Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

BUILDINGS, LAND AND PROCUREMENT PANEL

EXECUTIVE MEMBER - POLICY AND RESOURCES

ITEM 6

PROJECT APPRAISAL

PROJECT:

PROVISION OF THE NEW ROMSEY HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING CENTRE

COMMENCEMENT DATE:

JUNE 2007

COMPLETION DATE:

DECEMBER 2007

PLANNED YEAR OF START IN ACCORDANCE WITH CAPITAL PROGRAMME: 2007/08

1.

STATEMENT OF NEED/JUSTIFICATION FOR PROJECT

(Client Department)

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The County Council, as Waste Disposal Authority, has a legal obligation to make arrangements for "places to be provided at which persons in its area may deposit their household waste and for the disposal of waste so deposited" (Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 51 (1) (b)).

In Hampshire this responsibility is delivered through the provision of 26 Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs). Of these, 24 sites are provided by the County Council and the two unitary authorities of Southampton City Council and Portsmouth City Council provide one each.

The existing site which serves the Romsey area is the Casbrook HWRC. It is a small `single-level' facility located off Bunny Lane some 2.5 miles north of Romsey. It has been at this location since the mid-1970s.

Since the site opened the population in the catchment area has grown significantly. The need to provide a bigger site to serve the Romsey area residents was acknowledged by the former Public Protection Committee as far back as 1999.

The County Council is the freehold owner of the site which occupies an area of approximately 0.2 acres of land.

The Casbrook HWRC only has the benefit of a temporary planning consent. This consent, which was recently extended, will expire on 31 December 2015.

In 2005/06 Casbrook HWRC received 4,995 tonnes of waste of which 59% was recycled. The rate of waste growth at this site is an average of 7% per year. This reflects the significant increase in population over recent years within the catchment area for this site.

During busy periods the site can get very congested, particularly at weekends during the summer months.

As this is a `single-level' site the compound area has to be temporarily closed (for 20-30 minutes) to the public on health and safety grounds each time a waste container is serviced. This temporary closure can exacerbate traffic congestion (albeit with minimal impact for non-service users), causing cars to wait in a queue which, at busy times, can stretch back onto the main highway, Bunny Lane.

The only long term solution to the problems of customer demand, poor site location, traffic congestion, queuing, and the resulting inconvenience caused to customers, is to provide a modern, purpose-built, larger, `split-level' site. The current site, aside from being poorly located, is unsuitable to accommodate such a facility.

A bigger, `split-level' site will be quicker and easier for customers to use. There will be additional car parking spaces as well as increased on-site car stacking capacity to alleviate the traffic congestion problems experienced at the existing site.

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Targets and Outcomes

Targets and outcomes are to:

(i) provide a larger site to better serve the significantly increased population within the Romsey and Southern Test Valley catchment areas;

(ii) increase the number of waste container bays from 8 at the existing Casbrook HWRC to 12 at the new Romsey HWRC;

(iii) increase the number of parking bays from 9 at the existing Casbrook HWRC to 15 at the new Romsey HWRC;

(iv) increase the `on-site' car stacking capacity from 14 vehicles at the existing Casbrook HWRC to 25 at the new Romsey HWRC;

(v) remove the need to temporarily close the site during the container servicing operation by designing the new HWRC as a `split-level' site whereby customers and container servicing vehicles will be kept fully separated;

(vi) significantly speed up the customer throughput time at the new HWRC by providing a `fit for purpose' modern designed facility; and

(vii) help increase the annual recycling rate at the site from the current 59% towards the target of 65%, as set out in the Waste Management Business Plan.

The overall benefits of the new HWRC will result in a much improved public service for the benefit of local residents.

2.

IMPROVEMENT PROPOSAL (To construct a new `split-level' site on land at Luzborough Depot)

National/County Network and Policies

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Recycling facilities are the most widely used service that benefit Hampshire householders. Furthermore, the importance of HWRCS is likely to continue well into the future.

The provision of a modern, purpose-built, larger, `split-level' type site at Romsey will develop the existing service to a point that will achieve consistently high levels of customer satisfaction and performance results, for example by improving the recycling rate to 65%.

The HWRC improvement programme consists of a series of projects, some large, some small, ranging from the provision of new sites requiring large investment, such as the proposed new Andover HWRC (£1 million from the HWRC capital programme budget), through to modifications at existing sites, such as Basingstoke (£0.6 million from Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) funding) and Segensworth (£0.26 million from Waste and Resources Action Programme funding) to smaller operational changes such as Alton (£50,000 from Defra funding).

This programme of variable expenditure contributes to increased levels of service provision and recycling rates, not only at the sites at which the investment is made but also across the network as a whole.

This is a new site project within the HWRC programme of work to be funded from the capital programme budget allocation of £3 million. There are other smaller HWRC redevelopment schemes which are proposed to be funded from this budget, including the expansion of the Aldershot and Hartley Wintney HWRCs. These are all part of the ongoing HWRC network improvement strategy.

