Relief as decision on Ludlow tip closure is delayed
Campaigners battling to save a tip in Ludlow from closure have welcomed a move to put back the final decision to allow more people to have their say.
Council chiefs had been expected to make a final call on whether Ludlow's Coder Road recycling and waste site would be retained earlier this month following consultation throughout October.
They had previously claimed figures showed it was not used anywhere near as much as other sites in the county and also pointed to well-below average recycling rates.
But a final decision on the site's future is now set to be made in January next year by Councillor Steve Charmley, the council's cabinet member for waste management.
People have until Christmas Eve to make their views known.
It comes after almost 2,000 people signed a petition calling for the centre to be preserved, claiming they would face a nine-mile round trip to Craven Arms to dispose of rubbish and recycling. Former deputy mayor of Ludlow, Amanda Pope, led the petition and said today: "I personally think the delays in making a decision have been a good thing for Ludlow.
"It has enabled the site to be open in the mean time."
Bosses claim the Ludlow site is visited just 25,000 times per year, compared to 750,000 visits for the other five Shropshire centres.
They say it would cost the taxpayer £600,000 to bring Coder Road up to the standard of the others.But supporters of the site insist it is still well-used, and have raised fears of an increase in fly-tipping if it is shut.
