News & Updates

20/02/2026

Our Opinion: East Herts District Council Has Put Birchall Garden Suburb at Risk by Overlooking the Asphalt Plant Impacts

In our opinion, East Herts District Council has created a serious and avoidable problem by issuing an Environmental Permit for the BP Mitchell asphalt plant without properly considering what this means for the future Birchall Garden Suburb (BGS).

 

The Council appears to have assessed the plant in isolation, despite the fact that thousands of new homes are planned directly next door.

Residents living 650 metres from the plant already experience intrusive low‑frequency noise, strong odours, fumes, and emissions. Yet the BGS masterplan proposes new homes as close as 150 metres from the same industrial operation. If the impacts are significant at 650 metres, we believe they will be far worse at 150.

 

This raises a fundamental question:
How did East Herts approve this Permit without recognising the obvious conflict with its own flagship housing development???

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In Our View, the Permit Was Issued Without Understanding the Real Impacts

From what we can see, nothing in the Permit decision demonstrates that East Herts understood:

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• How loud and intrusive the plant is in real‑world operation

• How far odours and fumes travel beyond the site boundary

• How low‑frequency noise behaves over distance

• How much worse these impacts become when homes are four times closer

 

To us, it appears the Council issued the Permit as if Birchall Garden Suburb did not exist. But BGS is not a vague concept, it is a long‑established strategic allocation and central to the area’s future housing supply.

Ignoring it is, in our opinion, a major oversight.

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A Clear Conflict With National Planning Policy

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF 2024) requires planning decisions to:

 

• Prevent unacceptable noise impacts (para. 187)

• Avoid significant adverse effects on health and quality of life (para. 198)

 

In our view, the asphalt plant already causes significant adverse impacts at over 650 metres. At 150 metres, these effects would be impossible to ignore and impossible to justify under national policy.

By issuing the Permit without at least considering this, East Herts has, in our opinion, created a direct conflict with the NPPF and with its duty to protect future residents.

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In Our Opinion, the Birchall Garden Suburb Masterplan Is Now at Risk

The success of BGS depends on creating a healthy, high‑quality living environment. But the asphalt plant’s:

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• Low‑frequency rumble

• Tonal and intermittent noise

• Odour and hazardous emissions

• Early‑morning activity

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…are simply not compatible with homes 150 metres away.

 

In our opinion, this puts the entire masterplan at risk. It raises concerns about:​

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• Viability and deliverability

• Environmental health compliance

• Long‑term quality of life

• The robustness of future Permit decisions

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And crucially, this is a potential problem created by the Council’s own decision‑making.

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A New Layer to the Problem: East Herts’ Own Letter Shows a Lack of Awareness

The situation is made even more concerning by East Herts District Council’s formal response to Hertfordshire County Council regarding the planning ammendments for the expansion of the waste and asphalt operations at Birchall Lane.

In that letter, East Herts stated that it had “no comments to make in respect of the planning merits of the proposal and raise no objection to the application.”

The letter also confirms that the proposal includes “a mobile asphalt plant” and other industrial expansions.

 

In our opinion, this demonstrates a striking lack of awareness, or lack of consideration, of the impacts that these operations will have on the future BGS community. The Council did not reference:
 

• The proximity of future homes

• The known issues of noise, odour, and emissions

• The NPPF requirement to avoid significant adverse impacts

• The long‑term deliverability of the BGS masterplan

By raising no objection at all, East Herts has, in our view, reinforced the very planning conflict it created when it issued the asphalt plant Permit. The Council is effectively endorsing industrial intensification in the same location where it expects thousands of people to live.

This, in our opinion, deepens the self‑inflicted nature of the problem.

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A Self‑Inflicted Planning Conflict

In our view, East Herts has permitted and supported industrial operations that directly clash with the housing development it is trying to deliver. Instead of coordinating the two, the Council has allowed them to collide.

