July 2, 2018 1.54 pm This story is over 77 months old

Recycling centre to double rubbish capacity

Councillors narrowly approved the plans
A photo of the site presented to councillors during the meeting.

A waste recycling centre near Bourne is set to double the amount of rubbish it handles after councillors narrowly approved the plans.

Blue Sky Plastics on South Fen Road was allowed to increase its capacity to 40,000 tonnes by  Lincolnshire County Council on Monday.

A report before members said there were no planned changes to operating hours, however, the amount of HGV vehicles would also double to 12 a day.

Officers recommended granting with the condition that a fire prevention plan be approved before the company could start exceeding its current 20,000 tonnes limit.

However, councillors were split as to how to deal with it.

Conservative Councillor Paul Skinner said he was concerned over the fire plan: “I think this matter ought to be deferred until that fire prevention plan is in place.

“I do not think it would be responsible to add to the facility until the current one is in a state that meets the licence.”

He was countered by fellow Tory Councillor Daniel McNally, who said the condition was not necessary for an existing site.

Vice chairman and Conservative Councillor Tom Ashton asked authorities to be incredibly vigilant over fire prevention in general.

“This is peat soil and it’s very dry at the moment — we’ve seen what’s happened on the Moors and in Yorkshire, I think we need to take this very, very seriously.”

Blue Sky Plastics on South Fen Road was allowed to increase its capacity to 40,000 tonnes.

Objections submitted to the council noted that South Fen Road was already suffering ‘extreme degradation’.

Councillors were told during the meeting that LCC’s Highways team had carried out improvements to the road recently.

It was also noted that the ground was to blame for the roads degradation not necessarily the vehicles using it.

The centre has previously had conditions placed on it to create two passing bays along South Fen Road.

A chairman’s vote rejected Councillor Skinner’s proposal, and the original proposal was passed by councillors subsequently.

A photo of the site presented to councillors during the meeting.