Council lodges plan to tackle controversial recycling centre opposition

The application has been submitted by Louise Evans of Powys County Council for the controversial North Powys Bulking Facility in Abermule near Newtown.

The water tank will be a central part of the council’s new application to environment body, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) for an environment permit to run the facility.

The last permit application was rejected back in March and the main reason behind the refusal was the supply of water if a fire happened at the site.

Mrs Evans explains in the application that the water tank would provide the “primary source of water” if a fire were to break out.

Mrs Evans said: “This tank is in addition to the local water hydrants adopted by the Mid and West Wales Fire Service and is in accordance with the Environmental Permit application for the site to NRW.”

To make way for the tank, an area of vegetation will need to be cleared 15 metres outside the development boundary at the site.

And the protected species, Great Crested Newts living there.

Environmental consultants, Middlemarch has said in a document lodged with the plans, that thorough searches of the patch need to be done before building work can start.

They also say that if any Great Crested Newts are found on site when a “qualified ecologist” is not present – work would need to stop until the licensed ecologist for the site arrives and an “appropriate way forward” is identified.

Planners have a deadline of August 2 to decide the application.

The controversial £4.3 million bulking facility is supposed to receive recycling collected from households across Montgomeryshire, where it will be squashed together or “bulked,” so that it can be more easily transported to processors to turn into new products.

The council have stressed that the facility is needed so that they can hit Welsh Government recycling targets.