THREE RECYCLING CENTRES TO CLOSE TO BECOME TWO AS SNELSHALL HWRC PLANS SHRINK BY NEARLY TWO THIRDS
Milton Keynes is still set to go from three recycling centres to two, despite the proposed Snelshall replacement site shrinking from around 2.05 hectares to just 0.69 hectares.
The Council currently has three recycling centres: Newport Pagnell, Bleak Hall and New Bradwell. It plans to replace them with just two – an expanded facility at Wolverton and a new site at Snelshall in Tattenhoe Ward.
The reason given was simple: the two new sites would be much bigger, with almost twice as much space between them.
The three existing sites have a combined area of approximately 16,622 square metres.
The Council originally hoped that Snelshall will be approximately 20,481 square metres and Wolverton would be 10,304 square metres which would be a combined area of more than 30,000 square metres.
But the usable area of the proposed Snelshall site has now shrunk dramatically from 20,481 square metres to around 6900 square metres.
At the time, the Council’s own assessment described the proposed “the two new sites are just under double the size of the existing sites” and said they would be able to accommodate forecast waste levels to 2050 and beyond.
Using the Council’s published figures, the two proposed sites would now have a combined land area of approximately 17,204 square metres which is only slightly more than the 16,622 square metres provided by the three existing sites.
Tattenhoe ward councillor and Leader of the Milton Keynes Conservative Group Cllr Shazna Muzammil says that the change means the Council will need to demonstrate that the original case for moving from three sites to two sites still works.
Cllr Muzammil said:
“When the Council proposed replacing three recycling centres with two, part of the case was that the new sites would be much bigger. The figures at the time showed almost twice the combined land area.
“That is no longer the case.
“Snelshall was originally envisaged at around 2.05 hectares. The development area now proposed is just 0.69 hectares.
Site size isn't the same thing as how much waste a facility can process, so I'm not claiming that these figures alone tell us the new system cannot work. But the assumptions have changed significantly and residents deserve to see the evidence that it still meets the demand.
We need to know that if the council closes three recycling centres and replaces them with two, will residents still be able to use it as they are used to, and whether they will get the same or better access, capacity and service?”
Cllr Manish Verma added:
"Snelshall is unsuitable due to its close proximity to schools, homes and a meat and poultry processing plant. With a reduced build, the financial case presented with original proposal can also no longer be valid. Residents and councillors should be presented with all the facts, including the cost proposal especially when material changes like this take place."
Cllr Muzammil and Cllr Verma are calling for the Council to publish an updated comparison of the two facilities now proposed against the three existing sites, including expected capacity, booking availability, journey times, resilience at busy periods and provision for future growth along with the updated financial proposal.
