am and 2pm. A check of the grinder exhausts on the roof was carried out on receiving the call, no emissions were evident.

Mr Inskip said that a specialist contractor had been contracted to carry-out detailed surveys of the bag filters, e.g. from the grinders. The results of the first survey are expected shortly.

Mr Harrison reported the following complaints raised by village residents:

* The gates at the Furlong store onto Furlong Road are being left open.

* A resident on Furlong Road has reported that the lights from vehicles leaving the Furlong at night are shining through their bedroom window and disturbing their sleep.

It was suggested that these two complaints might be related if it was the case that the lower gate (closest to the bypass) was being used at night. Mr Cooper said he would investigate whether the gate was being locked at 5pm as had previously been the case, and if not reinstate this practice.

* The reversing bleepers of lorries at Furlong are disturbing the residents of nearby properties at night.

Mr Bannon said that he was already obtaining prices for "silent-night" controllers to be installed on company vehicles. These cut the reversing bleeper when the sidelights are switched on.

* Lorries at Furlong are creating a lot of noise, apparently due to potholes and the road surface.

Mr Bannon said that he would examine the Furlong road surface.

* The speed of lorries on Furlong Road, particularly empty contractor lorries heading out of the village, is causing concern to residents.

Mr Inskip said that contractors delivering raw materials have to call into Furlong to weigh out, and have no reason to accelerate through the derestriction sign. If the details of any vehicles are passed to him (sometimes only the time of the incident is necessary) he will take this up with individual haulage firms. In the mean time the need to drive carefully and considerately within the village will be generally reinforced to all hauliers using the site.

Mr Robson reported the following complaints raised with the Environmental Health office:

* Correspondence was received during the meeting from a resident relating to changes in working hours and excessive noise from discharging tankers.

Mr Robson said that he would write a response to the complainant the following week. Mr Harrison said that a count of 8 tankers in one day had been made.

Following the meeting, Mr Inskip has analysed tanker deliveries of raw materials during August:

* There were a total of 99 tanker deliveries in the month.

* 48 deliveries were of fat delivered to the tanks at the top of the main mill yard (behind the wooden hoarding opposite the old shop).

* 47 deliveries were of dry minerals to the mineral discharge (next to the two silos near the top gate on Lynn Road).

* 4 deliveries were of other liquids to tanks adjacent to the fat tanks.

* The maximum number of deliveries in any day was seven (Monday 11th August).

* The most frequent (median) numbers of deliveries per day were 4 and 5.

* There was one delivery made on a Sunday (Sunday 3rd August).

* Two residents had raised concerns over the mill working on Sundays in recent weeks.

Mr Harrison said that over the last year there had been increased working on Sundays and Bank Holidays. He asked if there had been a change from 5 1/2 days per week working to 6 1/2 day a week working.

Mr Cooper said that during August the mill had operated on two Sundays, the 3rd and the 31st of the month. It would be necessary to operate the coming Sunday, 7th September, following a loss of power in the mill for 5 hours during the week. The production forecast to May 2004 had recently been completed and no Sunday working was required for the forecast production during this period. Exceptional circumstances or mechanical breakdown excepted. Since November 2000 the mill has operated 6 days per week, starting at 6pm on Sundays and continuing until 4pm on Saturdays. Production tonnage for the current year is lower than in previous years.

* Two complaints were received relating to a "fishy" or "decomposing" smell in the village. These have subsequently been traced to the application of turkey manure on local fields.

4 Noise

There were no additional matters relating to noise.

5 Transport

Mr Bannon reported that the tachographs had now been professionally analysed for 2 months, and results for the third month were expected today. The data being returned from the analyses is not sufficient to determine speeds within a local restriction.

Vehicle tracking systems have been investigated, but so far none has been able to offer the high levels of detail required for a small area (i.e. the village limits). Additional systems are being investigated.

The company has contacted Norfolk Constabulary since the last meeting to arrange random speed check, however no response has been received to date.

Mr Harrison said that the Parish Council had also contacted Norfolk Constabulary. The response received was to consider double yellow lines adjacent to the junction.

There was some discussion of traffic matters and it was suggested that the junction between Wretton Road and the High Street could be made a stop junction, Mr Harrison to pursue this matter with the Parish Council.

Mr Harrison said that there were rumours that the fleet size was being reduced, contracts with drivers were being changed and there was a possibility of 24-7 operations. At the village meeting earlier in the year, Mr Harrison said that Mr Mann had denied intentions of 24-7 operation at that time. Concerns were being raised over changes in vehicle movement patterns.

Mr Bannon said that there had been discussions in drivers' contracts, but these had not included Sunday working. The fleet size is being reviewed with a prospect of reducing the fleet size to match the lower forecast tonnage. Older vehicles will be replaced with newer vehicles on a one-for-one basis. At this time it is planed to continue with the current contracted working hours, with no plans to increase night working.

6 Odour, dust and particulates

Mr Robson reported that samples of the waxy deposits collected from the village had been sent to the public analyst. A verbal report has been received:

* The sample was identified as being partly pollen and insect parts.

* The sample looks natural.

* The sample is not fat or micro-mineral.

* The sample is very consistent in nature and there is no evidence of denaturing.

* The sample is not industrial or domestic dust.

Mr Thompson said that for a time the incidence of the deposits had reduced, however it had since increased again.

Mr Robson said that the Borough Air Quality Updating and Screening Assessment was now available for consultation (follow the link from http://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk) and any queries should be directed in writing to him.

Mr Robson said that he had requested the company to investigate options towards improving the efficiency of the wet scrubbers, and the company had now done so.

Mr Inskip reported that several options had been considered, that had been narrowed down to the two most suitable:

Option 1. The first option involves complete replacement of the existing units with a new reverse jet bag filter. This would offer improved air cleaning, however the unit is very large (+/-20 tonnes) and expensive for the improvement offered.

Option 2. The alternative is upgrading of the existing units, rebuilding the upper sections to incorporate new methods of removing particulates and moisture. Whilst not as costly as option 1, this option should offer significant performance improvements.

The annual emissions checks have recently be completed and based upon the results work will be prioritised to any units at risk of breaching the authorisation.

Complicating the above decision is the transition from local authority regulated IPC (Integrated Pollution Control) status to the new IPPC (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) regulations administered by the Environment Agency due to take place in the next two years. As the working life of any investment made would run into the new regulation period it is essential that it meet the requirements of the new regulations. The regulator has not yet specified these requirements.

7 Any other business

Mrs Holton asked for the following points to be raised in her absence:

* The upkeep of the listed properties on the site facing Lynn Road, although some painting was carried out the grey/green house was not touched. The frontage creates a sad visual affect in the village.

Mr Cooper said he would review the maintenance plans for the Bayfields property (the grey/green house)/

* The gates to the orchard adjacent to the village hall, these are left open day and night, including weekends. This increases the general feeling of dereliction in the area and may encourage vandalism.

Mr Inskip and Mr Cooper said that it would be emphasised more strongly to the contractor who uses the store in this area that the gates must be kept secured.

Mr Thompson reported that the Village Pump team was now using facilities provided by the company for collating the magazine.

Mr Harrison asked if there were any plans for the future of the Dukes Head. Mr Inskip said that he was not aware of any.

Mr Harrison reported that the company was providing chicken for the barbecue at the Harvest Fayre on Saturday.

Mr Inskip reported that several incidences of vandalism had occurred recently, involving damage to vehicles and tampering with safety equipment.

8 Date of next meeting

The date of the next meeting is 2.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 10th December 2003.

Items for inclusion in the agenda should be sent to Alastair at least two weeks in advance of the meeting.

Alistair Inskip