Frequently asked questions about the new site

The new waste transfer station (WTS) and Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) will be located on brownfield land previously occupied by the former McKechnie Brass Ltd works at Middlemore Lane. The six hectare site is bound by: 

• the Daw End Branch Canal along the northern boundary
• commercial sheds and warehousing containing business, alongside playing fields to the east
• Middlemore Lane to the south with further commercial premises beyond
• Geddes Packaging to the west, with Dumblederry Lane beyond

Access to the site will be via Middlemore Lane to the south.

Middlemore Lane has been assessed as the most appropriate location to accommodate the proposals following a site selection assessment taking place over several years. The assessment considered environmental impacts, planning policy considerations, compatibility of land uses, land availability, and economic considerations.  The site search highlighted a lack of suitable available land in the borough.  

The site is conveniently located within Walsall, providing optimum accessibility for both public and waste management services and large enough to accommodate the facilities required.

Following the closure of McKechnie Brass Ltd, who occupied the site from 1952 until circa 2014, the site has been disused, becoming largely derelict and subject to anti-social behaviour.  Our preference is always to focus on brownfield sites for redevelopment, bring them back in to use and protecting our green belt.

The new HWRC at Middlemore Lane will replace the existing HWRC at nearby Merchants Way meaning that local residents would not have to travel significantly further to access the facility.  When all these items were considered, Middlemore Lane was identified as the most appropriate location for the proposals

As part of the growth and modernisation of Walsall waste management services, there is the need to relocate and expand the capacity offered by the current WTS at Fryers Road. The existing WTS has suffered several fires in recent years and is no longer able to operate efficiently or accommodate the increasing demand generated in Walsall at present, and in the future. 

As the population in the borough is expected to grow, and Government strategy for dealing with waste is changing, our existing facilities will not be able to meet long term requirements.  The WTS at Fryers Road is not large enough to accommodate the changes to services that will be needed to meet the Government targets of recycling 65% of household waste by 2035 with no more than 10% going to landfill.   

Even with significant investment, the existing WTS cannot be improved to meet modern requirements for operating such a facility.

Relocating the WTS to Middlemore Lane will enable a larger, modern, more efficient facility to be constructed which will accommodate increasing demand and help the Council to meet its targets. The existing Fryers Road site will then solely become a Household Waste Recycling Centre, allowing that to be a larger, more user friendly site, for the benefit of residents and further helping the Council deliver local and national targets. 

Merchants Way will remain open during the construction of the new HWRC at Middlemore Lane and the redevelopment of the one at Fryers Road. Once both new facilities are operational, the Merchants Way site will be permanently closed.

Various security measures will be implemented to minimise the opportunity for anti-social behaviour at the site. Access will be strictly controlled during both construction and operation, while security measures such as fencing, and surveillance could be employed to further address any potential issues. Previous trespassing problems largely stemmed from the abandoned nature of the McKechnie brass works. With this now demolished and site now cleared, the site is secured with perimeter fencing and these issue has been improved.

Once completed, the proposals will employ an estimated 25 staff (9 in the WTS and 16 in the HWRC/ re-use shop), a number of which will come from the current Fryers Road HWRC/WTS facility, in addition to creating new employment opportunities for local people. There will also be job opportunities during the facility construction, and requirements will be placed on the contractors to utilise local resource. This is likely to include apprenticeships etc as well as full time staff. 

Following completion of all technical assessments and this consultation, the planning application will be reviewed and updated as needed. The application is intended to be submitted in Autumn 2021. 

One of the reasons we have chosen the proposed location is that it is not considered to be in a sensitive location for the purposes of neighbouring impacts. The surrounding area is mostly commercial and industrial in nature. The nearest houses are approximately 200m from the site, on ‘The Briars’. The proposals will be operated under strict control measures to ensure that any potential impacts on any nearby residences are minimised. 

