Work is scheduled to start on Bath’s new recycling centre at Locksbrook Road on Monday 23rd February – with the tip set to open in late 2026.
How the recycling centre will look | CGI image © B&NES Council
Construction firm EW Beard Ltd has written to people in the area, advising them of the start date and promising to keep disruption to a minimum.
Demolition and remediation work has been taking place on part of the current Midland Road recycling centre in preparation for the whole site being redeveloped.
Bath & North East Somerset Council-owned Aequus Construction Ltd has permission to build 176 homes there.
The centre will stay open until the new Locksbrook Road one is ready.
The council will be spending just over £10 million to relocate the recycling centre to Locksbrook Road where it secured planning permission last April – although as of last week, the Environment Agency (EA) had still not granted a permit. The EA said the application was still being assessed.
The council has said it investigated more than 50 sites for a new recycling centre for the city before settling on its street cleansing depot in Locksbrook Road and the adjoining car park it leased to the local VW garage.
The street cleansing team are relocating to a refurbished council transport depot on Locksbrook Road.
The replacement recycling centre was approved by the council’s planning committee despite 189 objections. Nineteen local businesses publicly opposed the scheme, including Bath Spa University which has a campus on Locksbrook Road.
Concerns included the flood risk and the impact on the local business and residential community including environmental health, traffic safety and congestion issues, as well as problems with accessibility due to the proposed gantry system.
Protestors outside the proposed recycling site on Locksbrook Road in September 2024
There has also been criticism that the categories of recycling will drop from 31 at Midland Road to nine at Locksbrook, although the council says about 80% of the tonnage of items taken to the Midland Road site can be taken to the new site.
According to the council’s timeline, construction work should have started on the new Locksbrook tip last autumn, with a summer opening planned.
In the letter sent to local residents, the construction firm says: “EW Beard Ltd have been appointed by Bath & North East Somerset Council to build the new Bath Recycling Centre, which when it opens in late 2026 will replace the existing recycling centre at Midland Road.”
It adds: “We pride ourselves on being a considerate constructor and we will endeavour to complete works with minimal disruption to surrounding neighbours and residents, and businesses.
“We have a dedicated social value team that will be engaged on the project to ensure that we have a positive impact on the local community.”