 

The result is a planning contradiction:

• The asphalt plant cannot operate without causing significant harm

• The BGS homes cannot be built without exposing residents to that harm

 

This is not a community‑created problem.
It is not a developer‑created problem.
It is, in our opinion, a Council‑created problem.

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Conclusion

In our opinion, East Herts County Council made a serious mistake by issuing the asphalt plant Permit without understanding its operational impacts or the realities of the Birchall Garden Suburb masterplan (or existing residents). The Council’s subsequent “no objection” letter only reinforces the scale of the oversight.

The decision conflicts with national planning policy, undermines public health protections, and places the future of BGS at risk.

We believe this is a problem of the Council’s own making.

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Today is the last day to object to the planning application - Herts Planning

16/02/2026

Council Raises Concerns Over Asphalt Plant Expansion Near Birchall Garden Suburb

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (WHBC) has issued a detailed response to Hertfordshire County Council highlighting significant concerns over the proposed expansion of the BP Mitchell waste site on Birchall Lane, including the formal addition and relocation of a mobile asphalt plant.

BP Mitchell seeks to intensify operations at the existing inert recycling facility, adding new infrastructure, a concrete batching plant, and a mobile asphalt plant positioned closer to residential areas. While WHBC accepts that the site is already allocated for waste and employment use, the Council warns that the increased scale and nature of activities could have serious implications for local amenity, air quality, noise, and the future delivery of the planned Birchall Garden Suburb.

In its response, WHBC notes that BP Mitchell has failed to provide key information, including details of new buildings shown on revised plans and the apparent creation of large areas of hardstanding that do not appear to have planning permission. The Council states that this lack of clarity makes it difficult to assess the true impact of the proposals.

A central concern is the proximity of the asphalt plant to the 1,950‑home Birchall Garden Suburb development, which includes new schools, neighbourhood centres, and green spaces. WHBC emphasises that any intensification of industrial activity must not undermine the viability of this major strategic housing site. The Council also highlights the need to protect existing Welwyn Garden City residents from increased noise, air pollution, and heavy vehicle movements along the B195.

WHBC’s Public Health and Protection team has already raised issues relating to noise and air quality, and the Council advises that these must be fully addressed before any decision is made.

 

Although the Council does not object to the principle of development, it concludes that the proposed intensification “must be properly considered and mitigated” to avoid harm to the surrounding area, the adjacent Green Belt, and the future Birchall Garden Suburb community.

 

Speak Up WGC will continue to monitor the application and publish updates as the planning process progresses.

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If you haven't done it already, please click here for how to object to their ammended planning application - Herts Planning

16/02/2026

East Herts Says “No Objection” to the Asphalt Plant

East Herts District Council has surprised many residents by issuing a one‑line response to the BP Mitchell expansion at Birchall Lane.

 

Their official position:

"The Council have no comments to make....and raise no objection"

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This contrasts sharply with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s detailed response, which raised concerns about missing information, unauthorised hardstanding, pollution risks and the impact on the future Birchall Garden Suburb.

 

So why the difference?
 

The Impacts Fall Mainly on Welwyn Hatfield
Although the site sits in East Herts, the noise, air pollution and HGV traffic will be felt primarily in Welwyn Garden City and in the planned Birchall Garden Suburb immediately north of the site. East Herts’ own communities are largely unaffected.

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East Herts Already Allocated This Land for Industrial Use
From their perspective, BP Mitchell is an existing waste site. The expansion doesn’t conflict with their Local Plan, so they see no policy reason to object.

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It’s a County Council Decision
Because Hertfordshire County Council will determine the application, East Herts has taken a minimal consultee role, leaving the detailed scrutiny to WHBC and the County planners.

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Meanwhile, WHBC Raises Serious Concerns
Welwyn Hatfield warns that the proposal could:

• harm existing WGC residents

• undermine the future Garden Suburb

• increase pollution

• introduce unassessed noise impacts

• include unauthorised development

 

Their response is detailed and cautious - the opposite of East Herts’ silence.

