Controversial waste plant voted through

11:35am Thursday 9th October 2008

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A controversial plan for a materials recovery facility in the open countryside in Glanrhyd has been voted through by Pembrokeshire County Council's planning committee, against the advice of the county council's planning officers.

The authority's director of development had recommended that the application made by JL Rees for the site next to the Clunderwen Farmers' Distribution depot be turned down.

"This is a massive development which is totally in open countryside," he said. "Do we need it in this very visual area of Pembrokeshire? If we support this and go against the officer's

Cllr Malcolm Calver

Saying in his report that the application was not compatible with the relatively quiet rural surrounding, that it would be visually intrusive, out of character with the surroundings and would be "unacceptably harmful to the rural character of the area".

The application to process 25,000 tonnes of skip waste per year, with an average of 46 lorries visiting the site daily, generated strong debate among councillors, many of whom had visited the proposed site on October 1st.

Cllr Brian Hall was the first to speak out in favour: "If this takes place it will increase our recycling targets and it is not at our expense," he said. "The impact on the people we represent for not achieving our recycling targets means a surcharge from the assembly that will affect rate payers. It is essential that we get this. This is a fantastic opportunity and an ideal site."

Cllr Jamie Adams was another in favour of the development, pointing out that other suggested sites in the north of the county were inappropriate and that planning guidelines did not specifically exclude rural locations for this kind of development.

Among those speaking against the development was Cllr Malcolm Calver.

"This is a massive development which is totally in open countryside," he said. "Do we need it in this very visual area of Pembrokeshire? If we support this and go against the officer's recommendation planning in this county is a farce."

The committee voted 14 to four for approving the plan, with one abstention. As the approval goes against planning officer's recommendations it will now have to go before full council, if passed by the council it will then go before the Welsh Assembly.