Century expansion denied

SHEFFIELD/NORTH CANAAN — A permit that would have been a step toward an expansion of the Century Acquisitions plant was denied earlier this month by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).The ruling was based on the applicant’s failure to respond to concerns by opposition group, No Asphalt! Defense Fund (NADF), about increased noise that its members say would result from a plan to add a hot mix asphalt operation to the existing concrete batch plant in Sheffield.The opposition group was formed by North Canaan residents whose Clayton Road homes border the plant. It has long operated as a nonconforming use that pre-exists Sheffield zoning regulations.Century Acquisitions has been attempting to move the expansion forward for several years now. It played out initially in front of the Sheffield Zoning Board of Appeals, which had jurisdiction over nonconforming uses. That issue included an unregulated secondary use of the property, which has since ceased.But the hot asphalt mix operation plan remained in place. Century plans to appeal the MassDEP decision.Meanwhile, NADF has raised about $19,000 to date toward legal expenses and expert consultants.