Proposal for Civic Amenity and Recycling Centre

New Hedges, Pembrokeshire

Reference: P-04-423 Brooklands Nursing Home

A petition has been submitted to the Assembly Petitions Committee named ‘Brooklands Nursing Home’. 

This briefing document has been drafted by Pembrokeshire County Council who are proposing the siting of a new Civic Amenity and Recycling Centre near New Hedges, and aims to give you an understanding of the background to these proposals.

The Existing Civic Amenity Site

The current civic amenity site for the South East of Pembrokeshire at The Salterns, Tenby, is small, cramped and difficult to access, particularly for people with mobility problems.  It is also only able to send around 60% of the waste it receives for recycling, whereas most other facilities of this kind in the County recycle above 70%. It is, therefore, no longer fit for purpose and there is no room to expand and, consequently, an alternative needs to be sourced.

Site Selection Process

A rigorous site selection process was undertaken to find an alternative site.  Pembrokeshire County Council identified a number of criteria to inform the site selection process.  Criteria included:

- A site larger than the current facility at The Salterns, Tenby, to allow for wider segregation of different waste streams

- A site of adequate size which would allow for the effective separation of the public from operational activities, in order to ensure the safety of the public and to allow on-going public use of the facility during operational activities

- A site which offers the ability to develop a modern facility capable of serving current and foreseeable requirements

- A site with good access and transport links

- A site preferably located to the North of the current site, on the A478/A477 corridor, as this will better service the communities of Saundersfoot, Kilgetty, Begelly and Narberth without undue disadvantage to Tenby residents, whilst reducing the number of vehicles entering Tenby.

- A site at a location which complements the locations of the other sites across the county (i.e. not too close). Other sites include: Waterloo (Pembroke Dock); Hermon; Manorowen; St David’s; and, Winsel (Haverfordwest).

A significant amount of research and investigation was undertaken by Pembrokeshire County Council over a number of years to identify a potential Civic Amenity and Recycling Centre site as a replacement for the existing Tenby facility.

Preferred Site

During the site selection process, a number of potential sites were rejected on the basis that they did not meet key selection criteria.  However, following approaches to a number of land owners in the regions by a local land agent, a site at New Hedges along the A478 was identified. 

The New Hedges site offers physical and site locational advantages, which include:

- A central location in relation to main centres of population at Penally, Tenby, Kilgetty and Saundersfoot

- An existing access road onto the A478 and an existing area of hard standing

- A boundary of mature trees which provide effective screening along the A478 and along the perimeter of the remainder of the site

- A larger site area than the current facility in Tenby that will allow for the effective segregation of different waste streams

- A site area that will allow for the physical separation of the public from operational activities, thereby ensuring the safety of the public and allowing on-going public use of the facility during operational hours

- The opportunity to develop a modern facility capable of serving current and foreseeable recycling needs

This site at New Hedges was identified by Pembrokeshire County Council as the best option for a new Civic Amenity and Recycling Centre, and the Council is confident that its excellent access, its minimal impact on neighbouring properties, and its ability to offer the widest possible range of recycling options in the County, will significantly improve recycling rates in the area.

Concerns

The main concerns that have been raised about the proposed site at New Hedges are its proximity to Brooklands Nursing Home, a specialist care home for elderly patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia.  Concerns raised are predominantly concerning noise, odour and highway access.  Pembrokeshire County Council has undertaken a number of face-to-face meetings over a sustained period with representatives from Brooklands to understand their concerns and to answer their questions about the proposed facility.  

The Council has taken these concerns into great consideration, and has made changes to the plans to ensure that noise and odour from the site will be kept to an absolute minimum, including the introduction of noise barriers.  Specialist experts have been employed to undertake assessments on the site to measure noise impact, and these have proved that the expected impact is minimal.  Odour will not be a problem at the site as any residual waste that cannot be recycled will be kept in enclosed containers which will be positioned at the far end of the site.

As well as meeting with individual members of the community on request, an information exhibition has taken place with members of the local community to answer their questions about the proposed new site at New Hedges.  Steps have also been taken by Pembrokeshire County Council to reassure the local community of the rigorous process that has been undertaken to identify a new site and to put in place measures to ensure the site has as minimal an impact as possible on the surrounding area.

Since the announcement of New Hedges as the preferred site for the new Civic Amenity and Recycling Centre, additional sites have been suggested by individuals.  These have all been carefully considered by Pembrokeshire County Council against the selection criteria, but have all been deemed unsuitable and, therefore, discounted.

