Plans to set aside £2.7 million to build a bulking waste facility at Abermule will return again to the full council in a different guise today.
The move to roll the money over to the next financial year’s budget, known as a “virement”, has now been re-written and is now for a “North Powys Recycling Bulking Facility.”
The original report for the virement had to be withdrawn at the last Full Council meeting on 24 January.
During discussion of the virement at the meeting, several councillors said that they would not support a virement, which was specifically for a bulking facility at Abermule.
This is because they knew that pressure group, Abermule Communities Together (ACT), had identified alternative sites to discuss with the council.
The report states: “Ongoing discussions are being held with the community to ensure the most suitable site for this facility is progressed.”
More than 30 Abermule Communities Together (ACT) protesters were at Llandrindod Wells on January 24.
Later that day ACT leaders met with portfolio holder for Highways, Recyling and Assets, Phyl Davies, and director of environment, Nigel Brinn, for talks on the issues.
One of the sites identified by ACT as an alternative at Cae Post has now been sold.
ACT had been promised the opportunity to find another site by Cllr Phyl Davies at a public meeting in Abermule on 4 December, 2018.
But Abermule continues to be the council’s preferred option.
Director of environment, Mr Brinn, said: “We are doing exactly what we said we would. We are working with them (ACT) to look at and consider all their proposed alternatives.”
The planning application for the site, which was passed by just one vote in August 2018, has been a source of controversy.
Protest group ACT has waged a high profile campaign against the site.
Council officers have stressed that the facility could help the authority deal with hitting the Welsh Government recycling targets of 70 per cent by 2024/25.
They believe the recycling bulking facility is “essential to maximise the efficiency” of the collection vehicles and is “ideally located between the two main population centres of north Powys.”
Photo: Abermule protestors at a previous county council meeting
By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter, Local Democracy Service
