Bristol waste depot's costs triple after landfill find

The new Hartcliffe Household Re-use and Recycling Centre in Bristol could now cost £11m

The cost of a new recycling centre could almost triple from its original price after the discovery of a previously unknown landfill site.

The new Hartcliffe Household Re-use and Recycling Centre (HRRC) in Bristol could now cost £11m, a report to city councillors states.

Bristol City Council has been forced to scrap plans to keep the existing street cleaning depot at the site.

It means a new depot site will have to be found which could cost an extra £4m.

The authority had originally allocated £4m for the new centre in 2017.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, council cabinet papers reveal costs of the new centre have increased to £7m due to "allowances for purchase of operational plant and equipment, depot relocation costs, additional contingencies, increased egress/access and other operational requirements".

A further £4m is required to relocate the existing street cleansing depot at Hartcliffe Way, after the discovery of the unknown landfill site dating to the 1950s on adjacent land.

It means a plan to house the depot there cannot take place due to the "significant development costs".

"This former use was undocumented on council and Environment Agency records of former landfill sites, and was confirmed through site investigations and review of historic ordnance survey records," the documents state.

When demolition work begins on the existing depot buildings the street cleaning team will be relocated for up to 18 months at Hawkfield business park.

The team will then either be re-housed permanently at a site yet to be identified, or be spread across a number of existing council depots.

The issue is due to be discussed at a city council cabinet meeting on Tuesday.