Yorkshire regulated sites

Mineral Processing Ltd appealed our decision to issue a revocation notice for their site on 3 July 2025.

The permit will now stay in place until the Planning Inspectorate has announced the outcome of the appeal.

A Planning Inspector has been appointed, and the Hearing is scheduled to take place at 10:00am on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 December 2025.

The Hearing will be held at Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel, Thorpe Lane, Badsworth, WF9 1AB.

Members of the public may attend the Hearing and, at the discretion of the Inspector, express their views.

We noted the request from local councillors to hold the Hearing in South Elmsall, but we were unable to find a suitable venue that was available. The capacity for this venue is 80 seated with additional standing room available.

Please note there is no ‘hearing loop’ available at this venue. If you are disabled and concerned about facilities at the venue, please contact Aled Thomas at the Environment Agency (aled.thomas@environment-agency.gov.uk) to confirm that suitable provisions are in place.

There are many things that smell strongly but have no direct harmful effects to health. However, as the human nose is very sensitive, some strong smells can be really unpleasant and people report suffering stress and anxiety or otherwise feeling unwell, for instance feeling sick, dizzy, having headaches. This is even though the substances causing the smells are not harmful to health.

Other short-term health effects reported as a result of strong odours include irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat. People who have health conditions that affect breathing, such as asthma, may find symptoms more severe or long lasting. When exposure is reduced, the symptoms usually reduce or go away too.

We know in very hot or cold weather having windows or doors open or shut has an impact, and realistically making sure the balance between odour reduction and maintaining a comfortable temperature will be something individuals will need to manage themselves.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advice on limiting the effects of odour during hot conditions:

We recommend that residents:

1. keep doors and windows closed when odour levels are noticeable to stop the odour from entering
2. draw curtains to limit direct sunlight heating-up internal surfaces
3. use fans to recirculate air within the house to help keep cool
4. set any air conditioning (preferably fitted with a HEPA filter) to recirculate mode
5. take a break from the heat by moving to a cooler part of the house
6. open windows when the air feels cooler and when the odour reduces to get air flowing through the home,

Further information on actions you can take to stay safe in hot weather can be found here Beat the heat: staying safe in hot weather - GOV.UK

Contact NHS 111 or your GP if you have concerns about your individual circumstances, feel unwell or require health support.

Mineral Processing Ltd have appealed our decision to issue a revocation notice for their South Elmsall site to the Planning Inspectorate.

The permit will now stay in place until the Planning Inspectorate has announced the outcome of the appeal. The suspension notice, however, will remain in place during this time. The suspension notice prevents more waste being brought onto the site and requires the removal of waste that is in breach of the permit conditions. If the operator does not comply with the suspension notice, they will be committing an offence. We will continue to monitor compliance with the suspension notice.

On 27 June 2025 Wakefield Council refused a planning application by Mineral Processing Ltd to extend operation at the site for a further 10 years.

On 4 July 2025, Wakefield Council also served a breach of condition notice around the current planning permission. This notice means that all operations must cease at the site except for those required by the suspension notice.

There is no right of appeal for this notice and if Mineral Processing Ltd do not comply with this notice, they will be committing an offence

We continue to work closely with Wakefield Council to use our joint regulatory powers in the most consistent and effective way to bring about improvements at this site.

Throughout June, we have made a number of visits to the Mineral Processing Ltd site at South Elmsall along with West Yorkshire Police to check for vehicle movements. During our visits we did not witness any vehicles arriving at the site.

We are immediately taking action to revoke the environmental permit for this site.

We have served a revocation notice for Mineral Processing Ltd. The notice was issued on 5 June 2025 and comes into force on 4 July 2025 (subject to appeal). One of the reasons we have made the decision to revoke the permit is because Mineral Processing Ltd has made no progress in meeting the conditions of the suspension notice

On 3 June 2025, the Planning Inspectorate announced that they have dismissed the appeal that Mineral Processing Ltd made against our decision to issue a suspension notice at their South Elmsall site. We have been pleased to note that the Planning Inspectorate agrees with our decision, based on thorough evidence collected by our teams. The suspension notice remains in place and we will continue to monitor compliance with the notice.

On 15 and 17 April 2025, Environment Agency officers, together with West Yorkshire Police, followed up on concerns about vehicles still arriving at the site while the suspension notice is in force. The operation was to monitor vehicle movements to and from the site. While none arrived while partners were present, we will continue to act upon the information we receive. We will continue to investigate movements to and from the site. We will take action to prevent and disrupt this activity as part of our intelligence-led enforcement approach.

If you suspect an individual or company is committing a waste crime, tell us what you know by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org and use the 'Environmental Crime' tag. This will protect the safety of the public and ensure timely capture of information.

We are not able to comment further on our enforcement action currently. However, we take offending seriously and act in accordance with our enforcement and sanctions policy. We are assessing all our enforcement options, which may include revoking the permit. We will provide a further update when we are able.

Environment Agency enforcement and sanctions policy

To build a more accurate picture of the potential impact the site is having on air quality, we are carrying out proactive air quality monitoring.

We have installed a Mobile Monitoring Facility (MMF), which will be in situ for approximately four months, collecting continuous measurements of hydrogen sulphide (H2S), methane (CH4) and particulates