Kings Norton tip set to close for two years after Perry Barr reopens

A planning officer said the Kings Norton site would be closed for a minimum of two years

A waste centre is to shut for two years even though another tip has already been shut for that amount of time.

A date has not been given for the closure of the Veolia Household Recycling Centre at Kings Norton, Birmingham, but the facility at Perry Barr shut in 2021.

It was due to open in the spring but a councillor said it should open by the end of the year.

Residents said the closure made it more difficult to recycle waste.

In a tweet, Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for the environment on Birmingham City Council, said the Perry Barr site should reopen by the end of the year.

"Then we will move to modernise Lifford Lane [Kings Norton] waste infrastructure," he said.

The nearest facility for some residents who normally use Perry Barr is the one at Tyseley. People who use the one in Kings Norton have also been advised to use that centre.

The Perry Barr recycling centre closed for improvement works in July 2021

Stephen Message, 60, from Brookfield Road, in Hockley, said it was quite a trek to the Tyseley facility from where he lived.

"We want to do the right thing," he said. "We want to make sure rubbish is dumped properly and efficiently."

He said he had seen more flytipping which he had reported to the council, including dumped fridges and electrical appliances.

Another Brookfield Road resident, Judith Whalley, said the Perry Barr closure was frustrating as she was unable to dump her bags of green waste.

"It's extremely inconvenient," she added. "I want to do gardening, I'm just thinking 'what am I going to do with it all?'"

In a planning meeting where councillors approved the Kings Norton redevelopment, Councillor Gareth Moore said the Perry Barr closure had caused "havoc".

He said there were also problems with the Kings Norton site on Lifford Lane, involving "massive queues".

"There does need to be a redevelopment, but I fear what is going to happen given the experiences in Perry Barr," he added.

Birmingham has five tips, with the closest alternative tip for those who normally use Perry Barr and Kings Norton being the one in Tyseley. The other centres are in Castle Bromwich or Sutton Coldfield.

The recycling centre at Perry Barr is undergoing an upgrade that is set to increase capacity and offer a wider range of recycling.

The contractor, Tolent, went into administration. But now the council said a new one had been appointed and it should reopen by the end of the year.