Application to store waste containers would '˜remove all control' from North Horsham site

Permission to allow the district council to store waste containers at a North Horsham site would '˜remove all control', residents have warned.
cleared from horsham graphics ENGSNL00120111110085912cleared from horsham graphics ENGSNL00120111110085912
cleared from horsham graphics ENGSNL00120111110085912

Horsham District Council has leased part of the Britaniacrest operated site at the former Wealden Brickworks since December 2013 to transfer sealed domestic and garden waste ‘pods’ from its collection vehicles.

But West Sussex County Council, which is the waste planning authority, has decided this is in breach of a condition stopping the site from being used as a base or storage area for activities not relating to the site’s operation by the company.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Britaniacrest has put in an application to WSCC to remove this condition, but Langhurstwood Road residents have called for it to be rejected as it would ‘remove all control’ and give the company the ‘ability to allow all and sundry to use their Wealden site’.

A spokesman for Horsham District Council said: “Horsham District Council started leasing part of the Britaniacrest site in December 2013 to transfer the sealed domestic and garden waste pods from our roll on, roll off side loader collection vehicles.

“Smaller tug vehicles collect full pods from the site, empty them at the council’s disposal site, and return empty pods to complete the transfer process. This process saves considerable time for our refuse collection vehicles enabling them to keep to tight collection schedules for the benefit of our residents.

“Transferring pods on and off of side loading collection vehicles requires significant space and the Britaniacrest site is the only site in the north of Horsham that can accommodate this activity.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“There are in the region of 25 pods at the site at any one time.”

Britaniacrest’s planning statement explains that the containers deliver waste to other facilities on the former brickworks site at either the landfill or mechanical biological treatment facilities and are therefore coming to the location anyway.

The statement added: “As such the application site provides a valuable storage facility which means that the waste containers do not have to leave the site for parking elsewhere which would generate additional vehicle trips and unnecessary mileage.”

It argues that by removing the condition the storage of the containers would be authorised and be subject to the same environmental controls of other planning conditions on site.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But Brian Johnson, on behalf of the Langhurstwood Road Residents Group, has written to WSCC stating that the purpose of the condition was to ensure that the site was used for Britaniacrest’s waste recycling operations only.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be among the first to know what’s going on.

1 Make our website your homepage at www.wscountytimes.co.uk

3 Follow us on Twitter @wscountytimes

4 Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!

The County Times – always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.