 

What This Means
East Herts’ “no objection” doesn’t mean the impacts aren’t real; only that they don’t fall on their residents. The responsibility now lies with WHBC, the County Council and the community to ensure the proposal is properly scrutinised.

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If you haven't done it already, please click here for how to object to their ammended planning application - Herts Planning

16/02/2026

Why Has the Asphalt Plant Suddenly Gone Quiet? Residents Notice a Well‑Timed Pause

For many months, the mobile asphalt plant at the BP Mitchell site on Birchall Lane has been running almost daily; bringing noise, odour and heavy vehicle movements to the edge of Welwyn Garden City.

 

But last week, something changed.

 

The plant has suddenly fallen silent.

 

And the timing is raising questions.

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A Pause That Coincides With the Consultation Deadline

Comments on BP Mitchell’s plans close on 20 February 2026.

 

Residents report that the plant, previously active almost every day, stopped operating shortly before the final week of the consultation period.

The coincidence is hard to ignore.

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Why Would Operations Pause Now?

There are several plausible explanations, and while none have been confirmed, the timing aligns with patterns often seen during sensitive planning stages.

 

Pausing the plant during the consultation window would:

• reduce noise and odour - evading any last minute air and noise monitoring

• reduce visible emissions

• reduce HGV traffic

• reduce the number of complaints

• reduce attention on the very impacts residents are being asked to comment on

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It also means that any site visits by County Council officers would show a quieter, cleaner operation than residents have experienced in recent months.

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Speak Up WGC will continue to follow this closely and keep residents informed.

If you’ve noticed changes in activity at the site, you can share your observations with us.​

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If you haven't done it already, please click here for how to object to their ammended planning application - Herts Planning

30/01/2026

Ongoing Violations Highlight BP Mitchell’s Disregard for Planning Rules and The Local Community

BP Mitchell continue to run the asphalt plant in clear breach of the planning conditions that apply to the site, including operating well before the permitted hours.

This means the company is not only operating an asphalt plant without planning permission, but is also failing to comply with conditions governing the rest of their activities on the site, such as their Inert Recycling operations.

 

These repeated breaches highlight an ongoing disregard for local residents and the rules designed to protect them.

 

Unsurprisingly, this behaviour is motivating even more members of our community to submit objections to their planning application.

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If you haven't done it already, please click here for how to object to their ammended planning application - Herts Planning

16/01/2026

Major Concerns Over Noise & Air‑Quality Assessments

We want to update residents on the latest findings from the planning documents submitted by BP Mitchell and why they raise serious concerns for our community.

No Proper Noise Testing Has Been Done
The applicant has not carried out any direct noise measurements of the asphalt plant currently operating on the site.
Instead, they have reused old data from a previous application and relied on generic figures taken from what we understand is the wrong standard (BS 5228), which is meant for construction sites and not industrial asphalt production.

This means the assessment does not reflect the real noise residents hear every day.

No New Air‑Quality Assessment Either

The air‑quality report includes no new monitoring or modelling for the asphalt plant in either its current or proposed location.

 

The applicant chose not to carry out this assessment because they claimed the plant was not close enough to your homes, children’s schools, or nearby wildlife areas; a conclusion that does not reflect the reality residents experience daily.

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It simply summarises the applicant’s old permit‑application data, which does not account for:

• current operating levels

• the new plant position

• cumulative impacts with the concrete batching plant

• nearby homes, schools, or ancient woodland

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There is no assessment of PM2.5, NOx, odour, or emissions at the nearest residential locations, schools or local amenities.

What This Means for Residents

BP Mitchell have failed to clearly assess and document the impact of the daily noise, fumes, and odours affecting our community. Without any reliable, up‑to‑date evidence; even though residents are already experiencing these problems every day.

This strengthens and reinforces the importance of residents submitting objections now to the Spatial Planning Department.

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If you haven't done it already, please click here - Sign The New Petition

15/01/2026

Consultation Update: What Happens Next?

