Waste Centre Plans Approved For Westfield

County councillors have approved planning proposals connected to a waste management facility near Westfield.

On Wednesday (September 17), East Sussex County Council’s planning committee considered an application connected to EcoSkip Waste & Recycling Ltd — a business based at Hole Farm in Westfield Lane.

According to a report to the committee, the business had approached the council for advice on changing its site layout in 2023 and later submitted an application seeking to amend its planning conditions, which, among other things, would grant permission for these changes.

The report says officers visited the site as part of their assessment of this application and found “significant breaches of the current planning permission”. These included its handling of “bulky” household waste, which is not allowed under its current planning permission, the report says.

Among other things, the current application seeks to regularise this use of the site. It also seeks permission for the change in the site’s layout, as well as the installation of a new area of hardstanding, the erection of storage bays and the installation of additional machinery.

While the business has been based at the site since 2012, the application saw objections raised by a small number of local objectors, several of whom argued the site was an unsuitable place for such a business.

The council received four letters of objection, which collectively raised concerns around the highways impact of the changes, as well as the potential for increased noise and dust pollution.

The majority of committee members did not share this perspective.

Proposing approval, Cllr Godfrey Daniel (Lab) said:

“This is what I would call a de minimis application — it doesn’t really change anything substantially.”

He added:

“This is tidying up really and getting the operator to act within the planning conditions and at the same time improve the efficiency of his operation.

“I also note that [the report] says there will be no change in the hours, no change in the throughput, no change in regards to motor vehicle movements … and it will increase the number of full time staff from two to five, personally I think that is a good thing.

“I can’t see there is any reason not to accept this.”

This proposal was agreed unanimously.

Before making their decision, the committee heard how the overall throughput of the site is not expected to change as a result of the proposals.

The initial planning permission specified the only waste materials to be accepted to the site include concrete, bricks, tiles and ceramics, mixtures of concrete, bricks, tiles and ceramics and soils and stones. It had been allowed to process up 10,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of this kind of waste.

With the changes, the business will now be able to also process household ‘bulky’ waste items. This is expected to account for around 500tpa, with the other 9,500 tpa expected to remain construction and demolition waste.

For further information on the scheme see planning application reference RR/899/CM on the East Sussex County Council website.