COUNCIL bosses are keeping tight-lipped over the date for a meeting to decide the future of Arpley tip.

Plans for the Sankey Bridges landfill site to continue accepting waste until 2025 were submitted by Waste Recycling Group (WRG) in January this year but a date for a development control meeting to discuss the application has still not been set.

It is now thought the plans will not be heard until October at the earliest.

One reader said: “We have had enough of stalling.

“First it was May the meeting was supposed to take place, then September and now we still don’t have a date.

“It’s frustrating and we’re concerned why it’s taking so long.”

Many residents living near the site have been campaigning against the plans and highlighted nuisance lorries, dirt, dust, litter and flies as some of their main concerns.

But Clr Jean Carter (LAB – Sankey) said a longer wait could be a good thing as planning officers at the council are being thorough.

She added: “Residents are quite obviously feeling uptight about the wait and see it as skulduggery but I think the reason behind it is a good one.

“The council is getting expert opinions on everything and has a barrister working on it to get as much evidence as possible.

“I can understand residents’ frustrations as they want it to be thrown out and don’t want to have to carry on living with the inconvenience, noise and smells but it’s important they’re patient as the council wants to get it right.”

WRG has argued there is a need for the tip as others in the area will begin to close by 2013 and it has been working to ease concerns.

A spokesman for the council said: “This is a big issue for the area and we need to ensure that all aspects of the application and the rationale behind it are investigated thoroughly.

“Our intention is to hold a special planning committee meeting in the autumn.

“Once that date is set and the venue is confirmed we will be publicising this information on our website and in the press.”