Local people will get the chance to have their say on plans for a purpose-built new household recycling centre and waste transfer station near Bridport in November.
The Dorset Waste Partnership (DWP) is holding two public information days on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 November at Bridport Town Hall where people can find out more about the proposed new waste management centre.
Doors will be open between 10am and 6pm on Friday and 9.30am to 12.30pm on Saturday. All are welcome. Visitors will be able to view details and drawings of the proposed facility, speak to DWP staff and leave their comments via a feedback form.
The new centre, which would be located at Broomhills off the A35 west of Bridport, would consist of a purpose-built, modern, split-level household recycling centre (HRC) and a waste transfer station (WTS) to house recycling and rubbish in a covered building before being sent on for recycling or disposal.
The search for a suitable new waste management facility for the Bridport area started in the mid 1990s with the closure of the Bothenhampton landfill site. The existing HRC on South Street in the town centre opened in 1998 on a temporary basis until a permanent site could be found. The site is due to close in 2013, after a number of extensions to the planning permission.
In 2009 and 2010, an extensive assessment of around 40 possible alternative sites concluded that, while there was no clear overall preference, Broomhills had the greatest development potential for successful delivery of three short-listed sites. Gore Cross and Miles Cross 2 were the other two frontrunners.
In September 2011, the DWP Joint Committee and Dorset County Council s Cabinet unanimously approved a report recommending the Broomhills site. Detailed design of the new centre has now been completed and a planning application is due to be submitted in December, which would be followed by a period of formal consultation.
If planning permission is approved, construction would begin in summer 2013 with the facility to open in spring 2015, when the new WTS would be instrumental in the introduction of the new recycle for Dorset collection service in the west of the county.
The new permanent site, which has an estimated cost of 8m, will offer a range of benefits over and above the temporary South Street site.
The larger facility would be more efficient and would reduce queue times and lengths. The DWP has worked with the Highways Agency to create access from the A35 using traffic signals. There would be no queuing onto the A35 during busy periods.
The new HRC will be a split-level facility, eliminating the need for steps and making the facility accessible to all.
A purpose-built, modern facility, it would be able to receive more types of recycling and waste than are currently accepted at South Street, such as wood and glass.
The operational and public areas would be separated, making the facility safer and meaning the site would not need to close to remove full skips. Waste lorries would no longer need to travel through Bridport.
The proposed site s design is sensitive to the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which includes the whole Bridport area, and would include enhancement of the neighbouring Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) for local wildlife.
The centre would be integrated into the landscape with the use of natural building materials such as wood and its footprint and height kept to a minimum to reduce its visual impact and low level external lighting to reduce light spill.
Hilary Cox, Chair of the DWP Joint Committee, said:
Local people have been following the search for a new waste management centre for Bridport over many years and will, I m sure, be relieved to see it nearing a conclusion.
“A viable site has been identified and a modern facility designed that will help meet the needs of the local area and increase our recycling while blending in with the outstanding local environment.
“I would encourage as many people as possible to pop along to the information days to see how the new facility would look and have their say.
