Labour and Conservatives clash over location of forthcoming waste sites.
Milton Keynes City Council’s Labour leadership has said it will push ahead with its plans to open new recycling centres in the city, despite strong opposition from protestors.
Labour’s plan is to shut the current recycling centres in Newport Pagnell, New Bradwell and Bleak Hall, which it sees at outdated and inadequate, and replace them with more modern centres in Old Wolverton and Snelshall, near Tattenhoe.
But the Conservative-led opposition says the new site planned for Tattenhoe will bring ‘increased traffic, unpleasant odours, and disruptive noise’ and they have launched a petition and planned a meeting to demand the council reconsiders its plans. The petition has so far attracted more than 1000 signatures.
“This waste site will be larger than the three currently running, combined,” says Shazna Muzammil, Conservative councillor for Tattenhoe, on the petition which she started.
“With additional traffic expected not only from this site but also from the Salden Chase, Shenley Park, and Tattenhoe Park developments, safety and daily convenience will be compromised.”
However, Labour councillors say the new recycling centres would have state-of-the-art facilities, be energy efficient, improve traffic management and enhance accessibility. They say the Snelshall site would include a re-use centre that would ensure items that are still working can be given a new home rather than be destroyed.
Milton Keynes already has one of the highest recycling rates in the UK, and the council plans to push this even further to reduce waste, recycle more and enable the sustainable reuse of more items.
Council heads say they will not allow misinformation and misunderstanding to stall the plans, adding they will ‘take on the blockers’.
“Labour’s plans to provide new state of the art recycling centres are the right thing to do, and we will not allow blockers to stop what is best for the city,” said Cllr Peter Marland, leader of Milton Keynes City Council.
“The new centres provide better facilities, in better locations with improved access and fewer traffic issues than current sites, while increasing the level of recycling and reducing the number of good items in perfect working order being sent for scrap.
“We will always listen and address genuine concerns, but we won’t be stopped by those that simply choose to mislead the public or who just don’t like change for the better. Our job is to improve the services we provide to residents across the city, and we will get on and do that.”
