SITES in and around the town which have been earmarked to manage Swindon and Wiltshire’s rubbish are getting closer to becoming a reality.

A draft waste site allocations plan to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill, which has already been accepted by Swindon Council and an independent planning inspector, was adopted by Wiltshire Council’s cabinet yesterday.

Sites across Swindon in the plan include Waterside Park, Brindley Close/Darby Close, land at Kendrick Industrial Estate, Rodbourne Sewage Treatment Works, and land within Dorcan Industrial Estate.

The plan will now be discussed at a Wiltshire Council’s full council meeting on February 19.

Wiltshire Council cabinet member with responsibility for strategic planning, Fleur de Rhe-Philipe, said: “We need to adopt a plan which identifies suitable sites where waste can be managed in an efficient and sustainable manner.

“This is a major achievement for us and for everyone who commented throughout the numerous rounds of public consultation, as the government, quite rightly, rigorously scrutinise these local plans.

“Every household and business creates waste and it is, therefore, all our responsibilities to try and find areas which are suitable for accommodating modern waste-management facilities, helping us all to reduce the cost to the environment and the taxpayer.”

If endorsed by Wiltshire Council, the Wiltshire and Swindon waste site allocations local plan will be formally adopted by the councils and used in the decision making process for planning applications.

Once adopted, copies of the plan will be distributed to statutory consultees, including parish and community councils.

The proposed sites are predominantly located on existing waste sites, industrial or brownfield land.

Purton Brickworks Employment Allocation in Purton, Chapel Farm in Blunsdon, and Park Grounds Farm and Whitehills Industrial Estate in Royal Wootton Bassett are also included.

The plan has been subject to extensive public consultation.

Throughout the preparation process more than 7,000 people and organisations have been consulted, resulting in 2,583 comments.

It identifies sites across the county which could accommodate modern, state-of-the-art waste management facilities leading to a reduction in the amount of waste being sent to landfill.

More than 100 sites were initially put forward and following discussions with communities and extensive assessment by council officers, this figure has been reduced to 34 appropriate sites.

For more information visit www.wiltshire.gov.uk.