Horsham Council Approves £488k Conversion of Old Ambulance Station for Food Waste Vehicles

Horsham District Council has approved £488,000 to convert the old ambulance station on Hurst Road into a workshop for servicing food waste collection vehicles.

The funding will come from council reserves, with a separate bid being submitted to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to help cover costs.

The conversion will include roof repairs, energy-efficient lighting and heating, a vehicle inspection pit, drainage, and workshop equipment.

The facility will service smaller 12-tonne food waste vehicles ahead of the district-wide roll-out of food waste collections in spring 2026. Work will begin as soon as planning permission is granted.

Some councillors raised questions about locating the workshop at the Hop Oast recycling centre, suggesting a consolidated site would be more efficient once the new unitary authority takes over.

Cabinet member Jay Mercer said the chosen Hurst Road site ensures immediate availability for maintenance and breakdowns, which is critical to meeting the council’s statutory food waste obligations.

While no formal review of the site was promised, the issue may be revisited by the incoming unitary authority.