Household waste and recycling centres at Marchwood and Somerley among 12 set to be closed by Hampshire County Council from 2025
TWO Forest household waste and recycling centres will be closed next year under plans by Hampshire County Council.
As reported in the A&T, the facilities at Marchwood and Somerley, near Ringwood, were among 12 of its 24 sites under threat, as Conservative-run Hampshire County Council seeks to meet a forecasted £132m budget shortfall by April 2025.
A report to the council’s universal services select committee, which will meet today (Thursday), recommends closing all 12 as they are deemed to be either in need of “extensive” investment or are poor value for money.
It also recommends members approve the removal of up to £1.6m in budget provision for waste and resource management in favour of a Legal Minimum Service Level (LMSL).
Other sites in the county which are earmarked for closure are Aldershot, Alresford, Bordon, Bishops Waltham, Casbrook, Fair Oak, Hedge End, Hartley Whitney, Hayling Island and Petersfield.
The report states: “With an annual budgeted cost of over £10m, the HWRC service was included as a key area for potential budget savings in the council’s Future Services Consultation in January 2024.
“Five options were consulted on; introducing charging for discretionary services where legally possible, implementing alternative delivery models, changing the types of materials accepted at HWRCs, reducing site opening days/hours, and rationalising the size of the network.”
More than 10,000 responses to the consultation were made, the report states, with “general dissatisfaction” over the proposals.
Key themes included a perception that flytipping would increase, air pollution would worsen due to longer journeys being made, and concerns that alternative sites would be unable to cope with increased demand.
The report adds: “While it is understood that the HWRC service in Hampshire is a well regarded and well used service, the county council is clear in its position that only full closures of the [proposed] HWRCs can achieve the necessary move towards a legal minimum service level, as other options such as charging for household waste are prohibited in legislation, and changes to the service and/or reducing opening days/hours are insufficient on their own or in combination to move the services towards that level.”
In response to concerns over increased fly-tipping, the report states: “Residents would still have reasonable access to waste facilities and there is no evidence to corroborate a view that criminal acts of flytipping and other environmental harm would directly increase as a result of any service changes.”
The closures would be over a phased basis from summer 2025. This would mean the nearest centre for many Forest residents would be at Efford in Pennington.
“While it is acknowledged that in the event of Somerley closing, a small proportion of households in the north-west corner of the New Forest District would not be within seven miles of an alternative HWRC, they would still be within 30 minutes average drive-time which is the non-statutory guideline for predominantly rural areas”, the report explained.
Those residing in Totton or Marchwood will be able to used the City Depot HWRC, operated by Southampton City Council, for which a “reciprocal arrangement” exists for taxpayers to access the site.
Commenting ahead of the meeting, Cllr David Harrison, a Lib Dem county councillor for Totton and Marchwood, said he was “vigorously opposed” to the closure of the Marchwood site.
He added: “One new argument that supports our case is new legislation that places a duty on Hampshire County Council to foster the economic and social well being of national parks.
“It is inevitable that closing the tip will lead to an increase in fly tipping in the New Forest. I would be interested in hearing from Conservative councillors how they think this decision meets that duty.”
