'Smelly' landfill site that has cast frequent pongs over a chunk of Milton Keynes for 30 years could be turned into nature reserve

Bletchley Landfill, run by FCC Environment, has been operating in Drayton Road, from a clay pit that was part of the Newton Longville brickworks, for three decades.

Throughout that time there have been numerous complaints about an "an unpleasant smell" it sometimes casts over parts of Bletchley and the new Newton Leys estate.

Residents also blame the site for a "plague of flies" that invades their homes every summer.

"Every year our estate is plagued by huge swarms of flies,” said one Newton Leys householder. “The problem is so bad that in summer months we cannot open our windows or leave our doors open as our home gets infested with them."

Current planning permission for the site allows for the landfilling of waste until 2022. FCC has applied to extend operations for a further 10 years after that, saying the facility is not yet full.

But MK Council officers say a further fifteen years in operation would be "harmful to the relative enjoyment of the community."

Because the council has become greener in its waste collection, it is sending less and less rubbish to landfill each year. As a result, most of the rubbish going into the Bletchley site is from outside of MK, from areas such as central Bedfordshire and even parts of London.

"We have other people's rubbish casting a pong over our estate. It's not fair," said one Newton Leys resident.

Bletchley's Labour councillors agree wholeheartedly that the site's lifespan should not be extended.

All seven of them, plus more than 25 local parish councillors, are pushing for the landfill to cease in 2022 and the area be turned into a nature reserve.

Cllr Nigel Long, who lives only half a mile from the site, added: “I have long opposed the landfill site. Some days the smell is dreadful. This is not a new problem. It is a consistent problem. The site should have been closed years ago. The licence to extend the site’s life must be defeated.”

Cllr Elaine Wales said: “Less than one per cent of Milton Keynes rubbish is sent to landfill. Rubbish is imported to this site from Bedfordshire, London and the surrounding areas. We have to oppose the proposed extension of the life of the site.”

And Cllr Ed Hume, a Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Councillor, said: “It is our ambition to be the greenest city and have no use for landfill. Why should we be the dumping ground for other cities that do not manage their waste as well as we do? Let’s work together to prevent this landfill from continuing to operate and see it regenerated as a beautiful nature reserve.”

FCC's application is due before the Development Control Committee on September 3. Although officers have recommended it be refused, councillors have to power to go again the recommendation on the night.