We have undertaken surveys to feed into the design to establish the acceptability of the planning application. These include::

• air quality assessment
• ecological assessments
• flood risk assessment
• mineral resource assessment
• noise impact assessment
• site investigation 
• tree surveys
• topographical survey
• transport and access assessment

The HWRCs will accept a range of waste from residents, for example glass, paper and card, plastics, tyres, scrap metal, wood, rubble, soil, plasterboard, carpets, mattresses, books, textiles, garden and general waste. The different types of rubbish will be segregated into different containers by the public, with help from the site operatives, as it is brought to the site. As containers are regularly emptied the HWRC’s shouldn’t cause any odours that would have a significant effect on our neighbours.

A small number of vehicles and items of equipment will operate at each HWRC compacting the contents of the containers, replacing full ones with empty ones and taking full ones away to be emptied. The noise generated from this is not expected to have a major impact on neighbouring properties.

The WTS will accept household waste from our refuse collection vehicles. At the moment this is usually the contents of the grey (general waste) and green (recycling) bins. Sometimes garden waste is also delivered to the WTS but at the moment the bin wagons deliver the majority of it to a local composting facility. As our services change in the next few years to meet expected new legislation this may change. 

Delivery of waste from the grey and green bins into the WTS takes place within the building, which is designed to contain any odours. There will be appropriate arrangements in place to further control any smells. For example, no rubbish will be stored in the building for long periods of time and large amounts of waste will not be allowed to build up. No waste is processed at the WTS, instead it is loaded onto larger lorries and taken to other facilities.

A noise assessment has been carried out to assess the potential impact on nearby businesses and houses. The site is within the Redhouse Industrial Estate and the nearest residents are approximately 200m away from the site boundary. The results of the assessment show that the small volume of noise which will be generated will have a low impact.

The proposals are supported by a detailed transport assessment which evaluates whether the proposals will result in additional traffic on the local road network, and the impact of this. The scope and methodology for the transport assessment was agreed with the Local Highways Authority prior to being carried out to ensure it was robust. 

The WTS element of the scheme will be accessed almost exclusively by refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) . We estimate that this will generate 145 two-way vehicle movements per day. As this includes both entries and exits from the site, the real number of HGVs using the road will be half this number (fewer than 7 an hour). The WTS will be replacing the WTS facility at Fryers Road, so the vehicles already use the local road network and will simply be routed to Middlemore Lane rather than Fryers Road. 

The HWRC element of the scheme will be accessible to the general public. We expect that most vehicles accessing the site will be privately owned cars rather than commercial vehicles. 

As the HWRC will be replacing the existing Merchants Way HWRC, most vehicles using the existing facility will be displaced to the new facility. The new proposed HWRC will be a larger facility and will accept a wider variety of materials. As a result, we expect this to generate some additional trips. Taking into account the closure of the Merchants Way HWRC, during an average weekend day the increase in two-way vehicle movements associated with the HWRC (between 8am and 7pm) is 597, which equates to 54 two-way vehicle movements per hour. As with the WTS, the overall trip generation figure includes both entries and exits to the site so in reality the number of vehicles on the road network at any one time is half of this. This figure presents a worst case scenario and is less during an average weekday as it is considered that the majority of customers will visit the site during the weekend.

The application will be underpinned by a detailed transport assessment. This includes details of traffic surveys that were undertaken at a number of key junctions and roads which would be used by the WTC and HWRC traffic. The traffic surveys establish the existing and available capacity of nearby junctions and the local road network. The assessment concludes that the operation of the junctions surrounding the site would not alter significantly as a result of the proposed development and the forecast demand can be accommodated within the existing highway network. 

The planning application will be supported by a Staff Travel Plan which will encourage the use of more sustainable forms of transport and aim to reduce the number of staff travelling to the site in vehicles.

The proposals being developed will accommodate the demand that was previously being met by other waste management facilities. The proposed development will replace the existing HWRC facility at Merchants Way and will replace the existing WTS currently at the Fryers Road site. A lot of the traffic will be displaced from the closure of the existing facilities to the proposed development site. 

