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Contentious plans to build a recycling centre on the border of Maidstone and Tonbridge and Malling have been given the green light.
FCC Environment (UK) Ltd's proposal to develop the incinerator at 20/20 Business Estate, off Laverstocke Road, Allington, was universally backed by Kent County Council's (KCC) planning committee earlier today.
The plans will see 22 recycling container bays built at the site, despite strong opposition from hundreds of Kent residents.
Maidstone and Weald MP Helen Grant told KCC that the 13-hour operating levels, which run from 7am to 8pm seven days a week except Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, are "highly anti-social".
She also cited fears that there will be further gridlock for homeowners near the A20 Coldharbour roundabout.
However, supporters have said there is clear demand for a waste recycling centre, with the firm saying it is providing an "urgently" needed site, as well as bringing 10 new jobs to the area.
It has been done on behalf of KCC and County Hall's waste management team, which says it has been actively seeking for the creation of a new centre in West Maidstone.
Malling county councillor Cllr Harry Rayner (Con), a KCC planning committee member, said: "There is no question that the people of Tonbridge and Malling have waited for this for a quarter of a century."
Around 58 car spaces will be provided but the applicant says staff will be able to manage queues of up to 100 cars.
Cleaning and site maintenance will take place daily 30 minutes before and after the site has closed to the public.
The main bone of contention around the plans has been over substantial traffic fears, particularly in light of plans to build 840 homes behind the police building on the Gladmans site near Hermitage Lane at the A20 Coldharbour roundabout, which was recently granted by Tonbridge and Malling council.
In addition, objectors say there is a lack of parking on the site while pollution from queuing cars would be detrimental to the environment for neighbouring residents.
Many of these views were expressed by 379 people in a paper petition submitted to KCC.
KCC's case officer, Jim Wooldridge, dismissed the "severity" of a large number of the objections during a virtual meeting involving County Hall's planning committee, which ran from 10am to 12.15pm today.
He pointed out that a series of mitigation measures would be imposed, such as predesignated timeslots to avoid large queues in the two lanes outside the complex.
Other measures will include delivery drivers arriving separately to customers, while work is also due to start later this year on plans to increase the capacity of the A20 Coldharbour roundabout, which connects to junction five of the M20.
In addition, his assessment was partly based on an absence of objections from technical consultees, such as the Environment Agency and KCC highways.
"There has been overwhelming demand for a household waste recycling centre"
Mr Woolbridge said: "The proposed development would not have an unacceptable impact on highways safety. The impact on the road network would not be severe."
During the meeting, Maidstone county councillor Rob Bird (Lib Dem), who represents the division where the Allington incinerator will be sited said he largely supported the move, describing it as a modern functioning centre rather than a "tip".
KCC's main opposition leader said some Malling residents have had to travel as far as Medway and Tunbridge Wells because it's the nearest reycling centre.
He added: "It has been stated by the local MP Helen Grant that the overwhelming view of constituents is that this application should be rejected and I find that a little bit surprising.
"There has been overwhelming demand for a household waste recycling centre in the west Maidstone and Malling area of Tonbridge and Malling. We have been lobbying for a facility in this area for many years."
However some KCC planning members, including Cllr Rayner and Cllr Rosalind Binks (Con), said it was "disappointing" that the commitment to KCC's carbon net-zero approach by 2050 had not been properly taken into consideration and likely "overcapacity" of cars on the A20 Coldhabour roundabout.
Despite this and after a lengthy debate, the 13-person committee unanimously supported the application. A date for the site's planned reopening has yet to be revealed.