Furthermore, the current contracts for the management of the County Council's HWRCs expire in December 2007. The procurement process for ensuring new HWRC management contracts are in place for January 2008 is already underway. New policies for controlling waste, including curbing commercial waste abuse, are also being developed. These policies will be incorporated into the new HWRC management contracts. The provision of a new site for Romsey is both consistent with and fully supportive of these policies.

Details of Scheme and Design Standards

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The proposal is for the remaining depot area to continue as a chippings depot, for County Council use, through the granting of a new 10 year lease.

The proposed new Romsey HWRC is on a site currently leased by the County Council to store chippings for highway maintenance. It will be a linear style `split-level' HWRC with 6 double container bays, giving 12 container bays in total. There will also be adequate provision for hardstanding waste storage areas.

The design will aim to achieve the objective of all container servicing being carried out from the lower area. This will leave the upper area dedicated to customers and thus minimise disruptions and inconvenience to them, as well as speeding up throughput times. The additional benefit of this arrangement will be a significant improvement to the health and safety of customers whilst they are visiting the site.

The provision of 15 parking bays, plus 10 car stacking spaces within the HWRC compound area and a further 15 vehicle stacking capacity on the access road, will help prevent the traffic congestion and queuing problems associated with the existing site.

The existing access to the depot is from Highwood Lane. If the depot is redeveloped this is still the preferred point of entry. However, both the depot entrance area and the stretch of Highwood Lane from Botley Road to the depot entrance would need widening and improving for visibility purposes. In addition to the necessary highway improvements, traffic calming schemes on roads adjacent to the depot site will be evaluated. It is also intended that access to the new site from Highwood Lane will be restricted to cars turning left only.

The off-site and on-site proposed highway improvement works would represent an investment in the County Council's asset of acquiring the freehold interest in that part of the Luzborough Depot where the new HWRC would be built. Subject to the granting of the necessary approvals, including planning consent, it is proposed that construction work will start in June 2007. The new HWRC will take approximately six months to complete, and is provisionally scheduled to open to the public in December 2007.

During construction of the new site the existing Casbrook HWRC will continue to provide a normal service. Once the new site becomes operational it is possible that the existing HWRC might be retained for an initial trial period of up to one year. This will depend upon the outcome of the HWRC contract retendering exercise and the degree to which sufficient finance will be available to support continuing site management fees.

Regardless of whether the existing facility is retained it would be prudent to include the site in the new Minerals and Waste Development Framework list of sites for future use. Alternatively, if the site is considered to be surplus to requirements a further option would be to sell it and to realise a capital receipt.

By being on the east side of Romsey the proposed new HWRC will not only be more accessible to Romsey residents but will also better serve southern Test Valley residents, eg from North Baddesley and Valley Park.

A location plan showing the position of the existing and proposed HWRC is attached. A drawing showing the proposed layout of the new HWRC and the area of land to be retained as a chippings depot will be displayed at the meeting.

The proposed Luzborough depot development will be funded from the capital programme allocation of £3 million (£1 million per year for three consecutive years from 1 April 2005) for major HWRC redevelopment and relocation schemes.

Environmental Impact

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The waste recycled at the 26 HWRCs represents nearly half of all the household waste recycled in Hampshire. As such these sites play a vital role in helping to achieve Project Integra's recycling targets. HWRCs also make a significant contribution towards combating fly-tipping.

The proposed site is considered to meet planning policies in terms of its environmental impact. The proposed design will include the use of landscape screening to reduce its visual impact and the development proposal includes necessary highway improvements.

Land Requirements

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A minimum area of 0.75 acres of land on either an existing industrial estate, land designated for industrial use or a brownfield site is required for the proposed new HWRC.

After an extensive site search over the past two to three years the Luzborough Depot, ideally situated approximately one mile east of Romsey, was the only site identified which came anywhere close to meeting the site search criteria and where the owners expressed a willingness to sell.

After lengthy and protracted negotiations, the County Council reached agreement with the landowners in March 2006 on the Heads of Terms for land acquisition. Approximately 0.35 hectares (0.87 acres) of land will be purchased freehold for construction of the new HWRC. The remaining 0.65 hectares (1.6 acres) will be leased to the County Council for a term of 10 years to provide a retained chippings depot facility.

Statutory Procedures

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In order for the proposed new Romsey HWRC to be constructed it will require planning consent. The planning application will be submitted to the County Council, as Waste Planning Authority, and considered by the Regulatory Committee.

Before the new HWRC can become operational it will need to be granted a Waste Management Licence by the Environment Agency.

Public Consultation

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No specific public consultation has been carried out for this proposal other than a recent (20 September 2006) presentation to the Romsey Residents' Forum. Residents at the meeting were able to discuss the proposed development in detail and a range of views, positive and negative, were expressed. The process of dealing with the planning application will involve the usual statutory consultation procedures. In addition, a public exhibition will be held.

