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Engagement feedback & planning application

Initial planning submission, August 2024:

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback comments during our public engagement earlier in the summer. There were a number of key themes identified in the engagement feedback which are summarised here:

You Said, We Did

You said you were worried that traffic will queue outside the site waiting to get in

During July 2024 we monitored visitors to Midland Road and found that only 10% of users arrived without a booking. The booking system can be changed so that only a defined number of vehicles will enter the site per time slot allowing for +/- 10% and to manage traffic flows at different times of the day. Midland Road recycling centre is a very constrained site and manoeuvring issues sometimes cause blockages and occasionally users have to be held back while an HGV collects a full skip. These issues will not occur at the Locksbrook Rd site because the car park is larger and easier to navigate and operational vehicles use a separate entrance.

The booking system has a maximum number of 14 bookings per 15 minute time slot and there is room for 16 vehicles within the site. The average time spent unloading is less than 10 minutes so queuing is not at all likely. Finally, we will fund an additional member of staff at the gate who will enforce the booking system and also help customers with mobility issues or heavy items.

You said you were concerned about potential odours and pests from the recycling centre

An Air Quality and Odour Assessment has been carried out which shows that impact of odour from the site will be ‘insignificant’ which is largely because there is no waste processing at the site nor any dedicated food waste collection facility and no refuse trucks will be stored at Locksbrook Road, as happened at Midland Road.  However, in response to concerns raised, skip covers can be used to reduce both odours and the risk of vermin.  Skips will also be changed frequently meaning waste will not be stored on the site for long.  It is worth noting that the EA permit application process will require the site to adequately demonstrate that it has identified odour factors and taken all possible mitigation measures.

You said you were concerned about potential noise from the recycling centre

The layout has been designed so that the operational area is furthest from the existing residential properties. The EA permitting system will require a detailed description of all the mitigations relating to environmental factors. The noise assessment has acknowledged that noise will increase from the site but that this will be during the working day when noise levels area already higher. It has also identified a number of measures which can be taken such as noise barriers and using skips with plastic wheels.

You said you were worried about deteriorating air quality in the area caused by traffic fumes

The Air Quality and Odour Assessment Report states the impact of traffic from the site on pollution levels will be ‘negligible’.  The council measures concentrations of nitrogen dioxide with diffusion tubes currently sited at several locations along Upper Bristol Road and one location on Newbridge Road, these can be viewed at: https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/nitrogen-dioxide-monitoring-data. Since monitoring began at these locations in 2019, the sites have shown continual decreases with concentrations for 2023 lower than the annual average objective of 40 µg/m3. These sites remain in place into 2024.

You said you were concerned about carrying recyclables up the steps or slope to get them into the skips

The proposed gantry arrangement is commonly used in similar facilities across the country. The project team has visited other sites with similar arrangements to inform the design of the proposed recycling centre. The incorporation of ramped access into the design is intended to ease access to the containers for those with mobility challenges, while additional support will be provided by site staff to customers who use wheelchairs, or those who have heavy items. The new recycling centre will have drop-off parking bays for 16 cars, including dedicated disabled parking located close to the bottom of the ramp. 

You said you wanted to see better cycling and walking access to the site

We have widened the footpath into the site from Locksbrook Road and a zebra crossing had been added within the site. There is now also additional cargo bike parking.

Submission of updated plans, November 2024

Following feedback from a range of statutory consultees and the public during the Local Planning Authority’s Statutory Consultation on our submitted plans, we have undertaken further technical work and submitted revised plans.

This process has resulted in substantial revisions and improvements to address those statutory consultation responses. The below is not an exhaustive list, please see the planning application for complete information.

  • The size of the public parking area has been reduced and the entrance narrowed to 6m to ensure impact on the root protection areas around the mature trees to the north of the site is minimised.
  • The hardstanding has been reduced in this area to also ensure minimal impact on the tree roots.
  • The drainage scheme has been altered to further accommodate the root protection areas.
  • The Tree Protection Plan has been amended to include drainage overlay.
  • The removal of one lighting column from root protection zone, as well as surface and perimeter lighting alterations to reduce vertical lux levels and provide uniformity.
  • The traffic management arrangements within the public side of the site have been improved to reduce reversing and the 5 waiting spaces will now be in a line around the edge of the car park area.
  • The double yellow lines have been extended and ‘no loading at any time’ restrictions added to cover the full frontage of the site at the request of B&NES Traffic Management Team.
  • An addendum has been added to the Transport Assessment to address queries raised by the Highway Authority and third-party respondents.
  • The pedestrian access has been moved to the other side of the public entrance to make it easier to access the bring bank and skips on foot.
  • Detail has been added to the Surface Water Drainage Strategy and the Environmental Permit Statement to describe how water used in the event of a fire will be stored.
  • A Land Quality Statement has been added which supersedes the Geotechnical and Geo-Environmental Risk Assessment (Desktop) Study with full interpretation of the Site Investigation results and in response to the Contaminated Land Officer consultation response.
  • An Operational Statement has been added to provide information on the operating hours, opening hours, booking system, tonnages, materials collected / not collected, HGV movements and more.
  • A Landscape Plan and drawings have been added to clarify the planting schemes and the mitigations to be taken following removal of 2 trees along the river towpath.
  • The Ecology Impact Assessment has been updated to include the minor change to the red line boundary.
  • The sloped access to the gantry has been altered and a staircase removed.
  • A solid balustrade is now shown around the gantry to reduce the risk of noise to the east of the site.
  • A Gull Management Plan has been added at the request of B&NES Environmental Health Team.

View the updated planning application

You can view all the updated planning application documents and provide formal comment on the plans on the council’s Planning Portal here.

The main planning document is the Design & Access Statement, which you can download here.