The consultation on the asphalt plant is still open, and residents are encouraged to continue sending their comments and objections to the Spatial Planning Department.

 

An updated noise and air quality assessment is expected to be added to the application shortly. It’s important to remember that these technical reports offer only a limited picture; numbers and charts cannot fully capture the day‑to‑day impact the asphalt plant has on the community. This is where your emails and letters to the Spatial Planning Department are really important.

Once the new assessments are submitted, the council will launch a minimum 21‑day public consultation. This phase will include:

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• Environmental Health teams from the relevant local authorities

• All residents who have previously submitted comments or objections

 

Based on current timelines, the consultation is expected to remain open into the beginning of February 2026.

 

Further updates will be shared as soon as the documents are released.

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If you haven't done it already, please click here - Sign The New Petition

30/12/2025

308 Signatures Challenge BP Mitchell’s Attempt to Bypass Full Planning

As we continue to enjoy cleaner air, birdsong, and a more peaceful local environment during the Asphalt Plant’s inactivity, we wanted to share an important update.

 

We have now submitted 308 petition responses to the Planning Officer at Hertfordshire County Council. These 308 signatures on the first petition call for a full planning application, including proper air and noise assessments and full neighbour consultation.

Despite this, the planning agent representing BP Mitchell is attempting to avoid a full application by simply amending the existing one. We hope that the strength of our 308 voices makes it clear that a full planning process is essential.

 

We also continue to encourage everyone to sign the second petition, which directly objects to the Asphalt Plant itself.

 

Thank you again for your kind support.
Click here - Sign The New Petition

23/12/2025

New Online Petition Launched to Oppose the Amended Asphalt Plant Application

Today we have launched a new online petition to enable local residents to object to the amended planning application for the Asphalt Plant.

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We encourage you to review and sign the petition to help protect our community, our environment, and public health.

Click here - Sign The New Petition

22/12/2025

Article Reveals Missing Planning Consent - and Missing Photos of the Asphalt Plant

We note with interest an article published today on the Welwyn Hatfield Times website.

 

It is a clear admissision that planning consent had not been applied for to install and operate the Asphalt Plant.

 

Interestingly the article inclues a photograph of the BP Mitchell site (provided by Marengo Communications) but does not show the actual Asphalt Plant machinery!

You can draw your own conclusions.....

Click here for the article - WHTimes

19/12/2025

Fuelling Resident Backlash and Boosting Petition Support

BP Mitchell have recently been operating the site before 07:30 am, which is a clear breach of their planning conditions. The asphalt machinery is also running despite there being no planning permission in place for its operation.

While this is understandably distressing for residents; including, for example, key workers coming off night shifts who are unable to sleep; the early‑morning activity is drawing even more attention to the issue with the noise and emissions.

 

As a result, more residents are noticing the impact and signing the petition. In that sense, the unauthorised and unpermitted operations are significantly strengthening our campaign.

18/12/2025

Toxic Emissions from a Plant Without Permission

The pollution and air quality today are particularly bad by the ongoing operations of the asphalt production plant.

 

The heavy emissions from this site are contributing to the haze and poor air quality across the area, leaving residents exposed to potential and unnecessary health risks (we urge you to discuss any concerns with your G.P).

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It is unacceptable that a facility operating outside the proper planning process is allowed to degrade local air quality in this way, underscoring the urgent need for enforcement action and protection of community wellbeing.

12/12/2025

Air Quality and Health: What Residents Should Know

Local residents often ask us on the doorstep about the potential health impacts of fumes and particles from the Asphalt Plant.

 

While we cannot provide clinical or medical advice, we strongly recommend that you raise any concerns with your GP or healthcare practitioner, who can offer appropriate guidance.

 

It is also worth noting that when cloud levels are low, they can act like a “blanket,” preventing fumes and particles from dispersing higher into the atmosphere. This is why the smell and fumes can feel particularly strong under these weather conditions.

