The new Recycling Centre will be within the current Waste Transfer Station operated by FCC Environment, the council’s partner which manages all of Suffolk’s 11 recycling centres.
Planning permission was granted in November 2021 and an environmental permit to operate has also been granted by the Environment Agency.
Pre-construction planning conditions have been discharged in preparation.
The county council is now concluding landowner negotiations before construction work can begin.
Providing this is achieved construction should commence in June 2023.
Councillor Richard Smith, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Transport Strategy and Waste, said:
“This is another step along the way towards a much-needed new recycling centre for Haverhill and the surrounding area.
“With the population of west Suffolk continuing to grow it is important the right facilities are in place to assist with recycling and disposal of waste.
“People can be assured that we are working hard to bring this new site into being, and I am confident that this time next year Haverhill residents will have a new site with much better facilities and access, serving the area for many years to come.”
The benefits of this scheme will be:
- A new, purpose-designed recycling centre
- A raised mezzanine platform to provide customers with an elevated position from which to safely dispose of waste - removing the need for steps
- An easy-to-use layout allowing customers to access clearly marked recycling bays
- Removing the need to close the facility to service the containers
- Improving accessibility and increasing capacity
- Introducing greater separation between public vehicles and larger vehicles
The new design will provide queuing capacity within the site and improved access from the public highway compared to the Chalkstone Way site.
The replacement recycling centre will overcome increasing demand at Chalkstone Way and meet the needs created by forecasted housing growth in the area.
The waste transfer station – which takes waste collected locally and bulks it for onward reprocessing – will continue to operate at Homefield Road alongside the new recycling centre
The raised level construction will improve access to the containers for site users by removing the need for stairs.
It also means containers can continue to be emptied without the need to close the site.
The project sees FCC Environment and Suffolk County Council working as part of the Suffolk Waste Partnership with West Suffolk Council.
