PROTEST is growing against a planning application which, if approved, could see up to eight heavy duty vehicles a day, loaded up with 125,000 tonnes of imported waste materials travelling through Clows Top for the next seven years.

The proposal from Robert Lawrence, head warden at West Midlands Safari Park, is to fill the larger of two pools at his Meadow Farm, in Clows Top, and return it to agricultural use.

Currently under consideration by Worcestershire County Council, the bid calls for the reinstatement of unstable ground by infilling with imported inert waste materials and restoration to agricultural use of a deer pool. The site is home to deer, llamas, ponies, sheep and cattle.

The application also says that vehicle movements would operate between 8am and 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday.

However, objections to the scheme are mounting up in the small community of Bayton. Last week, the chairman of Bayton Parish Council, John Atkinson, opened a public meeting attended by Mr Lawrence and more than 50 residents.

Although protestors were sympathetic to Mr Lawrence's reasons for wanting to implement the scheme, their objections over traffic, noise, disruption and length of time spent on the project remained.

Details of the tally of daily vehicles and waste tonnage were contained in reports to both Bayton Parish Council and the county council. No details were provided as to where the waste would be coming from.

Mr Atkinson told the Advertiser: "People turned out to express their feelings and raise their serious concerns over traffic problems, noise, environment and the duration of the project.

"Robert Lawrence received a sympathetic hearing, including a question and answer session and the parish council is preparing a detailed response to the application for Worcestershire County Council. "What the parish would hope for would be less time involved and considerably less local disruption."

County councillor for the area Reg Farmer said: " There is so much more to this application and independent engineering consultants have been brought in to assess the proposal.

"The wellbeing of the grazing animals is paramount and I suspect the application will have to be put back for further consideration."

County council press officer Kate Bradley said: "We are carrying out a consultation process to include the community, and are seeking independent specialist advice. The earliest committee at which the application can be considered will be March 22."

When the Advertiser went to press on Wednesday morning, Mr Lawrence was unavailable for comment.