We have carried out a transport assessment which establishes that the local road network has the capacity to accommodate the traffic associated with the scheme. We are also undertaking a detailed air quality assessment to assess the impact of vehicle emissions on the local environment. Suitable mitigation will be implemented if necessary. The scheme has been designed to boost the green credentials of the city and will introduce solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs of buildings as well as a ground mounted array on surplus land to the south eastern portion of the site. Electric vehicle charging points are proposed to encourage the use of electric cars visiting the site.

The scheme will assist in reducing carbon emissions through the significant solar array proposed, in addition to enhancing carbon absorption through additional planting at the site.

The facility itself does not involve any industrial or commercial processes which would create or result in notable emissions. The site is purely designed to be a point for collection, temporary storage and bulking of waste and recycling prior to them being transported offsite for treatment and processing. There will be no treatment or processing occurring at the Middlemore Lane site. 

Most vehicles accessing the WTS facility will be refuse collection vehicles operated by Walsall. As this material is already being collected and delivered to similar facilities, in some cases over much greater distances than would be the case with the proposed development, we do not anticipate an overall increase in pollution. In relation to the HWRC, although a larger facility will be introduced, the existing Merchants Way HWRC will be closed and existing customers will be re-directed to the new upgraded facility. 

As part of the scheme, it is proposed to develop a Solar PV Array in the south-east corner of the site totalling 6,000m2. This will meet a significant proportion of the energy requirements at the facility, helping Walsall Council meet their wider ‘net zero’ objective. The design also includes for further solar panels on the roofs of the buildings, further contributing to the site energy demand, including the electric vehicle charging points.  Any excess power generation will be able to be exported to the grid. 

The proposals have been developed in consultation with the Canals and Rivers Trust to ensure there will be no unacceptable impact on the Daw End Branch Canal. Following discussion, it has been agreed that additional planting will be provided along the northern boundary to preserve the setting of the Canal, as well as a dedicated access point enabling the Trust to access the canal through the site for maintenance. 

The proposals will include a detailed planting scheme throughout the site, particularly along the northern and southern boundaries. This will have the dual benefit of a habitat creation, as well as screening the site. The existing tree line along the boundaries of the site will be retained and the vegetation corridor along the northern boundary adjacent to the canal will be enhanced with additional landscaping to create a buffer zone between the canal and the proposed development site. The landscaping proposals will be developed alongside qualified ecologists to ensure a net gain in biodiversity can be achieved. 

The total site occupies an area of approximately 6ha. This includes both the WTS and HWRC, and all the supporting infrastructure. The WTS will occupy the western half of the site.

Waste Transfer Station (WTS)

The WTS will not be accessible to the general public and is comprised of the following elements:

1. WTS building – This building has five vehicle lanes and 12 bays for sorting waste received. The building is approximately 6,630m2 in size (a little smaller than a full size football pitch). It will be accessed via a one-way road system which circulates traffic through and around the WTS facility. The WTS will feature solar panels on the roof which will help power the building and enable Walsall Council to meet our net zero pledge.

2. Supporting infrastructure – In addition to the main WTS building, the proposals will include:

• weighbridges
• two refuse collection vehicle (RCV) parking areas covering circa 630m2 and 1150m2 respectively
• four additional storage bays
• eight storage containers
• a small traders scheme

Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC)

The HWRC will occupy the eastern area of the site and will be accessible to the general public. The HWRC is comprised of: 

1. Recycling container area – An area containing up to 38 recycling containers is proposed. It will be accessed via a one-way road system which will circulate traffic around the perimeter of the HWRC. Parking bays will be provided to the side of the road to enable the public to safely park temporarily and unload recyclable materials.

2. Supporting infrastructure – In addition to the main HWRC area we propose a low level recycling area, similar to a supermarket bring bank, and a welfare office for employees of both the WTS and HWRC facility, which will be circa 375m2 in size.

3. Re-use shop and workshop - Aiming to reduce waste through the refurbishment of previously owned items. The public can then purchase items in good condition. The shop will be approximately 600m2 in size and supported by public parking, disabled parking and several electric vehicle charging points. 

