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Recycling centres could shut for two new facilities

Milton Keynes Council An artists impression of what a new waste tip in Milton Keynes might look like. You can see a load of green skips with a road through the middle, walkways and spaces for cars and the area is surrounded by trees.Milton Keynes Council
An artist impression of what one of the new recycling centres in Milton Keynes could look like

Three recycling centres could be closed and replaced with two new modern waste facilities.

Labour-run Milton Keynes City Council announced plans to shut tips at Newport Pagnell and New Bradwell next year and Bleak Hall in 2028.

They would then be replaced by a site in the north of the city, in Wolverton, which could cost £4m and open in 2026, and one for Snelshall in the south, which could cost £6m and open in 2028.

The authority said its existing facilities were at "a critical investment juncture" and "do not offer the range of services" found at other sites in neighbouring areas.

The Wolverton site would be built near an existing waste recovery facility - which the authority planned to convert into an Eco Park to provide green energy to the city.

The southern site at Snelshall is due to be a purpose-built reuse centre.

The authority hoped the new sites would provide pedestrian and cycle access for residents without cars, weatherproof access, accessibility for residents with mobility issues, improved signage and better separation of pedestrian and heavy goods traffic as well as being able to cope with the future growth of the city.

According to agenda papers, the council believed the existing facilities would not have room to accommodate that growth, as they were converted from old utility locations or constructed on land made available when Milton Keynes was being built.

The authority was also concerned that they were largely based in residential locations and that all sites were seen as too expensive to upgrade.

Interim Labour cabinet member for the public realm, Akash Nayee, said: "We are dealing with more waste and expect even more as the city grows, so it is essential we plan for this."

He added that "these modern and greener reuse and recycling centres would offer broader facilities in a better location and as such should be more accessible and pleasant for everyone to use".

A final decision on the plans is due to be made at a council meeting on Tuesday.

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