March Landfill Site is set to fail in its attempt to get permission not to have a wheel wash on site.

The site has not had a wheel wash for the past few months - landfilling is taking place where the original wheel wash was installed, and the applicant says there is no space available to relocate it.

Officers noted this during a site visit in August. Since then, they have been monitoring the nearby roads for mud, dirt and dust.

Site operators Anti-Waste Limited have asked for a change in the planning conditions so the wheel wash is no longer required. They say they have a scheme in place to prevent mud and debris being deposited on the nearby roads.

The proposal has the support of March Town Council, while neither Fenland District Council nor the county council’s Highways Department have objections.

But officers recommended refusal to Cambridgeshire County Council’s planning committee since they do not believe the alternative measures are “sufficient” to keep the roads safe.

The internal haul road leading up to the main site is not being properly cleaned, so vehicles are tracking mud, dust and debris onto sections of Hundred Road, officers said.

The report said: “Based on the results of recent site monitoring visits, the proposed replacement condition would not be sufficient to control and prevent the deposition of mud on the highway.

“It is reactive in nature and attempts to deal with mud and dirt on the highway as and when a problem arises, rather than attempting to prevent the deposit of mud and dirt on the highway in the first place.

“The intention of the original condition is to prevent mud and dirt on the highway becoming a safety hazard. The proposed replacement condition would not achieve this.

“Photographic evidence has been gathered during a number of site visits since the wheel wash has been taken out of service, showing that the mud and dust management scheme currently in operation is not working sufficiently well to ensure that the public highway is kept clean.”