Improvements to start on Eshiels waste facility
Wednesday, August 2 2006
Work to improve Scottish Borders Council’s Waste Transfer Station site at Eshiels is due to start on 14 August, and it may mean traffic delays in the area east of Peebles.
The Waste Transfer Station (WTS) building is being refurbished to bring all its operations under cover. A new Community Recycling Centre is also being built on the site. It will be the first in the Tweeddale area, and will save Peebles residents having to travel to Galashiels to visit a recycling point.
The two improvements are key to Scottish Borders Council’s upgrading of waste services, which has included the introduction of kerbside recycling for every household in the region.
Two contractors will carry out the work: Border Construction Ltd will redevelop the existing waste facility and build the new recycling centre, while SBc Contracts will construct the new access road to the site.
All current waste transfer and cleansing depot operations will be suspended while the work is being done, to minimise health and safety risks.
The cleansing depot facility will be moved to temporary accommodation in Peebles for the duration of the entire building contract, while the waste transfer operations will be diverted to alternative facilities in Galashiels and Hawick during the first, 10-week phase. Once the first phase is complete, waste transfer operations will be returned to Eshiels, but they will all take place within the main building. The Community Recycling point will not be open to the public until the new access road is completed.
The building contractor will continue to use the existing road to reach the site until the new road is completed. The existing salt store operated by Scottish Borders Council for winter operations will remain accessible and in use throughout the contract period.
Due to the construction works on the new access road, it is expected that there will be a traffic control system on the A72 east of Peebles until late February 2007.
One of the main issues identified by local residents during the planning application process was the location of the new turning point for vehicles on the existing Eshiels access road, which is being blocked off. Two alternative locations were investigated, but neither location was favoured by the landowners, and time constraints excluded the use of a Compulsory Purchase Order.
It was therefore decided that the best-value option was to use the land already owned by SBC in the Community Woodland to make a turning point over the proposed drainage soakaway, adjacent to the earthwork embankment created for the new access road.
As a result, eight to 12 small trees, in a confined area, are to be removed to make room for a turning point. Planning approval for this was obtained on 5 July, ahead of the start of construction as required. New trees will be planted around this area.
Steps have been taken to minimise the disruption to the neighbouring residents during the construction period. These include restrictions on working hours, noise levels and air pollution. Neighbours will be kept up to date with the progress of the project.
John Cook, SBC’s Head of Environmental Services, said, “We recognise that the work associated with this important project may be disruptive to neighbours and we have aimed to minimise the impact of this wherever possible. However, we would ask anyone affected to be patient.”
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