08/12/2025

Residents Speak Out: 88 Petition Responses Issued to County Council

We have today submitted 88 petition responses to Hertfordshire County Council’s Spatial Planning Department.

 

The petition will remain open, and further responses will continue to be collected and forwarded to the Council.

 

We await their reply with interest.

05/12/2025

Responses to the Online Petiton - Currently at 85

We’ve already received 85 responses to our online petition, which calls for a full and transparent planning application.

We also know that many of you may not have signed this first petition, but are ready to add your names to the second petition once it is launched; this one will directly oppose the Asphalt Plant proposal.

 

Thank you to each and every one of you. You are the ambassadors of this campaign, and we would not have come this far without your energy, determination, and commitment to protecting our neighbourhood, our community, and our environment.

04/12/2025

Rolls Wood Spoiled by Asphalt

"This morning’s walk in Rolls Wood was ruined by the smell of hot asphalt and the noise from the plant nearby.

What used to be a peaceful place to enjoy nature and fresh air has become polluted and unpleasant. Instead of relaxation, the woodland now feels like somewhere to avoid."

02/12/2025

More Frequent Asphalt Production

The Asphalt production machinery has been running more frequently in recent days. 

The noise from the plant has increased and detected before 07:30 am.

01/12/2025
The Online Petition

We want to thank our Campaign Ambassadors (that is all of you) for signing the first Petition that calls for the Asphalt Plant to be subject to the full Planning Application.
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The response has been extremely positive and we will be soon to submit the Petition responses to Hertfordshire County Council, Welwyn Hatfield and East Herts, to demonstrate the strong local opposition to the Asphalt Plant at the B.P Mitchell site on Birchall Lane, Cole Green.
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In the meantime we still await for the new Planning Application to be published and will update here when it is available.

26/11/2025
Asphalt Plant Activity

Residents have observed the Asphalt Plant running on scattered days and at irregular times.​
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We are keeping a log of dates and times.

20/11/2025
Marengo Communications:

We have been contacted by a Communications Company "Marengo Communications" working on behalf of B.P Mitchell, with an offer for a meeting "...........to discuss a combination of our proposals and your objection and campaign www.speakupwgc.com"
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Our Response:
We provided the following in response:

"At this time, we respectfully decline the offer of a meeting. We do not believe it would be appropriate to engage in private discussions with representatives of the applicant.
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Our focus remains on ensuring that the community’s concerns are heard through the formal planning process, where all stakeholders have equal access and where decisions are made in the public interest."
 

18/11/2025
The Planning Application

Hertfordshire County Council (Spatial Planning Department) have confirmed that the planning agent, working on behalf of B.P. Mitchell, has agreed to amend the application to include all current site operations, including the asphalt plant.
 
Residents will have an opportunity to comment on the revised proposals once submitted.
 
All updates will be published on the council’s website, and those who have previously submitted representations will be notified directly.
 
Further information will be made available online as it becomes available.
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Our Comment:
Positives
 

• Acknowledgement of Full Site Operations.

The planning agent’s agreement to amend the application to include all current operations - specifically the asphalt plant - is a significant step toward transparency and procedural compliance. This ensures that the full scope of activities is subject to formal scrutiny.

 

• Opportunity for Public Input.

Residents will have a renewed chance to comment on the revised proposals, allowing community voices to be heard and considered in the decision-making process. This is a critical safeguard in democratic planning.

 

• Commitment to Communication.

The council’s pledge to publish updates online and notify previous respondents directly demonstrates a baseline commitment to procedural fairness and information access.

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Negatives

 

• ​Unclear Timeline and Scope.

While updates will be published “as they become available,” there is no clear timeframe for submission or review of the revised application. This ambiguity may delay community engagement and prolong uncertainty.

 

• Limited Notification Reach.

Only those who previously submitted representations will be notified directly. This risks excluding newer residents or those unaware of the original application, potentially undermining inclusive consultation.