§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what guidelines he has issued to Welsh district councils on the treatment of methane seepage from household refuse tips;
(2) what guidelines he has issued to Welsh district councils on the minimum distance required between new housebuilding areas and existing methane-generating household refuse tips (a) with and (b) without methane collection;
(3) what guidelines he has issued to Welsh district councils on the minimum time lapse required before building can be allowed in safety on household refuse tips;
(4) what guidelines he has issued to Welsh local authorities on the extraction of methane from household refuse tips.
§ Mr. GristTechnical guidelines on the monitoring and control of landfill gas are provided in waste management paper No. 27, "The Control of Landfill Gas", which was published by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution in 1989, and Welsh Office circular 38/39 which gives advice to local planning authorities about the use of their planning 371W powers in relation to landfill sites which may be generating harmful gases. While not specifying a particular time-lapse before development may commence in safety, circular 38/89 advises local planning authorities to exercise due caution in granting permission for development or redevelopment on or near landfill sites. It advises that planning permission should not be granted unless reliable arrangements can be made to overcome the danger of migrating gas.
The circular also refers to the provisions of article 18 of the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1988 which requires a local planning authority to consult the waste disposal authority before granting planning permission for development within 250 m of land which is (or has been at any time in the 30 years before the relevant application) used for the deposit of waste, and which has been notified to the planning authority by the waste disposal authority. Copies of the circular 38/39 and waste management paper No. 27 have been placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what guidelines he has issued to Welsh district councils on the environmental and public safety parameters for the removal of the contents of 10 to 20-year-old household refuse tips;
(2) whether he will ask Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution to review the guidelines for the safe excavation and transportation of decayed household refuse tip material of five to 20 years' vintage.
§ Mr. GristNo guidelines have been issued by my right hon. Friend. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution is available to provide waste disposal authorities with advice.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last reviewed the guidelines on the good management of large household refuse landfill tips.
§ Mr. GristGuidance on landfill practice was given in waste management paper No. 26, published in 1986. Guidance on licensing waste disposal facilities, first published in waste management paper No. 4 in 1976, was revised in a new edition of this paper published in 1988. Copies are in the Library of the House.