Bid to extend life of landfill site with 'disgusting' smell rejected

A controversial plan to extend the life of an East End landfill site – where residents living nearby have complained about “disgusting” smells – has been rejected.

Patersons of Greenoakhill Ltd asked Glasgow City Council for permission to increase the capacity at its Mount Vernon site.

The application sparked hundreds of objections, with neighbours saying they were sometimes unable to open their windows, hang out washing or use their gardens due to the smell.

Council planners have now decided to turn down the bid for planning permission, as they say the proposals would “present an unacceptable risk of prolonging negative odour impacts… to the detriment of existing and planned residential developments”.

They also ruled that the proposal for the Hamilton Road site is “not adequately justified by an identified need” and “would extend the most environmentally damaging waste disposal method”.

Patersons’ plan would have increased the operational life of the site by an extra two to four years. The firm’s application argued the users of the facility have “been clear to the applicant of their continuing need… over the next few years, while sufficient amounts of feasible alternative waste management facilities come on stream to serve the City of Glasgow and the wider Glasgow and Clyde Valley area”.

However, residents in Broomhouse, Mount Vernon, Baillieston and Swinton submitted complaints, raising concerns over the odour and the impact of heavy goods vehicles on roads.

One objector said: “The smell from the landfill is disgusting. At times, we are unable to open our windows because of it.”

Another described the site as “a blight on our community” which causes “numerous issues” such as “noise, heavy traffic, road conditions, dust and litter”.

Following the decision, Cllr Laura Doherty, SNP, who represents the Shettleston ward, said: “The community has been unwavering in its campaign to bring the operations at Paterson landfill to an end.

“This decision is a huge relief for our local communities and a significant step forward in restoring the area.”

Cllr Alex Kerr, SNP, who represents the Baillieston ward, said the landfill site has been a source of frustration for residents for over a decade. He added: “These aren’t just minor issues; they’ve had a serious impact on quality of life for families across the east end.

“It’s now time for the operator to focus on restoring the site properly and to the standards expected — no more delays, no more excuses.”

The pair were among several Glasgow politicians to oppose the planning application, including councillors Kevin Lalley, John Daly, Jon Molyneux, Frank McAveety and Thomas Kerr.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) served a partial suspension notice on Patersons in January 2023, requiring the firm to take steps to “prevent offensive off site odour”.

It was lifted in February that year, allowing the company to accept all waste allowed under its permit. Patersons apologised for the smell in late 2022 and said the site infrastructure had been upgraded.

SEPA previously fined Patersons £6,200 for a breach of its permit, which resulted in offensive odour affecting local communities for eight days in June 2021.

Patersons’ plans stated there had not been “any SEPA or GCC environmental health substantiated odour events since February 2023”, which “evidences the capability and effectiveness of odour management currently in place on site”.

They added the applicant “acknowledges there were historic failings by the site to fully control odour however, on the identification of failings, investigations were undertaken, lessons were learned and improvements implemented”.