Westbury Waste Treatment Sites

Westbury is getting ever-closer to becoming the 'dumping ground' for Wiltshire's waste. 

After plans were approved by Wiltshire Council recently, Westbury faces the possibility of having four waste treatment and disposal plants on the outskirts. Three sites identified in the plan are, The Lafarge site, West Wilts Trading Estate and Northacre Trading Estate and these are in addition to a £20 million waste treatment plant already being built; Westbury's Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) plant on the Northacre Trading Estate.

The council plan, which identifies 35 "preferred sites" for development across Wiltshire and Swindon, is intended to cope with an increase in waste up to 2026. Councillors approved the draft Development Plan Document on Tuesday, which will be sent off for consideration by a Government planning inspector. 

Mayor David Windess said: "I can see the sense in having new waste sites, but to have three of them all around Westbury is disgusting. One would be fine; two would be pushing it, since there is already one waste plant in the town and no household recycling centre, something local people actually want. It is only a plan at the moment, of course, but, as usual, it seems the council regards Westbury as the dumping ground of Wiltshire. I'm not happy about it.  It just strikes me that as far as Wiltshire's cabinet is concerned, Westbury is just a dumping ground. Wiltshire is a big area, I'm sure they can come up with some other places. Why should the people of Westbury be treated with any difference to the rest of the county? We're the tax payers that pay their wages so when are they going to start listening. Come on Wiltshire Council, get your finger out and look at the people you represent. Three sites out of 13 is an absolute outrage".

Councillor Russell Hawker commented "To my mind the main real issue worth focussing on is all the lorry journeys that would be generated and the need to upgrade the A350 to cope with this traffic properly and take it around Westbury with an appropriate bypass, which now can only mean a western bypass".

A report presented to the cabinet meeting last month stated: 'The location of three strategic sites in the Westbury community area was questioned as being disproportionate with the rest of Wiltshire and Swindon. The proposals in the Westbury area are still considered to offer the best potential for future waste management development and appropriately located in terms of the local highway network. Over 100 potential waste sites have been appraised since 2005 and the remaining sites are those which are considered to be the best and most deliverable'.

Possible uses for the three sites of Lafarge, West Wilts Trading Estate and Northacre Trading Estate include:

• Waste treatment - facilities for the treatment of waste which could include mechanical biological treatment, anaerobic digestion, energy from waste. 

• Materials recovery facility - collecting, separating, sorting and bulking a wide range of waste materials prior to transfer. 

• Waste Transfer Station - a depot where waste is deposited, sorted, bulked and then transferred.

• Local recycling - collecting, storing, and bulking particular waste materials prior to transfer, which can include metal recycling, car de-pollution, and waste electrical and electronic equipment facilities 

• Household Recycling Centre (proposed at West Wilts Trading Estate or Lafarge) - public facilities, where household waste can be taken for recycling.

So what are your views about Westbury having so many different 'waste' sites?