The last extensive full market research exercise for the whole HWRC network was carried out in mid-2003 by consultants Miller Associates who were appointed by the County Council. Amongst the information collected from customers using the sites the following findings emerged:

(i) 92% are satisfied with the service provided;

(ii) 58% use the sites for delivering bulky household items; and

(iii) 51% use the sites to deliver their garden waste.

It is evident from these research results that the HWRC network in Hampshire is providing an essential public service which is highly regarded by local residents.

However, in terms of suggested improvements, 51% wanted measures to be taken to reduce traffic congestion.

The new Romsey HWRC will lead to the provision of an improved service for local residents by addressing key issues identified in market research work in terms of how the site is designed.

Local Members' Views

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The local Member, Councillor Perry, has been consulted and has objected to the chosen location for the new HWRC. His objections are principally planning-related issues, eg traffic impact, intrusion for nearby residents, the location in a very narrow gap of open countryside and implications for possible future development of the depot site. All the issues raised will be reviewed prior to the submission of the planning application. The Regulatory Committee will determine whether the issues have been satisfactorily dealt with in reaching a decision to approve or reject the planning application.

Councillors Cooper and Woodhall have also been informed of the proposed new HWRC scheme, and their comments are awaited. Councillor Dowden, who represents residents in the southern Test Valley area, has expressed his support for the scheme.

Impact Assessments

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The proposed new Romsey HWRC has 15 allocated parking spaces and one of these is designated for disabled drivers. This space is located close to, and within sight of, the site staff hut to ensure that if help is requested it can easily be provided.

An `Accessibility Audit' was undertaken across the HWRC network in 2004 and a variety of issues raised with the aim of improving access to sites for the benefit of all customers. The design of the new Romsey HWRC will take these findings into account with the aim of safeguarding the health and safety of all customers using the site.

Assessment of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act has been considered in the development of this proposal. No adverse impact has been identified in terms of race, creed or gender.

Maintenance Implications

2.35

The management contractor appointed to operate the new Romsey HWRC on behalf of the County Council will have a contractual duty to:

(i) keep the whole HWRC area clean and tidy, including regular sweeping of the compound area and collection of any wind-blown material either in or around the site; and

(ii) check regularly all the site furniture, including waste containers, fencing and entrance gates, and report any damage or vandalism to the County Council.

Crime and Disorder Act 1998

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The preliminary design for the proposed new Romsey HWRC features a steel palisade boundary fence and entrance gates at 2.4 metres high. The site will be fully staffed during opening hours and the entrance gates will be locked when the site is closed.

There will be an information sign at the entrance to the new site giving details of an emergency contact telephone number in the event of vandalism or any similar event needing to be reported.

The County Council is also currently considering installing closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras at all the HWRCs for which it is responsible. If this is decided, then provision for a CCTV camera system at the new Romsey HWRC will be incorporated into the design of the site.

Sustainability

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The design and construction of the new HWRC will aim to maximise the opportunity to incorporate the principles of sustainable development.

The tenderers for the construction contract will be asked to submit prices for using recycled materials where these are available, and where they meet the British Standards specification.

The new HWRC will be specifically designed to enable additional recycling facilities to be provided.

3.

IMPROVEMENT - ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED

(Client Department)

3.1

Alternative options considered and discounted on the grounds of being unable to meet the requirements for improving the HWRC service for the Romsey area included:

(i) retaining the existing Casbrook HWRC in Timsbury exactly as it is, without carrying out any improvements - the site is too small to cope with any increasing local population, is a `single-level' site which requires regular closing for bin changes and perhaps most importantly of all is poorly located;

(ii) redeveloping the existing Casbrook HWRC to provide a slightly larger `single-level' site - this option will again not properly cater for user demand, will still mean site closure for bin changes and does not address the inappropriate location issue;

(iii) redeveloping the existing Casbrook HWRC to provide a small `split-level' site - this option was discounted on engineering grounds. The current HWRC is immediately adjacent to a closed landfill site. It is not deemed sensible or economic to disturb part of the landfill site in order to provide a larger HWRC footprint; and

(iv) providing a new `split-level' HWRC on land located adjacent to the existing Casbrook HWRC - this option is likely to cost as much as the Luzborough Depot proposal, is arguably more in the open countryside and again will not serve a wider catchment area than the existing site. It is therefore not an economical proposition.

This proposal does not link to the Corporate Strategy but, nevertheless, requires a decision because it improves an important service to residents and will lead to higher recycling levels in accordance with the Hampshire Municipal Waste Management Strategy and the Minerals and Waste Local Development Framework Core Strategy.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1.

Published works.

2.

Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE

LOCATION

Correspondence File (20/15/35)

Project Box File

Environment Department

Room 216