A WASTE transfer station to be sited near a residential area in Knaresborough could become reality unless local people speak out and voice their objections.
The call for action has come from Coun Ivor Fox (Scriven) and County Coun Richard Hall (Knaresborough East).
Although the public consultation period closed on December 24 for people to have their say about the proposed waste disposal site on Bar L
ane, off Boroughbridge Road, local residents must write to North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) with their views, say the councillors, because a planning application will be put in shortly.
Coun Fox said: “It is estimated that this will mean 60 wagon movements per day, with the vast majority having to go through Bond End.
“The traffic at the moment is a major problem, especially at this heavily used crossroads. This additional heavy traffic will simply create further chaos.
“There will also be the added traffic problems caused by the even larger wagons which will move the different classes of waste, including industrial, from the waste transfer station along Boroughbridge Road, A6055, through Ferrensby and Minskip to the A1.
“This road already has a high accident rate. The odds are that, with additional heavy wagon traffic, the accident rate will probably increase.”
Classed as a ‘preferred site’ in North Yorkshire, the Bar Lane site would be a collecting point for household and commercial waste from across Harrogate and Knaresborough.
Two other potential sites being looked at are in Flaxby and Allerton Park.
County Coun Hall said: “Firstly, the necessary planning permission is needed and then the infrastructure needs to be in place in advance, with the site prepared for the waste processing facilities to be built.
“I would encourage people to write to NYCC with their views. I’m very concerned about the traffic implications through the centre of Knaresborough.”
Richard Flinton, the county council’s Director, Business and Environment Services, said it was working hard to deliver a sustainable waste strategy for the next 25 years.
“One element of this is the provision of new household waste reception and transfer facilities across the county. These facilities handle residual municipal waste – the rubbish that remains after recycling and waste reduction activities have taken place.
“NYCC will be submitting a planning application for a reception and transfer facility to handle household waste generated within Harrogate Borough on a site at Farnham Quarry, Bar Lane, Knaresborough later this year.
“As part of the planning application process local people and a range of statutory consultees will be invited to comment. . . An informal pre-application consultation exercise is already underway to develop the final details of the application.
“Household waste collected by Harrogate Borough Council will be delivered in refuse collection vehicles to the facility.
The full article contains 461 words and appears in Knaresborough Post newspaper.
