In November 2004 Rochdale councillor Tom Stott, a former employee at Turners, warned that any development of the site could be an environmental disaster, and that there could be so much asbestos waste in the ground that serious disturbance could lead to "Rochdales Chernobyl." He also expressed concern that the developers would be allowed by the council to carry out their own contamination survey to determine whether the site was fit for development, which was confirmed by the council: "Any developers would have to provide a full environmental assessment of the site as part of their planning application. The council wouldnt be doing any surveys of its own because it doesnt have the expertise or the resources to do this."