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£1.2m recycling centre for Havant
A state-of-the-art £1.2m recycling centre is set to be built in Havant.
For years residents have struggled to use the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Harts Farm Way because of poor access.
Cars regularly queue up as people try to get into the facility to offload bulky waste, like clothing, furniture and freezers.
But those days are set to be over as Hampshire County Council has confirmed it will overhaul the town's recycling centre - which is the busiest in the county because of its proximity to the A27.
The multi-million pound project will transform the facility with a new dedicated access road, more car parking spaces and more waste container bays.
It will also eliminate the current problem of the recycling centre closing to the public. The gates often have to be shut for health and safety reasons every time a waste container is changed over.
The county council hopes the new facility will be much more 'customer-friendly'.
A bigger centre is more needed than ever as the amount being recycled in Hampshire has more than doubled over the last decade to more than 284,000 tons a year.
The revamp was music to the ears of county councillor Ann Buckley, who represents Bedhampton and Leigh Park, who has been pressing for the makeover.
'I am really delighted it's being updated,' she said.
'We have wanted this for some time. I think it will make a huge difference to local residents. It will solve the dreadful problem in the road and people will not be waiting outside for a long time.
'I think it will encourage more people to bring their waste to the site.'
Although Havant is the busiest recycling centre out of the 24 in the county, the site has one of the lowest recycling rates because of its outdated facilities.
The county council hopes the new-look centre will help boost the town's recycling rates up to 60 per cent in line with other modernised sites.
Approving the plans, Councillor Ken Thornber, leader of Hampshire County Council, said: 'Hampshire has some of the best recycling and waste disposal facilities in Europe and by making it easier for people to recycle their bulky household and garden waste in Havant, we will be able to build on the success Hampshire has already achieved in this field.
'Thanks to the county's impressive recycling rate, together with our three Energy Recovery Facilities, we have been able to divert almost 90 per cent of household waste away from landfill, making Hampshire the top performing county council in this area.' A timescale for the project is not yet clear.
A planning application needs to be submitted and then the county council will have to find a contractor before work can begin.
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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