Note: this blog refers to the now cancelled plans for 950 homes on Danes Moss North. It remains relevant because it describes the danger of any development on Danes Moss.
The recent Netflix series, Toxic Town, dramatized the real-life story of a local council’s failure to follow its legal duty of care to its residents. Without spoiling the story too much – the show highlighted not only the health issues that can result from exposure to toxic waste but also the serious financial consequences to those that have a responsibility to protect the local population, in this case Corby Council.
But what has this got to do with Danes Moss?
The answer is … an awful lot. Danes Moss North, known to some as the South Macclesfield Development Area (SMDA), lies immediately next to a landfill site, the Danes Moss Landfill (DML). A landfill site that contains toxic waste, and which, according to the landfill operator, “does not benefit from an engineered containment liner”. Where it gets really worrying is that the landfill operator has objected (1,2) to the proposed development of Danes Moss North by highlighting the possible risks that the development could produce. Risks like…
significant dewatering of the groundwater in the peat
pollution of the surface water system
risk of migration of leachate and/or groundwater contaminated with dissolved methane, towards the Development Site
localised flooding on the Development Site
a risk of ground instability
Given DML will generate hazardous quantities of landfill gas for many decades it will pose a risk to any residential properties that are constructed nearby
Further to this, RoC Consulting were commissioned to do a desktop study of the ground conditions (3) and noted:
a historic landfill site is located on site (Congleton Road Playing Fields) and an active landfill site is located adjacent to site (Danes Moss) and on site movement ground gases (sic) and leachate associated with the landfills is a realistic possibility.
On-site monitoring described by RoC (4) highlights the presence of numerous contaminants on the site, mostly (but not exclusively) close to the landfill:
the underlying groundwater table has been locally impacted by Heavy Metal and PAH contamination
An area of consistently elevated PAH* concentrations was noted in groundwater samples obtained.. circa 150m from the boundary with the Dane Moss land fill
*PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) are linked to various forms of cancer (5).
Other notable contaminants recorded on site were arsenic, lead, mercury, beryllium, semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), asbestos, chromium, copper, zinc, and nickel. Ground gases included methane and carbon dioxide, although peat decomposition also produces these.
Since Cheshire East Council are bound to observe their own duty of care to current and future residents, these are very serious issues that would have to be addressed if development were to proceed. If they are not, then any financial gains achieved by selling any land on Danes Moss North for development may ultimately be far outweighed by legal costs associated with claims of residents whose properties and health may be affected. Corby Council have learned the hard way how this can happen, with some residents suffering greatly. We must ensure that something similar isn’t allowed to happen in Macclesfield and hope that Cheshire East Council have made themselves fully aware of the risks.
Interestingly, the landfill started as an informal waste dump in the early 20th century before any serious regulations existed to control out of town landfills. The original dump was on the site of the current playing fields. You can occasionally see metal barrels and other waste that rises to the surface near here. This area was later abandoned and more of Danes Moss was destroyed for a larger landfill which operated into the early 21st century. This newer dump took the form of a ‘piggy back’ landfill which means that you dig a big hole in the ground, fill it with rubbish and then begin a new pile on top of that. This creates a mountain of waste which is eventually sealed off with layers of clay and plastics. This stabilises the giant heap of waste but gases such as methane still rise up and need to be carefully monitored and released via a system of valves. (6)
In its current condition, the existing peat beneath Danes Moss North locks up most of the pollutants from the tip and prevents them from spreading further afield. As the landfill management company point out, all of this would be at risk if the peatland that surrounds the landfill begins to dry out and sink. Imagine what might happen to a mountain of hazardous waste when the land around it suddenly sinks. None of these serious concerns have ever been addressed in public by Cheshire East Council.
References
1) Letter of objection from FCC Environment to CEC Head of Planning dated 10 th January 2020.
2) Letter of objection from FCC Environment to CEC Head of Planning dated 28 th February 2022.
3) Phase 1 Desktop Study, South Macclesfield Development Area, by RoC Consulting dated 9 th February 2017
4) Phase 2 Site Investigation Report, South Macclesfield Development Area, by RoC Consulting dated 15th February 2017
5) Bostrom, C.-E.; Gerde, P.; Hanberg, A.; et al. (2002). "Cancer risk assessment, indicators, and guidelines for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the ambient air". Environmental Health Perspectives. 110 (Suppl. 3): 451–488.
6) B.F.G. Tano, D. Dias, G. Stoltz, N. Touze-Foltz and F. Olivier (2016) 'Numerical Modelling to Identify Key Factors Controlling Interface Behaviour of Geosynthetic Lining Systems.' Geosynthetics International 24(2) 1-17
