Environmental bosses at Bradford Council have outlined the reasons why campaigners’ demands over a controversial waste site in Shipley cannot be met.

More than 500 people signed a petition against the Associated Waste Management site in Canal Road when it applied for planning permission to enclose the recycling centre in an effort to prevent odours emanating from the site.

They called for the processing of municipal waste through a Council contract to be stopped, for the site’s environmental permit to be withdrawn and for plans for the new hall to be turned down.

But permission was granted by Shipley Area Planning Panel in September, as the enclosure of the waste transfer hall would minimise odour, noise and dust from the site. It involved an extension to the waste transfer hall, air filtration, sound proofing, and an increase in the hours lorries are able to visit the site.

The Council’s strategic director for environment and sport, Ian Bairstow, said in a report to councillors: “The Council could not revoke AWM’s existing and long-standing planning approval for use of the facility to treat waste unless it was to fail to meet relevant planning conditions. In such cases action would in the first instance be to ensure compliance rather than revocation of the approval.”

The Council awarded a contract to AWM in October 2010 to treat some municipal waste. This runs until 2015, with a possible extension to 2017.

AWM invested £2.6 million in the site in 2008 to allow municipal waste to be recycled there.

It is also used by neighbouring authorities and private businesses.