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Recycling site construction work stops
26/03/2020 @ 10:59
Work constructing the controversial £4 million Abermule Recycling site has stopped for now, say Powys County Council.
On Tuesday, the first day of the UK wide lockdown to combat coronavirus, villagers were surprised and concerned to see that construction workers were on site.
A spokesperson for Abermule Communities Together) (ACT) pressure group, said: “It was very selfish and irresponsible of PCC and their contractors to have just bashed on regardless with work on this non-essential orders when others are following the orders of staying at home.
“It shouldn’t have taken complaints from concerned local residents for work to stop.”
Work on construction sites has been a grey area of concern since UK prime minister Boris Johnson announced the stricter measures to combat coronavirus.
Calls were made to clarify the rules.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet, Michael Gove, has clarified that construction sites should stay open and builders follow social distancing measures.
A spokesperson for PCC, said: “We agreed with contractors to stop work at the site yesterday.
“However, the contractors needed to ensure that the infrastructure that has been completed so far was safe and secure for the foreseeable future and also had to ensure that the site was secured.
“Contractors were arranging for their plant equipment to be moved from the site as well so there could be minor activity at the site today (Wednesday – March 25) but construction has stopped.”
In August 2018, planning permission was given for the £4 million Bulking Recyle Facility (BRF)
In May 2019 the PCC cabinet voted unanimously in favour of going ahead with it after a Full Council meeting had urged them to refuse it.
PCC has stressed that the facility is to help the authority deal with hitting the Welsh Government recycling targets of 70 per-cent by 2024/25.
It believes the bulking recycle facility is “essential to maximise the efficiency” of the collection vehicles and is “ideally located between the two main population centres of north Powys.”
On Tuesday, the first day of the UK wide lockdown to combat coronavirus, villagers were surprised and concerned to see that construction workers were on site.
A spokesperson for Abermule Communities Together) (ACT) pressure group, said: “It was very selfish and irresponsible of PCC and their contractors to have just bashed on regardless with work on this non-essential orders when others are following the orders of staying at home.“It shouldn’t have taken complaints from concerned local residents for work to stop.”
Work on construction sites has been a grey area of concern since UK prime minister Boris Johnson announced the stricter measures to combat coronavirus.
Calls were made to clarify the rules.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet, Michael Gove, has clarified that construction sites should stay open and builders follow social distancing measures.
A spokesperson for PCC, said: “We agreed with contractors to stop work at the site yesterday.
“However, the contractors needed to ensure that the infrastructure that has been completed so far was safe and secure for the foreseeable future and also had to ensure that the site was secured.
“Contractors were arranging for their plant equipment to be moved from the site as well so there could be minor activity at the site today (Wednesday – March 25) but construction has stopped.”
In August 2018, planning permission was given for the £4 million Bulking Recyle Facility (BRF)
In May 2019 the PCC cabinet voted unanimously in favour of going ahead with it after a Full Council meeting had urged them to refuse it.
PCC has stressed that the facility is to help the authority deal with hitting the Welsh Government recycling targets of 70 per-cent by 2024/25.
It believes the bulking recycle facility is “essential to maximise the efficiency” of the collection vehicles and is “ideally located between the two main population centres of north Powys.”
By Elgan Hearn, Local democracy Reporting Service
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