HERTS County Council has backed plans for a major site to recycle household waste near Baldock. A planning application from Veolia ES Ltd to enable recyclable materials to be handled at The New Barn, Great North Road, at Radwell, has been approved by the

HERTS County Council has backed plans for a major site to recycle household waste near Baldock.

A planning application from Veolia ES Ltd to enable recyclable materials to be handled at The New Barn, Great North Road, at Radwell, has been approved by the council's development control committee - subject to a wide range of planning conditions.

The permission is for a change of use of the site, which was previously used for the storage and distribution of redundant items of furniture and stock pending resale and dispatch.

Waste, including glass, cans and paper from kerbside collections and household waste recycling centres in North Herts, will be brought to the site by lorry where it will be sorted and baled and then taken away to be processed.

Some plant equipment will be needed to carry out sorting, baling and loading, but the application will not involve any new buildings or alterations to the existing ones, or any change to the road layout.

Hours of operation will be 7am to 4pm on weekdays and 8pm to 3pm on Saturdays following Bank Holidays only and there will be an average 38 lorry movements, 19 in and 19 out, per day.

"In planning terms, this is an ideal location for this kind of operation, and it has the added advantage of needing no new buildings or other major changes," said Cllr Bryan Hammond, chairman of the development control committee.

"The committee took account of the need for this kind of facility, which is required to sort and process waste within the county, and were satisfied that it complies with the relevant waste policies.

"Committee members also noted that it is away from residential areas and is ideally placed for access to the major road network which will help to keep lorries away from nearby towns."

Councillors also considered issues such as times of operation, noise, dust, odour, foul and surface water drainage and other possible environmental impacts. These and other matters will be addressed within the full range of conditions imposed on the planning permission.