Proposed Crowndale (Tavistock) Household Waste Recycling Centre

A public consultation/exhibition is being held to seek views on the proposal to develop a new, state-of-the-art Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) to serve residents in Tavistock and the surrounding areas.

This is a pre-planning application public engagement that is being conducted by Devon County Council prior to the submission of a formal planning application later in the year. The purpose of pre-application engagement is to provide members of the public and key stakeholders with details of the proposed scheme prior to formal submission and consider any views they have.

The consultation will run from 10 March 2022 to 10 April 2022 online with an ‘in person’ exhibition event being held on 15 March 2022, 3 pm until 8 pm at Butchers Hall, Tavistock, where members of the public can chat with DCC officers involved with the proposals.

Background and proposals

Need for a new recycling centre

It is recognised that the existing Household Waste Recycling Centre on Crowndale Road, Tavistock is no longer fit for purpose, gets congested and is inadequate for modern demands. The existing site must be temporarily closed to the public during container loading, compaction and container exchanges. This leads to frequent queuing of traffic along Crowndale Road, which can be significant at times.

In addition, the use of access steps for the public to access the waste/recycling containers causes delays (by people taking time to climb the steps and having to queue at the bottom of the steps if they are busy). Some residents also have difficulties or are unable to use the steps. Additionally, the site no longer has the capacity to accommodate further containers for newly emerging recyclable waste streams.

As such, a new, state-of-the-art recycling centre is required. A new, larger, purpose designed facility will give local residents a superior service with minimal queuing/congestion and make it far easier and more convenient to recycle.

Proposed location of the new recycling centre

The proposed new recycling centre is located on an old landfill site behind the current facility. The proposed site is brownfield land, with the area having been used for landfill and waste management activities since the Victorian era.

View the proposed site location plan here.

The proposed site has been chosen after a search for other potential sites in the area. View alternative sites considered plan here. Further details regarding the choice of the new site can be found here.

New recycling centre design

A modern, split level design will be used at the proposed new site with the public loading waste from a higher area directly into containers placed at a lower level. The site will be serviced from the lower non-public area.

The advantages of such a design include:

• separation of the public from HGV/plant movements, so it is much safer
• minimal site ‘down time’ since public areas can remain open during lorry movements/loading operations, therefore no need to close the site temporarily during container change-over
• a long site access road, which, along with more efficient means of servicing the site, will mean that cars will no longer have to queue on the highway
• since waste goes directly into containers, the appearance of the site is improved
• waste being separated directly into different containers by the public, without the need for climbing steps
• plenty of space for the public to manoeuvre and park their vehicles safely
• a dedicated re-use/re-pair workshop, sales area and building where reusable goods can be purchased.

Further details showing the typical appearance of a modern Devon County Council Recycling Centre can be seen here. The photographs and drawing shown in this document show a modern, split level Household Waste Recycling Centre. The images demonstrate how the public can place waste and recycling materials directly into skips/containers placed at a lower level, which means that climbing steps to access the containers is not required. The image also shows the typical appearance of a building where reusable goods can be purchased. The building is clad in wood to give it a more rural/agricultural appearance.

A plan showing the proposed scheme layout is available here.

A plan showing the proposed Landscape planting/mitigation is available here.

Details showing the proposed environmental and green measures of the proposed facility is available here.

The view of the proposed site from the Tavistock Canal (Year 1, Winter) is available here.

The view of the proposed site from the Tavistock Canal (Year 15, Summer) is available here.

Details regarding Traffic and Transport issues is available here.

Have your say

Please read the information provided and have your say using our online questionnaire.

If you would like further information, please get in touch using the contact details below:

Address: Chris Chandler, Waste Management Team, Devon County Council, Topsham Road, Exeter, Devon,
EX2 4QW
Email: tavistockrecyclingcentre@devon.gov.uk 

What happens next

This is a pre-planning application public engagement that is being conducted by Devon County Council prior to the submission of a formal planning application later in the year. The purpose of pre-application engagement is to provide members of the public and key stakeholders with details of the proposed scheme prior to formal submission and consider any views they have.

Indicative timescales

• March 2022 – public exhibition/consultation (pre-planning application)
• Summer 2022 – planning application submitted
• Autumn/Winter 2022 – planning application determined
• 2023/24 – detailed design
• 2024/25 – work commences on new site (subject to planning permission)
• 2024/25 – new site opens to the public (subject to planning permission)

We take accessibility seriously and recognise that some of the information presented in the files available on this page may not be fully accessible to someone using assistive technology such as a screen reader.

If you need guidance or an alternative format, email tavistockrecyclingcentre@devon.gov.uk with details of any preferred format and the assistive technology you use.