Concerns over plans for changes to operating hours at Northamptonshire recycling centre

Changes to the deposit return scheme (DRS) coming into effect on October 27 bring a ‘significant structural change’ to the national waste landscape, which has caused the centre in Grendon Road, Earls Barton to apply to change its operating hours to align with the national shift.

The DRS is a nationwide scheme which will see customers pay a refundable deposit for certain single-use drink containers, and as such existing recycling facilities will be needed to process what is anticipated to be an increase in waste.

Currently, condition 5 attached to planning permission granted in May 2011 states ‘development and operations’ are restricted to between the hours of 5.30am and 11am Monday to Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, however the applicant, Re.Group is looking to change the wording, where ‘no deliveries or exports of materials’ will take place between the hours of 11pm and 5.30am on Monday to Fridays, Saturdays and Bank Holidays.

A planning document reads: "The proposed wording removes restrictions on recycling operations within the building. This will allow the internal processing of material to continue overnight and provide the flexibility Re.Group requires to operate the site as part of a wider strategic network.”

There will still be no loading, unloading, or baling taking place between 5.30am and 6.30am on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Plans also intend to remove conditions 11, 12, and 13, which relate to the catchment area of the recycling centre. Condition 11 notes dry recyclable waste materials to be processed at the site must originate from sources within a 30-mile radius, with condition 12 noting the same for skip waste materials, and condition 13 says waste paper and card should come from no further than a 50-mile radius from the Grendon Road site.

However, the applicant says the conditions are no longer compatible with the DRS requirements for the facility and should be removed to allow the site to accommodate any additional waste from other facilities within the strategic network without causing a waste backlog, where required.

The proposed changes have raised concerns from some residents who live nearby, who have criticised the proposal due to its potential for noise pollution, an increase in traffic and the possibility for disturbances during the night.

One commenter has objected to the proposal, saying: “My biggest concern is the proposal to allow the recycling operation to continue overnight. The existing restrictions on operating hours were put in place to prevent disturbance to nearby homes.

“Allowing the site to operate and process waste throughout the night could result in ongoing noise and disturbance from machinery, vehicles, forklifts, doors and general activity.

"As someone living directly opposite the site, I am concerned that this could have a real impact on sleep and the quality of life of residents, particularly during the quieter night-time hours.

"The existing restrictions provide an important level of protection for local residents and I believe they should remain in place.”

A second objection has raised further concerns, saying: “Number one will be the noise and amount of traffic, six to seven days a week.

“We are all senior citizens getting on in years, and the amount of traffic down this road is unbearable. Three times I've applied for a 30mph speed limit, we can't get across the road because the tip of lorries and the amount of traffic. Our grandchildren take their lives into their own and running across the road to try to get to the school in the village, the noise from the bottle recycling is going to keep us all awake.

"We do need a bit of peace in our late years now, traffic and time needs to be restricted and a 30mph speed limit on the road.”

Another objection has cited the site’s ‘imposing’ trading hours proposed.

They added: “The proposed hours of trading are also imposing on those of us living nearby. The lorries that will be going in and out at all hours will be disruptive to the countryside peace and quiet that many of us here currently enjoy.

"We don't want to be laying in bed of an evening hearing the lorries thundering up and down not only Grendon Road, but also the slip road down to the recycling centre at all hours while we're trying to sleep."

The full application can be found online here or by searching 26/02043/WVAR on the North Northants Council planning portal.