EXPLANATIONS of why the Environment Agency withdrew its objections to a planned landfill site at Grooms Farm, Frith End, have been condemned by campaigners.
Campaigners and local councils alike had pressed for a meeting with Environment Agency chief Viscount Mills to find out why the agency's objections to the Grooms Farm landfill site had been withdrawn
But Frith End resident David Graham told The Herald after the meeting that he still felt unhappy with the explanations given by the government agency.
He accused it of "jumping the gun" after hearing the explanation that the holding objection to the application by Grundon had been withdrawn because the agency believed Hampshire County Council would refuse planning permission anyway.
Mr Graham said: "I don't think anyone was satisfied with the Environment Agency's explanation."
Campaigners had turned out in force for the meeting, with Whitehill Town Council, Dockenfield Parish Council, Worldham Parish Council, Kingsley Parish Council and Headley Parish Council all represented.
East Hampshire District Council leader Elizabeth Cartwright and Selborne district councillor Minette Palmer also turned up, as did the Frith End residents who spearheaded the anti-landfill campaign, David Graham and Brian Davey.
Mr Graham said the agency explained it had also withdrawn its objection because it had been concluded the landfill site would be safe.
"They said that they had consulted an academic who had assured them that there was no health risk."
Mr Graham said he found this incredible as Grundon had proposed to empty 900,000 kilos of fly ash into the Frith End site. He said the ash would have contained enough dioxin to cause reproductive problems in 450 million men.
"And this was going to be dumped 200 metres away from the water supply for 38,000 people!
"We asked, could they please explain how they thought that there wasn't a health risk."
Feelings ran high when waste company Grundon submitted the planning application for a toxic landfill site last year.
The application was for the continuing extraction of sand, the extraction of clay for the restoration of the sand quarry and other uses, the restoration of the clay void with waste and the construction and operation of associated facilities for storage and treatment of waste.
The meeting with Viscount Mills also gave the councils and the campaigners a chance to put other concerns to the Environment Agency staff.
David Graham said he would like the agency to stop being secretive and to consult more widely when planning applications of this nature are submitted to county councils.
He said: "They were refusing us access to their files in their Frimley office that were publicly available at Hampshire County Council."
Mr Graham accused the agency of taking information given to them by applicants at face value and not carrying out research into that data.
"It was good that they came down and it was pleasing to hear that they would consult in the future, but we are not satisfied with the explanations that the Environment Agency staff gave."