New recycling centre 'paused' due to lack of funds

An artist's impression of the planned new waste and recycling centre in Tavistock

Plans to build a new waste and recycling centre to replace an old site that is "unfit for purpose" have been "paused" due to funding shortages.

The plans for the new Crowndale Recycling Centre in Tavistock were unveiled in March 2022 by Devon County Council, which said the site was "no longer fit for purpose, gets congested and is inadequate for modern demands".

The delay emerged in a report released ahead of Conservative-run Devon County Council setting its annual budget.

The papers referred to "the pausing of the Tavistock Household Waste Recycling Centre project due to inflationary cost increases".

Debo Sellis is the Devon County Council member for Tavistock

Debo Sellis, the Conservative member for Tavistock on Devon County Council, said the project was "not being thrown into the grass".

She said: "I'm not 100% surprised actually. I think it's very sad - it's something I've been working on to secure since 2009 tenaciously.

"I've been listened to and we will get it."

A Devon County Council spokesperson said the delay was due increased construction costs and "engineering challenges" of developing a contaminated brownfield site and "additional funds" were needed for construction.

The spokesperson said: "These additional costs cannot be funded from the Devon County Council's capital programme at this point in time due to other financial pressures."

Some work on fencing and landscaping will be carried out but will then be "paused whilst awaiting further funding".

Congestion at the Crowndale Recycling Centre was one of the reasons for replacing it

When it launched a public consultation on the plans for the new site in March 2022, Devon County Council said the recycling centre had to be closed to the public during compaction.

It said that led to "frequent queuing of traffic along Crowndale Road, which can be significant at times".

It added the use of steps to get to containers also caused problems.

All members of Devon County Council are expected to meet on Thursday to discuss the budget.