A NEW glass recycling centre is set to be built at the former Stairfoot Brickworks site and bosses behind the scheme say it will bring 25 jobs to the town whilst reducing CO2 emissions by more than half a million kilos each year.
Barnsley Council’s planning board will meet on Tuesday to discuss the plans for the old Hanson’s brickworks site which lies opposite to Stairfoot Retail Park on Wombwell Lane.
The factory originally closed in 2003 and was subsequently demolished in 2009.
The site also includes former railway land and adjacent to the site are historic clay extraction sites being variously restored, semi restored and unrestored states.
Plans for the site include the erection of a building for glass recycling which will be 15.7 metres high and have a gross internal area of 2,901 square metres.
A building will be added to be used as an office, with a gross internal floor area of 144 square meters and a height of 4.86 metres - and a further building will be erected to be used as a canteen.
The applicant, Potters-Ballotini Limited, is based at Hoyle Mill but currently has its glass recycling store in Scunthorpe.
Bosses say that the new scheme would be beneficial for the environment.
A report states: “The applicant is a well-established local firm located at Hoyle Mill who are proposing to build a new facility for waste glass recycling and repurposing which would merge their Hoyle Mill
site with its site in Scunthorpe in order to reduce HGV costs and improve operational safety and result in environmental improvements.
“The submission indicates that this will result in removing approximately 304,000 vehicle miles and 530,000kg of CO2 emissions from the local and national road networks as HGVs will no longer need to travel between the Barnsley and Scunthorpe sites.
“The proposal involves a substantial financial investment which will safeguard existing jobs and create 25 full-time new jobs in the borough.
“The proposed use involves the recycling and repurposing of pure and mixed glass.”
A total of 40 neighbouring properties were made aware of the plans with two concerns raised, in addition to Coun Karen Dyson expressing her concerns in relation to the glass noise for houses surrounding the site.
Concerns were also raised at the likelihood of smells, flies, noise and the need to restrict working hours.
The report added: “Noise generating activities have been located as far as practical from noise sensitive receptors - the outside storage areas are separated from the nearest houses on Wombwell Lane by the proposed recycling building.
“The lorry park is located a little over 50 metres from the nearest houses on Wombwell Lane, but separated by an area of soft landscaping and trees which it is proposed to retain and add to with additional landscaping.
“Hours of operation of the proposed buildings are proposed to be 7am to 7pm; and HGV movements on site are proposed to be 1am to 7pm and a condition is recommended to secure these working hours.”
The plans have been earmarked for approval by Barnsley Council and will be put forward at Tuesday’s planning meeting.
