County council will not buy recycling centre

Gloucestershire County Council has announced it will not be taking on a closed recycling centre.

Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) closed Swindon Road Household Recycling Centre temporarily on 10 January and hoped that the county council (GCC) would buy it.

The site needed a £1m funding boost to comply with new environmental regulations.

CBC said it was exploring other options and added that Cheltenham residents would be "disappointed" by the news.

In a statement, GCC said it believed there was "enough capacity" at other household recycling sites in Gloucestershire to accommodate residents' needs.

It also said the site required "significant investment to get it to the same standard as others" and was not in an "optimal location".

It added: "Typically, district or borough councils don't run HRCs and this is something that falls to county councils.

"Within the county there are five sites providing high quality waste and recycling facilities to the residents of Gloucestershire.

"The cost to upgrade and run the site would be significant - £1m to upgrade with year-on-year costs of upwards of £600,000, based on CBC figures."

Wingmoor Farm, near Bishops Cleeve, and the recycling centre in Hempsted, Gloucester, have been suggested as alternatives to residents who used the Swindon Road site.

"Both sites have had, or are due to have, investment to upgrade them and provide new services like reuse shops," the council said.

GCC would consider opening Wingmoor Farm for seven days a week from 1 March to meet an expected increase in demand and may make this a "permanent change if the data shows it is needed", the council added.

It said it may also open "enhanced recycling banks in local communities".

Izaac Tailford, CBC cabinet member for waste and recycling, said: "Cheltenham residents will be disappointed to hear that the county council are not willing to take on the Swindon Road HRC.

"As the responsible authority for household recycling centres in the county, it would have been good for them to show this commitment to our town and its residents.

"I hope the county council will reconsider the option to take on Swindon Road HRC but, for now, we will move forward with assessing its future based on their current response."

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