FAMILIES living with the stench of a landfill site have been told its restoration will be put back six months.
East Riding Council planning committee was expected to approve an application that would have seen Gilberdyke landfill site close.
Instead, applicant City Plant Ltd, which is already applying for retrospective permission to have the tip at its current height, said restoration would take six months longer than first intended.
Delaying it still further, councillors sent the application back, asking for more details on how the extraction of gas from the site after it is capped will affect the community.
Ward councillor Victoria Aitken spoke on behalf of residents. She said: "Gilberdyke landfill site has caused huge issues for the community over many years.
"We are now, I hope, at the final hurdle. Residents need closure on this, but we must be sure that we get the best possible outcome for what has been an appalling blight on the area.
"I am very grateful to the planning committee for their unanimous decision to defer for officers to discuss and agree these revisions with ward members."
Two final issues are still to be addressed.
Firstly, councillors want assurance that, when the gas turbines are installed and working to remove the excess gas and smell from the site, that they are not so noisy that the adjoining residents cannot reasonably live comfortably.
Secondly, they want a guarantee the quality and depth of the top soil will be suitable for the final landscaping to be successful.
Members of the planning committee resolved to defer consideration of the application subject to no new issues being raised that were not set out in the report following consultation on the revised information regarding the final date for restoration.
The decision marked the second time councillors have gone against officer recommendation to approve the plan.
Alan Menzies, director of planning at East Riding Council, has said the purpose of the gas utilisation plant will be to maximise the beneficial use of the landfill gas generated at the site.
He has also said the noise and smell impacts from the gas plant would be acceptable to the Environment Agency.
In relation to the visual impact of the tip, which sits next to the M62 between North Cave and Howden, he said: "Visually, although the site currently features prominently on the landscape, the proposed landscaping and restoration plan should ensure that, in the medium to long-term, the site does not unduly impact on views from the surrounding area or on the local landscape, as it will be largely screened by the existing established and proposed tree planting."
But the tip's size, as well as its smell and the number of vehicle movements when it was still taking in waste, have angered its neighbours.
Every planning application relating to the tip has attracted a string of objections.
Cllr Aitken was elected ward councillor after the resignation of the previous incumbent Paul Robinson, now deputy police and crime commissioner.
He had been a committed campaigner on the issue, trying to find the best possible solution for people he represented.
Cllr Aitken said: "From being elected two-and-a-half months ago, I realised this was never going to be perfect, but I am determined to try to get the best result we can for Newport and Gilberdyke and will be working closely with the officers, parish councils and residents to achieve this."
Final decisions should be made by the end of August.
