VIEWS are being sought on a waste strategy that will virtually eradicate the need for landfill in the East Sussex area.
East Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and the South Downs National Park Authority will be asking people to have their final say on the joint Waste and Minerals Sites Plan during an eight week final consultation which runs from Wednesday, October 28 to Wednesday, December 23.
The Plan, which has been updated following public consultation last year, identifies further potential recycling and recovery sites to meet the need for increased waste treatment capacity and so eradicate the need for landfill in the East Sussex area.
The last landfill site in East Sussex, at Pebsham, closed in November 2013 and only a relatively small amount of municipal material is now sent to landfill sites out of the county.
Identified sites, none of which would be used for landfill, include specific waste sites and new development areas which could accommodate recycling and recovery facilities. Some extensions to existing sites and certain industrial estates are also identified as being suitable for waste facilities.
Sites on the list have been chosen to avoid impacts on environmentally sensitive areas and none of them fall within the South Downs National Park.
Cllr Carl Maynard, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for transport and economy, said: “In East Sussex and Brighton and Hove, we have already made huge strides in encouraging more people to recycle, but to enable us to achieve the high targets we’ve set for ourselves, we need more recycling and recovery sites.
“Virtually no household waste now goes to landfill and the proposals in the plan would serve mostly commercial and industrial waste. The consultation is the final opportunity for people to have their say on the plan before it submitted to the Secretary of State for public examination.”
The three authorities have identified a capacity gap for waste management facilities equivalent to around five major sites or 15 smaller sites.
Cllr Gill Mitchell, lead member for environment and sustainability at Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “Along with every local authority in the country, Brighton & Hove is planning for the city’s potential waste management needs over the next 20 years.
“Waste management is an area where technology is improving all the time and, where waste facilities are required, this is helping to hugely reduce the impact on sites and surrounding areas.”
Two allocated sites in the city, Hangleton Bottom and Sackville Coal Yard, have been saved for waste management use since the 2006 Waste Local Plan. No decisions have been taken to put waste facilities on either site; they have been assessed as being suitable, in principle, for waste treatment and are part of the planning for potential future need.
Tim Slaney, director of planning for the South Downs National Park Authority, said: “We’ve worked closely with East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council to establish the requirements for minerals and waste sites across the county, including the recycling and modern processing facilities that are required over the next 13 years.
“One of the criteria of the adopted Waste and Minerals Plan is to ensure that new major waste sites are away from sensitive areas and for this reason there are no proposed sites within the South Downs National Park.”
Members of the public are being invited to comment on the soundness of the plan and whether it is legally compliant. All comments received will be submitted, together with the Plan, to be considered by an independent Planning Inspector during a Public Examination process.
To comment, visit consult.eastsussex.gov.uk
A series of drop-in sessions are being held across East Sussex to allow people to find out more about potential sites for waste recycling and recovery.
Drop-in sessions, which will allow people to find out more about the locations identified in the plan and put their questions to the experts, will be held on the following dates:
Wednesday, November 4 – 10.30am-2.30pm
Bexhill Library, Western Road, Bexhill on Sea
Friday, November 6 – 11am-3pm
Hastings Library, Brassey Institute, 13 Claremont, Hastings
Monday, November 9 – 10.30am-2.30pm
Newhaven Library, High Street, Newhaven
Wednesday, November 11 – 10am-2pm
Brighton Customer Service Centre, Bartholomew House, Bartholomew Square
Tuesday, November 17 – 10am-2pm
Hove Town Hall, Customer Service Centre, Hove Town Hall, Norton Road
Wednesday, November 18 – 9.30am-1pm
Lewes Library, Styles Field, Friars Walk, Lewes
Tuesday, November 24 – 10am-2pm
Eastbourne Library, Grove Road, Eastbourne
Wednesday, November 25 – 10am-2pm
Uckfield Library, High Street, Uckfield
Friday, November 27 – 10am-2pm
Hailsham Library, Western Road, Hailsham