Through the extensive site assessment work undertaken, Pembrokeshire County Council has concluded that the only potential location for a Civic Amenity and Recycling Centre is the proposed site at New Hedges.

The following provides responses to questions that have been raised:

What is a Civic Amenity and Recycling Centre and what type of waste will it manage?

Civic Amenity and Recycling Centres are not landfill sites; they are designed specifically to make it easy for the general public to dispose of and recycle their average everyday waste. The proposed facility in New Hedges will cater for general household residual waste (waste that has all recyclable materials taken out) which will be compacted and stored in an enclosed sealed container. It will also handle materials that will be sent away for recycling such as steel and aluminium cans, green garden waste, paper, glass bottles, mattresses, carpets, electrical items such as TVs, and white goods such as fridges and freezers.  

The site will also deal with household materials that fall under the definition of ‘hazardous waste’.  These are materials which you would find in the home such as paints, oils, fluorescent tubes, batteries and other household products.

Why has the site in New Hedges been chosen as the preferred location, surely there are better sites elsewhere in the County?

Pembrokeshire County Council has carried out a detailed and rigorous assessment of possible sites across the South East of the County and the site at New Hedges has been identified as the most appropriate. It has excellent access to it from the A478 and, importantly, is large enough that the facility can be designed in such a way as to minimise any form of impact on neighbouring properties. As an example, the nearest skip will be over 100 metres away from neighbouring residences.

Won’t the site be smelly and attract vermin?

No. Any residual waste that enters the Civic Amenity and Recycling Centre will be compacted and kept in enclosed sealed containers under a canopy, and situated over 130 metres away from the nearest property and over 200 metres from Brooklands Nursing Home. These waste containers will be removed from the site several times a week. The Salterns site in Tenby currently has approximately 160 homes and 40 caravans within 200 metres of the residual waste containers and has not received any complaints about smell from those neighbouring residents.   

Won’t it look unsightly, particularly for people living close by?

No; the facility will be designed to be sympathetic to its environment. The access road into the site and the waste containers situated there will be sunk below road level so as not to be seen by the nearest property or from the main road. In addition, most of the existing shrub and trees will be retained within the landscaping of the proposal.  The proposal also includes new trees and shrub being planted so that the site will not be seen by the nearest property or from the main road.

Will it be noisy?

Detailed assessments have been carried out by noise experts at the site.  The noise levels produced by the facility would be lower than the average background noise already generated by traffic on the A478; the background noise is the lower noise levels which have been recorded on site. The centre of the access road to the site will be over 50 metres away from the nearest residence (Brooklands Nursing Home) whereas the centre of the A478 with fast moving and noisy traffic sits just 18 metres away from Brooklands.  Traffic will enter the site at a slow pace making minimal noise and the design of the facility will act as a barrier to any potential noise. 

Will it result in a large amount of extra traffic?

The A478 currently accommodates an average of 9,900 vehicles a day along its New Hedges route. The new development will have approximately 340 vehicles a day using it, in addition to 3 HGVs (Heavy Goods Vehicles) taking waste from the site. The new development is expected to increase average daily traffic volumes on the A478 to 10,586 vehicles along its New Hedges route, and the resultant traffic impact is expected to be negligible. In addition, the A478 carriageway is forecast to operate well within its design capacity following the opening of the proposed Civic Amenity and Recycling Centre.

How will the new facility help improve recycling rates in the area?

The existing civic amenity site for the South East of Pembrokeshire at The Salterns, Tenby is currently the worst performing site in the County, with a recycling rate of around 60%. This is due to the site’s access problems for users, particularly the fact that many of the containers can only be accessed by users climbing steps up to them.  The lack of space available on site has also meant that recycling facilities have not been able to expand as much as other sites in the County.

The new state-of-the-art facility proposed at New Hedges will have the widest possible range of recycling options in the County, on par with the Waterloo Civic Amenity and Recycling Centre in Pembroke Dock.  Improved public access and safety, changes to traffic management and the segregation of operational and public areas will provide users with a better experience and allow for the collection of good quality recycling materials.  By providing the residents in the South East of Pembrokeshire with improved facilities, it is envisaged that recycling rates at the new facility will increase to above 70%.

If you would like any further information or have any questions which are not answered in this document, please contact Pembrokeshire County Council on 01437 764551 or email wastemanagement@pembrokeshire.gov.uk