Hailsham tyre recycling facility could be turned down

Proposals to open a tyre recycling site in Hailsham are set to go before county planners next week. 
View into the site from Swan Barn RoadView into the site from Swan Barn Road
View into the site from Swan Barn Road

On Wednesday (January 15), East Sussex County Council’s planning committee are expected to consider an application to open a tyre-recycling centre at a former coal yard in the Swan Barn Road industrial estate in Hailsham.

While considered to be an appropriate location for such a site, planning officers are recommending the scheme be refused due to concerns around its potential noise impact on surrounding residents. 

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In a report to be considered by the committee, a planning officer said: “While the county council, as waste planning authority supports, in principle, the development of waste recycling facilities, this has to be balanced against other material considerations.

“The proposal would generate a high level of noise, and although some mitigation would be provided, there would still be an adverse impact on the amenity of existing residential areas and a potential adverse impact on the amenity of proposed residential areas. 

“As such, it is considered that the proposal would have an unacceptable effect on amenity, and would conflict with [planning] policy.”

Put forward by Pyrite Industries Ltd, the proposed facility would be expected to import approximately 5,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres each year, turning them into recycled materials for sale.

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Tyres which are in good enough condition would be stored on site and sent to be reused, planning papers say. 

While previously used as a coal yard, planners say this process would still generate an excessive amount of noise due to most of the activity taking place in an uncovered outside area.

However planners said, if the processing were to be carried out within a building, this could have the potential to overcome the noise issues associated with the application.

Planning officers raised particular concerns about future residents of the nearby Station Road housing development, which was granted outline planning permission for 400 homes last year.

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A further site directly to the north-east of the coal yard is also subject to an outline planning application for 140 houses, but that scheme has yet to be determined. 

For further details of the scheme see application reference WD/831/CM on the East Sussex County Council planning website.