Staff at a tip in South Bristol can now start working at 6am during weekdays but council officers have promised noise levels “won’t harm neighbours”. People living nearby the Hartcliffe Way Reuse and Recycling Centre previously raised fears about the early start.
The recycling centre, which opened in summer last year, now has planning permission for Bristol Waste workers to start at the site at 6am from Monday to Friday. Their work will be restricted to less noisy activities, like getting street cleansing vehicles ready for the day.
Some skips will also be emptied, but these will only be less noisy materials like green waste, black bag waste and wood. More noisy operations, like moving metal, will only start after 8am, according to a planning officer at Bristol City Council.
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The changes were approved by the council’s development control B committee on Wednesday, March 8. A few residents had objected to the plans, with concerns they could be woken up early in the morning, but councillors said the noise would not be too loud.
A council planning officer said: “Overall the pollution control officer is happy that while there might be audible noises during those hours, it’s not going to be of a level that is harmful to residents. In order to ensure that the public aren’t harmed by any noises during those more sensitive times, we asked the applicant to set out a noise management plan, which they did.
“The pollution control officer was happy that [the plan] would adequately cover any issues of noise if they arose from complaints. The applicant also wants to do some minor changes to the site layout, moving the office building further south, access ramps to improve the accessibility of the workspaces, and other minor changes.”
Neighbours previously said that they can hear noise from the recycling centre already, particularly in the summer when windows were left open due to the heat. But councillors said that the restrictions, in the noise management plan, should prevent any excessively loud work from taking place early in the morning.
Conservative Councillor Richard Eddy said: “The recycling centre abuts my ward and I live 600 yards away. I’ve been there about eight times since it’s opened and it’s wonderful and well run. Since that time I’ve had zero noise complaints and no contact about this consultation, so I’m comfortable with it. I think it’s reasonable and proportionate.”
Liberal Democrat Cllr Andrew Brown added: “It’s reasonable, measured and thought through. I do understand residents’ concerns though, having lived up the hill in Totterdown from the recycling centre in Albert Road. The noise from that could sometimes be quite disruptive. So I understand where residents who have objected are coming from, but I think that those objections are mitigated by the actual nature of what we’re going to approve.”
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