Letter: Borough Council Has Been Ineffective in Dealing with Our Complaint

Published on: 6 May, 2026
Updated on: 6 May, 2026

From Mr & Mrs Yelding

My wife and I have lived in Calvert Road, Effingham for 62 years.

The rear of our property backs onto what was the Tollgate Farm grazing fields.

However, in recent years ownership changed hands and now these fields are used for industrial wood chipping and is also used like waste dump, with thousands of tonnes of building materials and rubble, timber and waste soil piled so high you can’t see over it.

Tollgate Farm has no license to carry out this type of work on agricultural green belt land.

Timber is brought in by eight-wheel lorries that carry 20 tonnes plus loads. The timber is then piled up near to our boundary along with thousands of tonnes of waste plus an asbestos dump.

When the industrial wood chipper is operating the noise is unbearable and our house actually shakes with the vibrations. The noise is causing us stress and ill health. We can’t open a window or door for the smell of fumes, dust and smoke.

We’ve been complaining for years to the Guildford Borough Council enforcement officer. But whilst they have attended on more than one occasion nothing has changed. Their visits always seem to coincide when the wood chipper is offline and apparently unable to be turned on.

In short, the enforcement officer does not think there is a problem. On his most recent visit he told us to monitor the activity for five weeks. And if all is quiet at the end of that period, he will close our complaint.

There is a massive stack of timber waiting to be chipped but currently there is no activity. I do not expect this situation to continue beyond the five week period.

Why won’t the council take action? Isn’t that their job? We have been complaining for years. What happened to the old case and all the evidence we’ve already provided? Why start again when no resolution has been made?

Guildford Borough Council responded:

Our Environmental Health and Planning Enforcement teams have carried out numerous visits to the Tollgate Farm site and the surrounding area over recent years. These inspections have taken place at varying times, including in direct response to complaints, and form part of our ongoing monitoring of activities on the land.

We are continuing to investigate the current use of the site and the nature of operations taking place. This includes assessing whether the activities comply with planning legislation and determining whether enforcement action is necessary.

Environmental Health officers have already taken formal action on dust emissions by serving a dust abatement notice. This requires the implementation of appropriate measures to prevent dust escaping the site in a way that could cause a statutory nuisance to neighbouring properties.

We recognise that noise associated with activities on the site has disturbed nearby residents. However, investigations to date have not identified sufficient evidence to meet the legal threshold of a statutory noise nuisance. The option to serve an abatement notice remains open should future evidence support such action. Residents have been asked to complete noise diary sheets to help officers assess the impact of any noise in line with our assessment protocol.

A small amount of asbestos has been identified on the farm. This material has remained undisturbed for several years and, in its current condition, presents a low risk to health if left in situ. We continue to monitor the situation to ensure it remains safe.

We would like to reassure the community that both our Environmental Health and Planning Enforcement teams are actively investigating the concerns raised. Any further action will be taken proportionately, based on the evidence available and in line with our enforcement policies.