Comments/complaints and concerns - 19 October 2023
Comment
Why don't the council listen to the residents when we complain about Bryn Group, we got noise from that place24/7 but Council say farm noise and more still let's see if the lorries travelling past the complex will stick to 20mph rule.
Response provided by Caerphilly CBC – Environmental Health
Environmental Health responds to all requests for service and undertakes investigations depending on the nature of the request. The Commercial processes do not operate 24/7. Noise from the farm may be investigated depending on the nature of the noise. The Council do not enforce the 20mph rule.
Comment
NRW go on about clean air but it don't worry them when Bryn Group blast and dust goes everywhere
Response provided by Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) will investigate air quality concerns (such as dust) if they have originated and / or occurring within the permitted boundary. If this has originated outside of the permitted boundary, then this would fall within the remit of the appropriate regulatory body such as the Local Authority. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) have not received any dust complaints regarding Bryn Group for 2023.
Response provided by Environmental Health
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) do not regulate dust within the quarry. At present any dust from the crushers within the quarry are regulated by RCT Council but Caerphilly EHOs would usually undertake the initial investigation and pass on their findings. Dust from blasting is currently regulated by planning conditions. The quarry will shortly be subject to a permit by Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) and crushing, screening and processing activities as well as any dust from haulage routes and stock-piles within the quarry will be covered by this permit and will be regulated by Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) Environmental Health.
BLASTING will continue to be regulated via planning condition.
Draft permit due to be issued imminently to the Operator.
We have a continuous monitor at Penybryn also which monitors PM10. Results have been well below the air quality objective for PM10 since it was installed in November 2018.
Comment
Ask Bryn Group or Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) to put CCTV cameras up
(a) prove them wrong
(b) see the times they are operating
(c) the community are always complaining but always fall on deaf ears
Response provided by Bryn Group
We already have CCTV up. We comply with out planning permission on hours and as a result we have never had an enforcement notice for working outside of hours.
Bryn aim to respond within 48hrs to direct complaints emailed to us. This is also the case when Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) or Natural Resources Wales (NRW) notify Bryn of complaints. Replies are sent back to Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW). All notification of complaints from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) are anonymous so Bryn cannot reply directly to residents.
Below is an example of a notification from Natural Resources Wales (NRW):
Bryn response to the complaint report Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) are copied in when Bryn reply to Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
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Company
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Activity
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Usual or not
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Bryn aggregates
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Closed
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Yes
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Bryn compost
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Closed
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Yes
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Bryn recycling
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Closed
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Yes
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Bryn power
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Closed
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Yes
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Price and co farming
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Nothing
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No
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Response provided by Caerphilly CBC - Highways/CCTV
CCTV cameras are not appropriate for monitoring the activities of a business that also has residential accommodation and joint access.
Complaint
I have phoned in and had phone put down. Why is this happening. Reported the phone being put down to godfrm@caerphilly.gov.uk with date and time. Complaint is ongoing.
Response provided by Caerphilly CBC – Environmental Health
Only one such complaint has been received. This matter has been investigated and concluded. Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) telephony records the phone numbers, dates, times, and duration etc of calls coming into the authority. This call could not be identified from the phone number provided by the complainant. The complainant has been informed of the outcome.
Complaint
I've reported smells last week, had the phone put down on me. I've had two letters from Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) saying Alleged Odour Nuisance and forms to fill in AGAIN. Which we have been doing for years and still the same answer Bryn Group are not doing nothing wrong. We had an answer back saying we have no record of the call, council still refusing to acknowledge all complaints from residents. It seems the people from surrounding villages have no rights at all. Everything seems to be in Bryn Groups favour with the local authorities, whose job is to protect the public. To all it concerns we have spent the last 25 yrs in dispute with Bryn Group.
Response provided by Caerphilly CBC – Environmental Health
As above, this is the same complaint.
Residents are encouraged to call officers when there are issues with odours in the area –some complainants have been provided with officer’s direct numbers yet are failing to use them when they are experiencing odour problems.
Odour diaries are important to monitor trends and to be able to check against dates and times of activities taking place at the premises.
Comment
The smell have been bad. Reported to Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) but phone was knocked off. I have phoned for 20 years, been on committee, filled in forms never any sense off Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) or Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
Response provided by Caerphilly CBC – Environmental Health
As above.
Comment
It is so frustrating still not taking no notice, letter saying Alleged Odour Nuisance. Its like we are exaggerating it.
Response provided by Caerphilly CBC – Environmental Health
Odour diaries are important to monitor trends and to be able to check against dates and times of activities taking place at the premises.
Question
Why are the Liaison Group meetings during the daytime? Highly unsuitable for those that work.
Response provided by Caerphilly CBC
The liaison group operates during normal office hours. Local ward Members and resident representatives attend the meetings.
Response provided by Bryn Group
I don't mind if they are changed. If we can get more engagement from residents by changing the time, would it be worth trying?
