New homes planned near former stinking landfill

Plans have been submitted for 114 homes next to a landfill site closed down after years of complaints about the smell it produced.

The development, alongside Walleys Quarry in Silverdale, Staffordshire, would include 30 affordable homes as well as public open space and a play area.

In its application to Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Persimmon Homes said odour problems had been solved and the planned layout had been revised after a public consultation earlier this year.

Walleys Quarry Ltd (WQL) went into liquidation in February 2025, three months after the Environment Agency (EA) issued a closure notice.

Persimmon submitted an odour assessment, which noted "extensive improvements to the capping of the former landfill site and the capture and combustion of landfill gas emissions" by the Environment Agency.

"Consequently, the analysis undertaken found no significant odour effects, with sniff test times and conditions chosen to investigate likely worst-case meteorological conditions," it continued.

The developer said initial designs had been improved following a consultation earlier this year, with more space around waterways and improved footpaths.

It also said the site was "highly sustainable", with good transport links to Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent.

The borough council will consider the plans in due course.

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