Householders in Newtown who have “commercial” vehicles and want to use the town’s recycling and waste centre will soon be able to apply for a permit.
Vans, pick-ups and other commercial vehicles were banned from the centre in Wern Ddu Lane, along with other recycling centres in the county, when the council cut the days it opened in April.
But after its u-turn on times, opening five days a week instead of two, it is also allowing residents with vans and commercial vehicles back into the site if they have a permit.
The original decision was criticised by many.
“The new Commercial Vehicle and Trailer (CVT) permits will allow residents with commercial vehicles and trailers to access the county’s five household waste recycling centres,” said a council statement.
“As well as the introduction of the CVT permits, new opening days at the centres will also come into effect from Friday, 1 September.”
Cllr Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Waste and Recycling, said: “The free permits will allow residents who have to use commercial vehicles to take household material to our centres while allowing the council to control the illegal disposal of commercial waste which would otherwise be at the expense of the council tax payer.
“Residents can apply for the permits from Friday, 1 September and will need to provide a copy of the vehicle registration document and proof of identification to show that they are Powys residents.
“We know that the original ban on commercial vehicles caused concern because of the inconvenience it caused to some residents. We believe that the new CVT permit system is a measured response that allows genuine access to the household waste and recycling centres while still providing some control over the waste that is being taken to our sites.
“Residents will be allowed 12 individual permits which will grant 12 visits per commercial vehicle per household in a year. The applications can be made online and will require scanned documents with household and vehicle details.
“Large vehicles will still not be allowed to use the household waste and recycling centres because they are not generally used as a domestic vehicles and ultimately we have to balance access to the HWRCs against the cost to the tax payer,” he added.
The new opening days will come into effect from Friday, September 1. The current hours at the JPR site in Llandegley will remain in place until the site closes at the end of September.
The new opening days from 1 September are:
Newtown
Monday – 9am-5pm
Tuesday – 9am-5pm
Wednesday – 9am-5pm
Saturday – 10am-4pm
Sunday – 10am-4pm
Welshpool
Wednesday – 9am-5pm
Thursday – 9am-5pm
Friday – 9am-5pm
Saturday – 10am-4pm
Sunday – 10am-4pm
Details of the CVT permit scheme will be available online at www.powys.gov.uk/recycle within the next week.
