Yahoo News Residents upset by wharf traffic down narrow, steep road
North Lincolnshire residents close to a wharf with greatly increased activity in recent months say traffic and environmental issues are blighting them, including HGVs before 7am in the morning.
In January, Grimsby Live reported on some Burton-upon-Stather residents' concerns that plans to increase business activity at Kingsferry Wharf would be the "ruination of a peaceful village". Several months on, and residents say their fears have come to pass, including HGVs on a steep, largely residential road.
The increased activity is after MCL Solutions Ltd rented the wharf. A company spokesperson said local government and regulatory agencies had "found nothing untoward in respect of the business practises".
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The spokesperson acknowledged the impact the business may have, and said it was committed to supporting the local community. North Lincolnshire Council is to meet concerned residents in June.
Kingsferry Wharf has existed since the 1970s, but been mostly dormant for several decades. A central argument of residents opposed to the wharf's revival is Stather Road.
The one vehicle land route leading down to the wharf on the Trent, it has become more residential over time. A 'Stop the Wharf' private Facebook group has around 200 members, where clips of HGV issues or wharf activity are shared.
Residents have multiple concerns, but most stem from the HGVs on Stather Road - a steep road, with a blind corner near where it meets Burton-upon-Stather's High Street and The Sheffield Arms.
"It varies in quantity from maybe two or three waggons, six lorry movements, to up to maybe 40+ movements a day," said Simon Nicholson of the quantity of HGVs in the last few months as the wharf's activity has begun in earnest. "There are waggons queuing up the hill sometimes before six with the engines running and they park up the hill. It's not as though they're local lorries, these have come all the way from Felixstowe."
He and Jim Mitchell are members of Burton-upon-Stather Parish Council. Following a February motion, they represent it on the Stop the Wharf group committee. They report back, but do not act on its behalf. Jim stated the parish council is supportive of residents' concerns. Its clerk confirmed it will hold a stall at the village fete, Burton in Bloom, on June 29, and hand out Stop the Wharf stickers to promote the campaign.
Noise, vibrations, dust spread, traffic and safety warnings were all issues residents raised as caused by the HGVs connected to the wharf, and the cumulative mental health effect of increased wharf activities. Residents also reported "numerous incidents" of tensions with HGV drivers or wharf workers, mostly when traffic blockages have occurred.
"I'm particularly concerned because I've got two young children who have to catch the bus to school," said one parent who declined to be named. The footpath near the top of Stather Road was in disrepair and narrow, she said. "Yesterday, my son slipped." He was "absolutely petrified", she said, that a lorry would come around the corner and run over him.
"I'm ever so fearful that there will be a fatality. Since most people have to walk on the road on a blind corner. Even when they're on the path, they're monstrous, the lorries right next to them."
"It doesn't bear thinking about," Simon said, calling the risk of a collision "a ticking timebomb". On May 2, a 70 foot loader got stuck, blocking several driveways, along with support vehicles, for near eight hours, multiple residents said.
As Simon understood it, the HGV traffic is made up of three logistics streams for the wharf, with cement and steel-related materials being loaded and unloaded.
Residents are worried about the environmental health effects of dust particles not only from the HGV movements, but also the transferring of these materials. The substance ferrous manganese has been identified by residents as one such element.
"It's like abrasive," said Garry Booker, who co-runs next door's Ferry House Inn, of the dust. It was hard to clean off outside tables, he said.
Burton upon Stather and Winterton Ward Cllrs Elaine Marper, John Davison and Helen Rowson are supportive of residents' concerns. "We have been looking at highway solutions over the past few months since the wharf recommenced operations." This included close work with the parish council, local MP and residents to address issues around the wharf.
Statutory agencies, including the Environment Agency, Port Health Authority, police and highways, have been consulted by them on the emerging residents' issues. "We have called for an urgent meeting with these agencies that the leader of the council will chair early in June to address actions required by each agency."
"We are greatly concerned about the impact the wharf operations and its access are having on local residents and we will ensure all of the above agencies utilise their powers in order to address these genuine concerns. Meantime we are asking the wharf to act as good neighbours and think about the impact their business is having on our community."
A North Lincolnshire Council spokesperson said: "The council is investigating the issues raised by residents and is meeting in June to try to resolve them." Residents spoken to asserted there had been no community engagement from the company, except through the parish council's clerk to set out plans late last year.
"Although we are aware that complaints have been made anonymously by several individuals, there has been no conclusive evidence presented to us, which would allow us to be able to investigate matters further," said an MCL Solutions Ltd spokesperson. "We have recently worked with and assisted local (government/regulatory) agencies which regulate a business of this nature and the environment, and they have found nothing untoward in respect of the business practises/activities being conducted. In fact, they have commented favourably upon the practices employed by us in respect of our business activities and reducing the impact to local residents/the environment.
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"They have also investigated several anonymous issues reported by the 'local' residents," the spokesperson said, including those raised, and "found them to be unfounded".
"Whilst we have a successful business that creates employment opportunities for the local community, we do realise the impact that this may have, and we remain committed to supporting the local community. We would ask that any local residents with concerns raise these properly as opposed to making anonymous complaints which cannot be fully investigated, with the outcome being reported to the concerned member of the public."
