Children join tip protest march

7:40am Tuesday 3rd October 2006

More than 100 parents and children marched through pouring rain yesterday to protest about a proposed rubbish dump they say will be dangerous.

As clearance work got under way at the former abattoir in Hollingdean Lane, Brighton, the group of parents and children from The Downs School used the march to reiterate their belief asbestos currently inside the building will be dangerous.

Brighton and Hove City Council voted earlier this year to allow the area, opposite Davey Drive, to be turned into a multi-million- pound waste transfer site.

But the demolition of the derelict buildings could release toxic material into the air, say the organisers of the march.

The group also believes the waste transfer site will pollute the area once it is built and made further calls for a public enquiry to examine how and why the area opposite Davey Drive was chosen above others.

Spokesman Nick Savvides said: "We need some consultation with the local community and we must protect the people who live here.

"That building is full of asbestos and the workers who go in there will be wearing full protective suits but we can't expect the vulnerable elderly people who live nearby and the children who go to school here to protect themselves.

"The council should be listening to the community."

Other parents believe the demolition should have taken place, at least in part, during the school holidays when children were not at the school.

The Downs School is less than 500 metres from the site.

Parent Karen Amsten said: "Doing it during the school holidays would not eliminate the risk completely but it would have been a good idea.

"This is a residential area as well as close to the school. It is not as if it is out in the country or in an unpopulated place."

The city council maintains that demolition of the building, which it estimates should take eight weeks, is necessary now because of a risk from arson.

It said the buildings on the site have been targeted by arsonists regularly and that homeless people also use them to sleep in.

Councillor Gill Mitchell said: "For the past few months, the council has provided 24-hour security on this site which has helped cut down on the attacks but the site is still a magnet for vandals and arsonists.

"Police and fire officers have advised us that, at this site, demolition is the only sure way to stamp out the problem once and for all, and we are pleased to be getting work under way."

Mark Marsden, from the council's Arson Reduction Team, said: "Over the past few months we have been called out to deal with several deliberately started fires at Hollingdean.

"As a result, the buildings are now in a dangerous state and pose a serious risk both to our officers as well as people trespassing on the site.

"These incidents have also taken our officers away from dealing with other emergencies in the area, particularly the vehicle used for asbestos fires, which has to be deployed from Eastbourne."