Campaign group crowd funds legal challenge over green light for waste bulking facility

Campaigners against a proposed waste bulking facility in rural Wales have launched a crowdfunding campaign for a legal challenge.

The Abermule Community Together (ACT) group has so far raised £1,360 towards its £5,000 target after Powys County Council’s cabinet voted to go ahead with the project despite a narrow majority having opposed it at a full council meeting.

ACT said: “The cabinet decision on 21 May shows that they care nothing for our village and intend to build their ‘cathedral to waste’ no matter what we put before them.

“Clearly they will only now respond to a legal challenge and ACT have uncovered grounds to make this approach which, we are advised, has a good chance for a positive outcome for Abermule.” 

A report for the cabinet meeting said that to maximise the efficiency of refuse collection vehicles, “strategically located bulking facilities are required”, with no adequate alternative site available in the county’s north.

It described Abermule as “very well situated” for the £4m bulking facility and that among ACT’s most prominent concerns was “that they were not fully informed of the consultation and hence did not have the opportunity to object”.

The report said though that an ACT founder spoke at the planning committee meeting concerned having raised written objections and that the local community council raised concerns but did not formally object.

“Several sites have subsequently been submitted by ACT, all of which have been assessed and are not considered as suitable as the Abermule site for different reasons,” the report said.

Mark Smulian