A GROUP of residents feel Redditch is being ‘dumped on’ as a metal refinery is looking to relocate from Birmingham to the town.

Residents of the housing estate next to the proposed site on North Moons Moat Industrial Park say if the planning application is passed it will set a precedent for other companies wanting to move out of the Birmingham Clean Air Zone.

The applicant Kaug Refinery Services is based at Green Street, Deritend in Birmingham and wants to relocate to 10 Merse Road, Redditch which is currently an office and industrial use building.

The company recover precious metals from various metal containing wastes.

A statement accompanying the application notes: “Essentially, the processes undertaken on site will be the same as those successfully undertaken by the applicant at their existing site for over 40 years, regulated by the Environment Agency.

“The proposals will make use of an existing industrial building, with minor modifications to include the addition of a series of external exhaust flues for ventilation and to dilute and disperse residual emissions from the small scale thermal treatment processes and acid and alkaline processing areas.

“The flues will be modest in height, the tallest of which will extend to a maximum of 4m above the maximum height of the building and therefore do not introduce any significant visual impacts.”

Redditch Advertiser: 10 Merse Road.10 Merse Road. (Image: Google)

The proposed operational hours are from 6am to 5pm on Monday to Friday but during periods of overtime, hours may increase until 10.30pm.

A resident who lives on Keele Road, who did not want to be named, said he is concerned about the noise and air pollution the refinery will cause.

“The noise and pollution from the chimneys will be awful and it will disturb the area,” he said.

“The Amazon warehouse is already an eyesore and now this.

"Redditch is being dumped on."

Residents have grouped together to discuss the proposals and are also set to have a second meeting with Cllr Matt Dormer on Saturday, June 3 on Hillmorton Close.

Julie Lediard said: “We had a street meeting to discuss it all, the whole estate is against it and there’s been quite a few objections sent in.

“It’s quite a technical and complicated process they are doing at the refinery.

“There is a wooded area between the industrial estate and houses where there are bats.

“The sulphurs admitted into the air will affect the wildlife.

“There’s a stream which flows into the River Arrow and all the sulphurs will get into the stream.

“It’s a quiet estate and North Moons Moat was only meant to be a light industrial estate, and this goes beyond that.”

A planning application document states: “Potential emissions to air from the operations on-site will be controlled under permits, regulated by the EA and Local Authority.

“Therefore, confidence is high that impacts on air quality will not be significant as a result of site operations.

“The potential for noise impacts will arise from the operation of plant and machinery and movement of material around the site.

“However, the majority of operations will be undertaken inside a building and will not be significant in terms of the context of the location and surrounding area which is heavily industrial.

“Furthermore, potential noise emissions from site operations will be regulated and controlled under the permitting regime.”

Kaug Refinery Services is yet to respond to the Advertiser’s request for comment.