Waste acceptance hours on bank holidays at site north of Horsham extended

Members of the planning and rights of way committee gave the nod to the application for the Mechanical and Biological Treatment Facility, in Langhurstwood Road.

The decision will allow the facility to open for an extra five hours on each of the eight bank holidays – closing at 3pm rather than the current 10am.

A ‘Saturday catch-up’ will also be allowed after the Christmas bank holidays, with the site closing at 3pm rather than noon.

The changes mean the maximum number of HGVs allowed to go to and from the site on public holidays will increase from 108 journeys to 150.

The type and volume of waste accepted at the 5.5 hectare site will not change, sticking at 327,000 tonnes per year.

The increase in HGV movements prompted objections from North Horsham Parish Council and the Langhurstwood Road Residents’ Association.

The latter called the plans ‘a further downward drift on the quality of our lives along Langhurstwood Road, from infernal increases in traffic, particularly HGVs in this case’.

The committee, though, gave its unanimous support.

While the district and borough councils are responsible for collecting rubbish, the county council is responsible for its disposal.

A report said there was a need for the extra hours as it would ensure the various councils had more flexibility when it came to the separation and collection of waste, adding: “The development would meet an identified need, be of benefit to the public, and would support the efficient movement of waste up the waste hierarchy.”