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RESOLVED:
 

1.   
That Cabinet agree to the closure of the Community
Recycling Centre (CRC) at Swift Lane, Bagshot and as a consequence
agree to the opening of the CRC at Wilton Road, Camberley for an
extra day a week (Tuesday).

2.   
That Cabinet allow those residents of the Royal
Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead who currently use the Bagshot CRC
to use Lyne CRC, Chertsey as an alternative.
Reasons for Decisions:
 
The
Bagshot CRC site is small, unmodernised and not fit for
purpose.  It is not an ‘unsafe’ site (SUEZ have
obligations to keep the site safe and lawful) but there are hazards
– for example, users of the site park their cars in the
centre of the plot, and then walk across the path of moving
vehicles to access the various waste containers.
The
site has to close for container exchange, leading to inconvenience
& a build-up of queues. There is no means of compacting waste
in the containers which means that they will be taken off the site
with spare capacity – creating more of a carbon impact per
tonne in terms of haulage and increased vehicle movements. These
issues do not occur at modernised sites.
There is an ongoing pattern of vandalism, fly tipping and
unlawful entry at the Bagshot CRC site which happens out of hours
(i.e. when the CRC is closed and overnight). Staff have been
threatened by (some) users of the site who are attempting to bring
non-acceptable (potentially unlawful) material onto the site.
Rather than confront the user, for their own safety, the staff have
had to accept the waste as presented.
Fly
tipping has occurred both within the site and outside of the
entrance. The existing perimeter fencing does not present a
sufficient barrier to these episodes, which often involve the use
of mechanical equipment. Material fly tipped has in the past
included hazardous materials such as asbestos. Prevention measures
would be difficult and costly to implement and could include
reinforced walls with climb prevention, enhanced 24 hr security
guard presence and additional lighting.
SUEZ have recorded 801 instances of fly tipping across all
Surrey CRC sites between January 2019 and August 2024.Of these, 531
(66%) were at Bagshot CRC. Of the other 14 sites, Lyne Lane CRC,
near Chertsey, experienced 89 fly tipping incidents (11%) in the
period. Fly tipping incidents at all of the other 13 sites combined
make up the remaining 23%.
SCC’s waste contractor, SUEZ, retain incident logs which
have recorded 48 nuisance incidents (fly-tipping, break ins,
vandalism, anti-social behaviour) at Bagshot CRC between 2nd
January and 25th August 2024. No other SCC CRC suffers such high
levels of nuisance-based disruption. This disruption impacts on
site staff and users negatively, the site often having to close to
allow remedial action. A summary of the SUEZ incident logs is
included at Annex C.
Despite the high levels of disruption, a review of complaints
received from users of the site by SUEZ since January 2023 shows
that 23 complaints have been recorded across the CRC estate, none
of which relate to Bagshot CRC. SUEZ believe that this reflects the
empathy felt by users for the on-site staff, recognising the
difficulties the site presents.
The
access road is narrow and itself suffers from fly
tipping.
Swift lane is not accessible on foot, so closure won't impact
pedestrian visitors.
The
nearest alternative site is Camberley CRC which is approximately 6
miles away from the Bagshot CRC and has a travel time between the
two sites (by car) of approximately 15 minutes. Alternative CRC
sites are located within 10 miles
Analysis undertaken by SCC’s Transport Modelling
specialists shows that the Swift Lane CRC in Bagshot is the closest
CRC to 12,428 households. If the Bagshot CRC was to
close:
·        
7,894 (63.5%) would see no increase in drive time
when accessing the nearest alternative CRC (Lyne, Woking or
Camberley) if the Bagshot site was to close; and

·        
4,544 (36.5%) would have a maximum drive time of 20
minutes (covering 7.8 miles) to their nearest alternative CRC
site.
 
A
map marked up with postcode ‘clusters’ in the Bagshot
CRC catchment area showing the closest alternative sites is
included at Annex D
The
site is owned by Surrey Heath Borough Council (SHBC) who lease it
to SCC.  The site will be returned to
SHBC if it closed.
(The
decisions on this item can be called-in by the Communities,
Environment and Highways Select Committee)