Question
Why do they not give the readings of the blasts from the quarry itself? (as opposed to the nearest farmhouse?) and who monitors these recordings? Or is it just Bryn Group say so? If it is the latter then can the readings be done by an independent body from the nearest residential properties?
Response provided by Caerphilly CBC
There is no requirement in the planning conditions for the Local Planning Authority to monitor blasts, however, these have been independently monitored by Planning Officers for many years at various locations within Gelligaer and have always been well within permissible limits. Bryn Group also provide the Authority with their monitoring results and these have always been comparable. Readings have also routinely been reported to the liaison group.
Response provided by Bryn Group
Routine monitoring of every blast by the Local Planning Authority has, therefore, ceased but any formal planning enforcement complaints will be investigated.
The blasting company undertake the recording. The farmhouse is the nearest property which is why it is done there. We welcome an independent company to monitor the blasts.
If residents wish to instruct a company, then they are welcome to pass on contact details so that Bryn can liaise with the company prior to the blast. Bryn would only need to notify the company when and where in the quarry we are blasting. Post blast, residents can receive a copy of our correspondence for their records.
I would ask that the company emails us a copy of the results directly for our records.
We are restricted on when we can inform residents of a blast by Gwent police, but I can notify a professional body sooner. They would unfortunately be legally required to not disclose the date to the residents until the morning of the blast after our notification has been released.
If the residents want notification sooner, they are more than welcome to discuss this with Gwent Police and we will apply with any decision made.
EPC-Groupe, R J Blasting and Hunter Acoustics are all companies we have used to monitor blasts so the residents would need to seek alternative monitoring companies.
They also need to inform the company that we operate with lower vibration levels then the UK standard.
UK standard is: individual blasts should not exceed 12mm/sec ppv. Average levels should not exceed 10mm/sec ppv, and usually will not be below 6mm/sec ppv in 95% of all blasts.
Annex M: Illustrative guide to conditions
Our planning consent restricts us to:
Blasting shall be designed so that the ground vibration measured as peak particle velocity (PPV) in any one of three orthogonal planes shall not exceed 4mm per second in 95% of all blasts carried out over any six month period and no individual blast shall exceed a PPV of 8mm per second as measured at any sensitive receptor. REASON: To safeguard amenity interests in accordance with Policy CW2 of the adopted Caerphilly County Borough Local Development Plan up to 2021.
All our blasting notification and results can be seen on our social media.
Question
Noise from fan. Have Bryn Group done anything to stop the noise?
Response provided by Bryn Group
Works have been undertaken to rectify a temporary problem a with a fan.
We have done the following to the fan:
Installed a silencer to flue:
Increased cleaning schedule of ceramic filter.
Changed direction of flue exit point:
Before
After
Put acoustic spacing between the flue and connecting pipe work.
Put a support stand for upper flue:
Upgraded acoustic absorbers on the fan base:
Since the upgrades the only complaint we have received regarding noise from the fan have been 17/09/23 to 18/09/23. At this time the fan was not operating as the boiler was off for maintenance.
Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) can put monitoring equipment into residents’ gardens if they wish. This would help to identify the time, duration and source of any noise that is above planning limits. With that information we can then continue to reduce the impact of noise we produce.
Comment
An email and video evidence was sent to Environmental Health on 17/02/23 regarding constant noise from the quarry INSIDE the homes in Gelligaer and from Greenhill school.
The reply from Ceri Davies is as follows:-
Thank you for your email & I apologise for the delay in my response. Your complaint has been logged and diary sheets will be sent out to you shortly, which you can complete if the situation does not improve. The noise you describe is related to a hammer/pecker that is used to break up stone on the quarry floor.
The Mineral Technical Advice Note (MTAN) that is used by planning, recommends, in relation to noise, that “During temporary and short term operations higher levels may be reasonable but should not exceed 67dB(A) for periods of up to 8 weeks in a year at specified noise sensitive properties”. This covers the use of the hammer/pecker between the hours of 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday.
Environmental Health have previously spoken to the site regarding the use of this equipment and have recommended that it is only used between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday, due to previous noise complaints.
I understand from communication with the site that the hammer could potentially be in use for another week or two.
This highlights the disregard for residents from CCBC.
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diary sheets being sent out if the situation does not improve. What use is that when further on the email states that Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) have been told that this could potentially go on for another week or two.
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EH are aware of on going noise complaints and have “recommended “ that it is only used between 10am and 4pm this is during school hours.
What confidence can residents have in Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) taking notice of them when by the very nature of the reply it indicates they are happy for Bryn Group to continue doing this. Even when Diary sheets are filled out, by the time they are being sent in the work that Bryn Group were undertaking is then finished and Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) have not done anything to alleviate the distress of the residents?
Response provided by Caerphilly CBC – Environmental Health
The answers are in the quoted email from Ceri Davies.
Diary sheets also help to determine if there are other sources of noise, different types of noise and times of operation.
Response provided by Bryn Group
Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) cannot take any action against us if we are working with in the UK regulations.
We have restricted the hours we use the pecker, which under the regulation we can use from 7am to 6pm.