Waste Company to Move From Horn Lane
Gowing and Pursey tell residents they're off
Local residents were told last night that Gowing and Pursey are hoping to move from Horn Lane within the next twelve months.
The waste transfer company have been based at the site since 2003 but say for the last few years they have been on the lookout for a more suitable location to expand their operation.
They have already taken up part residence in Park Royal and are awaiting planning permission to move their whole operation.
Spokesman Michael Hughes from Gowing and Pursey told Acton W3 this morning (10/10) that Charlie Ward attended the first Horn Lane meeting last night and told local residents they would be returning their permit to the Environment Agency so that another company couldn't just move in to replace them straight away.
Mr Hughes said they have always acknowledged local concerns and engaged with the community about pollution concerns.
And he accepted the heavy industry zoned site - surrounded by residential properties - was not the best neighbour, but added that the area has been an industrial since the 1930s.
In May last year King’s College London announced that the monitoring site on Horn Lane, Acton became the first location in London to breach the National Air Quality Strategy Objective for PM10 for the year.
Concerns over the pollution levels in the area have been raised in parliament by Ealing Central and Acton MP, Angie Bray.
Reacting to the announcement, Ms Bray said: ''Residents will be relieved to hear this news. For a long time now it has been obvious that Gowing and Pursey is an unsuitable occupant for a site in the middle of a residential area and certainly that is the point I have made repeatedly.
''As I said back in 2010 in Parliament, industrial activity made sense in the past, when Horn Lane was home to factories, rather than flats and houses as it is now. It must seem odd to those who work on the site that they drive their lorries, unload their skips and transfer their waste right in the heart of a residential community. To local residents, it is ridiculous that their quality of life is being impaired by that throwback, which produces literally sky-high levels of pollution."
Ealing Council Leader, Cllr Julian Bell also welcomed the news, "It was important to organise a meeting for residents and local businesses to go through the issues and how we would tackle them at the site. It was fantastic to have senior representatives from Gowing and Pursey there and this news is very welcome. It follows on from a meeting with Lord Chris Smith, Chair of the Environment Agency on how the Environment Agency and the Council can work together to bring about some improvements for residents which have already resulted in increased monitoring of the site."
Environment & Transport lead Cllr Bassam Mahfouz joined him adding, "This is music to the ears of local residents and the council. Gowing and Pursey have realised this is not an ideal location for the sort of business they are operating and have made the right decision to move into the industrial estate in Park Royal. We'll continue to work with residents to push for a drop in pollution levels at this location."
Mr Hughes said Gowing and Pursey is just one of a number of industrial firms on the site, and added that he would be interested to see how much their move impacted on pollution levels.
10 October 2013