Bridgend Council’s Planning Committee has green-lit an aggregates recycling facility at Stormy Down (pdf).
The plant would be built and operated by Nolan Recycling. It would be built on land in a former quarry that forms part of the company’s headquarters/depot at Heol-y-Splot.
The company already recycles aggregates and other construction materials like waste wood, but the new machinery would enable them to increase their processing capacity from 45,000 tonnes a year to 205,000 tonnes.
The recycled material – if it meets the necessary quality standards – can then be reused in construction, reducing the need to quarry minerals.
The company expects 10 full-time jobs to be created following the remediation of part of the quarry site and installation of machinery. This is expected to take 30 months.
Merthyr Mawr Community Council objected. Their objections focused on the levels of noise already affecting nearby residents, the potential traffic impact on the A48 and the effectiveness of a green noise bund set to be built around the site.
Similar objections were raised by nearby residents, with strong opposition to any increase in operating hours at the site.
There were concerns about the mix of plants being used (particularly hawthorn and buckthorn) as part of the green noise barrier/bund, with calls for more variation. A planning officer said the landscaping part of the proposal had been accepted by Natural Resources Wales.
A condition will also be included that vehicles will only be able to turn left onto the A48 when leaving the site and won’t be able to cross the central reservation.
The application was unanimously approved, subject to conditions.
