A SOUTH Wales wood-processing site that's allegedly covered cars and streets in dust has had plans to expand its operation halted.

Vale of Glamorgan Council's planning committee voted against allowing land off Wimborne Road at Barry Docks being turned into a wood-processing facility at a meeting today (Thursday, 11 September).

The site is already used for the loading, storing, and transportation of waste wood.

However, the applicants, South West Wood Products Ltd, were proposing a more wide-ranging set of operations like the processing of waste wood using a mobile plant.

Vale of Glamorgan Council ward councillor for nearby Cadoc, Cllr Helen Payne, said she noticed residue on cars and pavements on her street recently and claimed it was coming from the wood-processing site.

Council planners said dry weather over the past month could have contributed to the worsening of dust levels and that the applicant's dust management plan was acceptable.

One senior council planning officer, Ian Robinson, said: "It is really difficult to identify where all dust comes from in a situation like this." But he later added that it "very much does look like" wood fibres and that he would "assume that it is from that site".

South West Wood Products was proposing to process wood in order for it to be transported elsewhere for recycling or use as fuel in biomass plants.

Processing activity for the site was proposed to take place between the hours of 7am and 11pm.

"The site was built for the export of coal and coal itself created a great deal of dust," said committee member Cllr Nic Hodges.

"It is a big site. It is a prominent site and it does obviously involve lots of to-ing and fro-ing of vehicles."

He went on to say that he supports the principle of recycling wood but had "worries and concerns" over this particular proposal due to its location and proximity to houses.

Shared Regulatory Services (SRS) were consulted on the plans but didn't raise any objections.

A planning report on the application states they noted "analysis of local monitoring data revealed existing nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter concentrations are below air quality limit values".

Vale of Glamorgan Council also proposed a number of conditions like sheets to cover loads being carried by lorries and the use of water bowsers on site to reduce the risk of dust blowing on homes.

In the end planning committee members voted nine to five against the recommendations of planning officers to approve the scheme.

The application has now been deferred so that reasons for refusing it can be brought back before councillors for a final decision at a future meeting.