The controversial planning application to make permanent the materials recycling facility in Lower Compton near Calne has been recommended for approval by a Wiltshire Council case officer.

A final decision on the Hills Waste Solutions plans to retain and extend the existing facility, where household waste is sorted and recyclable materials are collected, will be made at a Strategic Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday (Jun 17) at County Hall in Trowbridge.

The recommendation has been made despite 129 letters of objection from individuals, with none in support, and Calne Town Council and Cherhill, Compton Bassett and Calne Without parish councils all opposing the plans.

Objectors have raised concerns regarding the landscape and visual impact of the site, the impact of transportation of waste and access considerations, and air quality and odour impact.

A statement from Wiltshire Waste Alliance, a group set up to oppose the Hills plans, said: “Wiltshire Waste Alliance is bitterly disappointed by the Wiltshire Technical Officer’s recommendation to approve Hills Waste Solutions’ planning application for a giant waste facility at Lower Compton.

“It shows a blatant disregard for the views of Calne Town Council, the surrounding Parish Councils and the hundreds of residents who all objected over the last four years.

“Air pollution in Calne is already 10 times over the legal limit for most of the school day and 80% of the A4 pollution comes from the 800 HGV’s travelling along it each day.

“The total HGV movements per year at Lower Compton will be 116,092 or one HGV per two minutes for 12 hours a day for 283 days per year. Since the operations at Hills’ new site will be permanent, the health of Calne’s residents will be blighted by these HGV emissions forever.

“Our only hope is that the members of the Strategic Planning Committee will be the voice of common sense and vote to object on June 17.”

The existing Lower Compton Waste Management Facility, located approximately a kilometre east of Calne, is currently subject to planning consent from March 1997 which permits a temporary development until December 31, 2016.

In August 2011 an application for the permanent retention and extension of the existing MRF building was made to Wiltshire Council but in October 2014 the application was withdrawn.

The current proposals were submitted instead and seek to retain the existing MRF and associated screening bund and to extend the MRF to allow for the management of additional recyclable materials as well as the bulking of residual public waste and green waste for onward transfer.

The proposed development would provide 16 additional jobs.

A Hills Waste Solutions spokesman said: “Hills Waste Solutions welcomes the decision by the planning officer to recommend for approval the planning application to extend and improve the Lower Compton Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).

“The Lower Compton facility is a key operational site in the context of Wiltshire’s Municipal Waste Management Strategy 2012 and has been identified as a Strategic Waste Management Site in the Wiltshire and Swindon Waste Site Allocations Local Plan adopted in February 2013.

“The new MRF extension will provide continuing capacity to sort up to 44,000 tonnes per year of Wiltshire’s recyclable waste and the transfer station will process up to 34,000 tonnes per year of residual household waste for energy recovery destinations and 40,000 tonnes of green waste for composting.

"Lower Compton is part of a network of facilities operated by Hills Waste Solutions to manage Wiltshire’s waste and recycling activities. Over the past 19 years, the Lower Compton MRF has proved key in delivering Wiltshire Council’s waste strategy and has helped divert more than 1.4m tonnes of waste from landfill.”