A SALTFORD councillor believes that decisions on waste and recycling are having a negative impact on his village.
Independent Chris Warren says Bath & North East Somerset Council missed an opportunity to have waste removed by rail rather than road at the new Keynsham Recycling Hub.
And he fears that the council’s decision to approve a new recycling facility in Bath that is smaller than the one it will replace will drive more traffic through Saltford.
Cllr Warren, who has long campaigned for the reopening of Saltford railway station, said he was chair of Saltford Parish Council when it met B&NES Council representatives to discuss the proposed replacement recycling hub in Pixash Lane, Keynsham, a year before work started.
He said: “After sitting through a presentation, we were asked if we had any questions.
‘Yes’, I replied, ‘Where is the rail siding to take the waste away by train, as the site is right next to the GWR mainline?’ I was met with blank expressions.
“It had not even been considered. Also, there was actually nothing wrong with the existing tip. The communities had been using it for years with no issues.
“As far as I was concerned, the project had failed at the first hurdle and Saltford was to be condemned to a big increase in refuse trucks passing through the village transporting all of Bath’s waste to the Keynsham site.
“This has come to pass, as many vehicles per day access the regional recycling centre.”
Cllr Warren is also critical of B&NES Council’s decision to replace the recycling centre in Midland Road, Bath, with a smaller facility in Locksbrook Road.
The new facility will accept only 80% as much waste as the previous one, and unlike Midland Road it will not accept DIY, electronics, hazardous waste, batteries, tyres, oil, asbestos or gas bottles – which people will now need to take to Keynsham Recycling Centre.
Cllr Warren said: “So that means more car and lorry movements along the A4, more emissions.”
A spokesperson for B&NES Council said the decision to approve the Locksbrook Road facility was taken following wide consultation. It would also free up the Midland Road site for housing.
Regarding the lack of a railway siding at Keynsham Recycling Hub, Cllr Mark Elliott, deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, said: “We met with Saltford Parish Council in 2021 during the planning stages for the hub and listened to the concerns raised.
“The size of the site would not allow for a railway siding to be installed to take waste away. It was also not a viable option because the site would not generate enough waste – the associated costs would have been prohibitive. The waste is taken away directly via the Keynsham bypass and on to the motorway to Avonmouth.”
Pictured, Cllr Chris Warren near the railway line alongside Keynsham Recycling Hub
‘Recycling decisions add to Saltford traffic misery’
