Half-way stage reached in clear up mission on Alex Smiles' Sunderland site destined to help Liebherr bring 200-jobs boost to city

The site has been closed since private waste operator Alex Smiles went into administration in 2015, leaving an estimated 20,000 tonnes of waste, with a suspected arson attack causing damage to the site in May 2018.

Once the plot has been cleared, Sunderland City Council, which bought the site in December, plans to lease it to leading crane manufacturer Liebherr, which neigbours the land.

Council leader Councillor Graeme Miller said: "Removing this blight from our city and transforming it into a major employment site has long been for a dream for both the city council and the Environment Agency.

"So I'm delighted to see work cracking on with the clearance.

“You only have to look at the drone footage to see how much progress has been made in the last few weeks."

Andy Crossley, managing director of contractors Acumen Waste, added: "We're continuing to make really good progress on the site.

“We've been tackling some of the more odorous piles of waste over the last week and this is likely to continue for the next three weeks.

“The industrial fans with bubblegum and strawberry neutraliser we are using have been working in keeping these to a minimum.

“We've also been covering the piles overnight to minimise any odours."

Andrew Turner, the Environment Agency’s area environment manager for regulated industry, said: "The Environment Agency continues to monitor the clearance of the former Alex Smiles site especially with the current works getting to a crucial stage of removing the more potentially odorous materials.

"If residents are at all concerned with any environmental aspects of the waste clearance they can call the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 807060."

The works have been made possible with support from the Treasury, who are refunding the landfill tax element of the clear up costs - representing the Government’s commitment to investing in the North of England.

Ralph Saezler, managing director of Liebherr Sunderland Works Ltd, added: "We are very pleased to see the waste removal continues going to plan and the potential impact of nuisances like dust and/or odour is kept to an absolute minimum by the Acumen team."

The company builds maritime cranes and cargo handling equipment and it plans to expand its Sunderland base which employs 200 people in highly-skilled jobs.

Liebherr, founded in 1988, is also part funding the clearance of the site.

Council answers questions about the clear-up project

Will the surrounding area experience any increased risk of odours while work is underway?

There may be noticeable odours in the air, in and around the surrounding area once works begin and throughout the expected 12-week site clearance programme.

The Environment Agency is working closely with Sunderland City Council and the contractor to reduce the likelihood of any amenity impacts in the local area, for example, odours, dust, noise, pests etc.

Where issues are unavoidable, extra measures will be put in place to minimise the impact on the local community.Will the City Council and the Environment Agency be monitoring air pollution in the area during the work?Due to the nature of the work and the materials involved, elements such as dust, pests, and odour may occur as a result of the clearance works.

The contractor has submitted plans outlining how they will adapt works on-site to reduce the impact should they occur.

The Environment Agency will be regularly on-site to ensure they complete the works as agreed.

What hours will the site be working and will there be any weekend working?We are not expecting noise levels to exceed those that were historically associated with the site when it was operational, and do not anticipate any noise issues during the works. Depending on progress, there may be the need to work at weekends but if this is required, the contractor will consider what impacts noise will have on the local area and put measures in place to minimise the risk as much as possible.Will there be an increased amount of traffic/transport activity during the lifespan of the work?It is expected that 3-4 lorry loads of waste will be transported each hour throughout the 7 hour working day.What will happen to the waste once it has been cleared?The waste will be taken to a permitted waste facility in Tees Valley for disposal.