Residents in Denholme who have been fighting plans for a huge waste dump at Buck Park Quarry have every right to feel disgusted at news that planning officers are recommending that councillors accept the scheme. There is a huge weight of local opinion against it, demonstrated clearly enough by almost 1,000 signatures on a petition. Yet the strong campaign waged by the villagers seems to have counted for little in the planners' eyes.

The objectors see the site as presenting two main problems. One is pollution. Based on the experience of neighbouring Cullingworth with the Manywells Brow dump, the people of Denholme fully expect to have to suffer smells, flies and rats. But they also worry about the huge increase in traffic which will have to travel along narrow lanes to the quarry.

It is simply not good enough for the planners to pass the buck for stench and vermin to the Environment Agency. Nor is a pledge that the site will eventually be restored to its original state any consolation to the Denholme people. They will have to endure a decade of disruption before that can happen, with unpleasant conditions on their doorstep and extra traffic dangers for their children.

Quite simply, such sites - and the access roads to them - should be situated well away from centres of population. This site, with at least 13 homes within 250 metres of it, is wholly unsuitable. Councillors on the Shipley Area Panel need to demonstrate to the planning officers, by overturning the recommendation next Monday, that they really must take more notice of local opinion and put people first.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.