4. Solar generation area – Following declaration of a climate emergency in 2019, we are looking for ways to meet a target of net zero carbon emissions. The proposals include a large area of solar photovoltaic panels in the south-east corner of the site totalling circa 6,000m2. These will assist in powering the facility and enabling us to meet our net zero pledge. 

The largest building on site is the Waste Transfer Station building at a total height of 12.5m.

Following grant of planning permission, we anticipate that construction will take approximately 12 months. If planning is approved by the end of 2021, the site could be developed and functional by the end of 2023.

Activities carried out during the construction phase of the proposed development may generate some short term increases in noise levels. During this time, measures would be put in place to include:

• restrictions on working hours
• temporary screening where possible
• best working practice to reduce any impacts

The construction process will be strictly controlled by a Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP). This will identify strict working hours and appropriate measures for addressing matters such as excess noise, dust, and any other potential nuisances.

1. The existing junction into the site will be upgraded and improved to allow two-way access for the public into the HWRC.

2. A new junction will be created to the west of the existing access, providing access for commercial vehicles into the WTS element of the site. 

3. The transport assessment includes visibility splays for each junction to ensure they can operate safely together.

Neither the WTS nor HWRC will operate 24 hours a day. 

The WTS will operate 7 days a week between 7am and 6pm.

The HWRC will operate 7 days a week between 8am and 7pm.

Materials received by the HWRC will be retained in the containers. Once they are full, Waste Management Services will collect and transport them to a materials recycling facility or direct to a recycler. 

Municipal waste will be deposited at the WTS via refuse collection vehicles. It will be temporarily stored and checked for any inappropriate or potentially hazardous items. Larger vehicles will collect the bulked waste for final treatment and/or disposal. This could be:

• composting (for green waste)
• an Energy from Waste facility
• landfill, where necessary

No waste or recyclables will be permanently stored at the site.

Once bulked, the different types of waste will be sent to recycling facilities and re-processors. We give priority to local facilities. Material that needs further sorting and processing will be sent to the materials recycling facility (currently being built in Coventry).

The waste streams are often dependent on market demand. Currently, they are sent to facilities in:

• Leicester (dry recyclate)
• Staffordshire (residual)
• Barnsley (glass)
• Doncaster (steel and cans)
• Swinton (mixed plastic packaging)
• Birmingham (card)
• Wolverhampton (rubble and plasterboard)
• Walsall (scrap metal)

The aim of the re-use shop and workshop is to encourage you to consider an alternative to disposing of items you no longer need. This will cut down on waste. 

Staff in the workshop will refurbish items that would otherwise have been thrown away. Low-cost, refurbished items will then be available to buy. 

The shop will be open to the public. It will only contain items in a good, safe condition.

The proposals form an integral part of the Walsall waste management strategy in meeting current and future requirements. The facility will be designed to current waste industry standards with a design life for the main civil and structural engineering components of 40-60 years.

The WTS and HWRC will each have their own dedicated points of access into the site. 

Access to the WTS will be via the western access point from Middlemore Lane. It will be for operational vehicles and small traders only. The access and internal layout comprises a one way system, entailing weighbridges on both entry and exit, to safely route traffic through the WTS facility and back onto Middlemore Lane at the same access point. 

The HWRC will be accessed via the eastern access point, for use by members of the public. As with the WTS, the access and internal layout has a one-way system to safely route traffic around the facility, with two traffic lanes within the facility. The two-lane one-way carriageway will circulate traffic around the site which will:

• allow service users to use both lanes
• increase manoeuvrability
• limit lane blockages
• ease exit from the site

Double parking spaces will also be provided on either side of the carriageway for users of the HWRC to reduce waiting time for service users and maintain traffic flow.

The HWRC element of the facility will be accessible to the general public in order to dispose of recyclable materials and access the re-use shop. The WTS will not be open to the public, reserved solely for use by Council refuse vehicles and permitted traders/offtakers.