South Gloucestershire Council has secured planning permission to drive forward with its plans to build a dedicated slip road to the Sort It recycling centre at Carsons Road, Mangotsfield.
The slip road is designed to prevent queuing during busy periods, minimising the impact on the local highway network and making access to the site easier and safer for residents.
Funding for the construction of the slip road comes via the council’s 2022/23 budget, with work due to start this autumn. Public access to the recycling centre will be maintained wherever possible to minimise disruption.
The plans for the site include measures for supporting and protecting wildlife, including the installation of bird boxes, insect hotels, reptile and amphibian shelters and the planting of a new hedgerow. Improvements to drainage on Carsons Road will also be delivered, with further details about the construction and a timeline of work set to be published later this summer.
Proposals for the slip road are included in the council’s ‘Resource and Waste Strategy: 2020 and Beyond’, which sets out its environmental aspirations for a sustainable future by valuing all resource and preventing waste whenever possible.
Cabinet Member for communities, Councillor Rachael Hunt said: “I am delighted that our plans to improve access and reduce queuing times for residents using Mangotsfield Sort It centre have been approved. This means we can now progress with the construction phase to deliver this much-needed slip road as soon as possible. Enhancing the site for nature is an important part of our plans to help residents recycle more and dispose of waste responsibly, as well as ensuring homes for wildlife and maintaining connectivity to surrounding green spaces.
“The Sort It recycling centre on Carsons Road is our busiest site and this has sometimes resulted in queuing traffic, particularly on bank holiday weekends. These plans will improve safety and access to the recycling centre and will save time for our residents.
“We have the fifth highest recycling rate out of all unitary councils in England which is well in excess of the national average. However, our aims are to encourage more people to do the right thing for the environment by reducing, reusing, and recycling their waste even further.”
For more information about the Sort It recycling centres in South Gloucestershire visit www.southglos.gov.uk/sortit.
