Call to axe £1.38m Poynton Pool works to keep Cheshire East tips open

Poynton town councillor Laurence Clarke said residents across the borough had objected to the closure of the household waste recycling sites at Bollington, Middlewich and Poynton and wanted to know why Cheshire East is pressing ahead with it.

All three sites will be mothballed from April 1 this year as part of emergency cost-cutting measures.

A final decision on their futures is expected in September once the formal review of household waste recycling centres has been completed.

Cllr Laurence Clarke (Image: Poynton Town Council)

Cllr Clarke told this week’s meeting of Cheshire East Council: “This proposal is very bad for the environment.

“It will lead to less recycling… more fly-tipping, illegal dumping, increased traffic on roads as people drive to the site on the south side of Macclesfield causing air pollution, traffic congestion.”

He said it would add extra costs in terms of closure, redundancy, security and insurance.

“Cheshire East say they will mothball the site - everyone believes you're just going to sell  it for development, a total disregard for people and the environment,” said Cllr Clarke.

He then referred to the £1.38m Cheshire East is proposing to spend on the controversial ‘safety’ works at the Poynton Pool reservoir.

Poynton Pool (Image: Geoff Jennings)

The council, as landowner, has a legal obligation to carry out works to ensure the pool, classed as a high-risk reservoir, is safe and won’t flood.

Poynton campaigners argue the proposed works are based on a ‘flawed’ study and there are less harmful and cheaper alternatives available.

Cllr Clarke said: “So if you're short of money, why not scrap the Poynton Pool spillway scheme which nobody wants in Poynton and use the money saved to keep the waste sites open?

“Alternatively, open the Poynton site on four days a week and Bollington on three days and move the staff between them.”

He was applauded by a number of Cheshire East councillors as he urged the authority to ‘re-consider these damaging proposals and keep the three waste sites open’.

Cllr Mick Warren (Macclesfield, Ind), chair of environment and communities, made no reference to the Poynton Pool works.

A planning application submitted by the council is expected to be considered by strategic planning at the end of March.

Cllr Mick Warren (Image: Cheshire East Council)

Cllr Warren told Cllr Clarke: “As a mitigation to the proposed emergency closures of the three household waste recycling sites in those towns, we are proposing to offer an introduction, on a trial basis, of a mobile household waste recycling provision.

“This trial will inform potential future options for the rollout of the mobile provision to other areas in the borough, as one element of the long-term permanent provision of household waste recycling centre services for Cheshire East.”

He added: “Details of how a mobile service would operate remain in development, including the range of waste streams which would be collected, service availability and implementation and timescales.”