The Round Hill Society

Veolia 2025 Meeting with MP

Hollingdean Depot index - notes by Dominic Furlong.

Round Hill Residents’ Concerns About Veolia’s Operations at Hollingdean

Residents of Round Hill and Hollingdean continue to experience long-standing problems linked to the Veolia-operated Waste Transfer Station (WTS) on Hollingdean Lane. The WTS sits alongside a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) on a tightly constrained site in a densely populated residential area, close to two primary schools.

Key issues

• Persistent odour nuisance – Complaints peak in hot weather and when the WTS doors open, releasing foul air into surrounding streets. The design is inherently flawed: the WTS was built without an entrance airlock, so negative air pressure is lost whenever doors open. Air-intake vents also contribute to odour escape. Activated-carbon filtration was ruled out as ineffective for a building of this scale, and UV/ozone systems were deemed unsafe for use in a residential area.
• Noise, dust and emissions – In addition to odour, residents report intrusive reversing alarms and dust settling on nearby homes and gardens. The WTS and MRF originally had 53 planning conditions to protect local amenity, but many were removed or relaxed by 2013, weakening safeguards.
• Fire incidents and safety – The site has experienced several fires (Aug 2019, Sept 2020, Sept 2021), often linked to hot ashes or batteries in household waste. Following the 2019 incident, internal firebreak walls, improved detection, and by 2020 a sprinkler system were installed.
• Lack of independent review and accountability – In Nov 2019, the council’s ETS Committee requested an independent review of the site’s operational suitability (odour, noise and safety performance). In July 2025, Cllr Tim Rowkins confirmed no report had ever been produced, prompting formal complaints to both the council and the Local Government Ombudsman. The council maintains Veolia operates within its permit and cites mitigation such as faster-closing doors, odour-suppression units, deep cleans and reduced dwell times.
• Food waste integration risks – The city’s new food-waste scheme initially proposed routing waste via Hollingdean, heightening odour concerns. The council now plans a trial of direct transfer to Veolia’s composting facility near Uckfield, which could reduce impacts locally if adopted permanently.

Residents’ key asks

1. Commission and publish an independent audit of WTS/MRF operations (odour, noise, dust, fire risk, compliance).
2. Retrofit an entrance airlock or equivalent vestibule to limit odour escape.
3. Reinstate and enforce planning conditions, including door-closure requirements.
4. Provide transparent, ongoing monitoring of emissions and complaints.
5. Explore relocation of the WTS or future food-waste facility to a less residential location.
6. Establish a residents’ advisory panel for ongoing oversight and accountability.

Prepared by the Round Hill Society Committee for the meeting with constituency MP Siân Berry, 10 October 2025.


Information sources: www.roundhill.org.uk and www.brightonandhovenews.org