Anger over river pollution from construction site
Shards of polystyrene in the River Wensum from the St James Quay building site - Credit: Submitted
A construction company has said it has taken action after residents raised concerns over river pollution as a result of their work.
Those living at St James Meadow were forced to pull what was described as a "substantial amount" of polystyrene shards from the River Wensum near to Cow Tower in Norwich.
The pollution was coming from the St James' Quay construction site on Barrack Street which Hill Ltd is responsible for.
A spokesperson for Hill Ltd said: "We take issues of this nature very seriously. This occurred as a result of high winds and we have undertaken extensive litter picking along the River Wensum and increased monitoring of the site as a preventative measure.”
These comments come after a resident from St James Meadow said he had sent two emails to the company regarding the pollution, but had received no response to them.
He said: "The residents of St James Meadow have already pulled a substantial amount of sheeting from the river. We are adjacent to the Zaks restaurant.
"As you may be aware, the decay life of polystyrene in the ocean has been calculated to be hundreds of years."
Most Read
- 1 Screams of daughter run over by her dad heard by murder jury
- 2 New fishing tackle shop has 'amazing opening day'
- 3 Person injured and road blocked after north Norfolk crash
- 4 Couple who transformed old mill into unique new home put it up for sale
- 5 New sites for gypsies and travellers proposed in Norwich area
- 6 Murder jury hears how 'angry' father ran over teenage daughter
- 7 Vehicles worth £50k stolen from Royal Norfolk Show
- 8 New headteacher appointed at village high school
- 9 Plans for 13 new homes near historic former railway line
- 10 Revealed: The most isolated neighbourhoods in Norfolk
Residents reported seeing a canoe being used to fish the polystyrene from the water this week.
The construction work of 220 apartments and houses at St James Quay is expected to be completed at the end of November 2021, having begun in January 2020.
The apartments will front on to the River Wensum, and the development will also include commercial and retail space, in addition to the refurbishment of two Grade II listed cottages and the relocation of the John Jarrold Printing Museum.
Developers say they will also accommodate the historic remains of the city wall.