GREEN is the colour that the controversial Powys County Council £4 million Bulk Recycling Facility, earmarked for Abermule, will be when it is built.

At Thursday’s (October 3) planning meeting the committee agreed that a number of planning conditions that need to be fulfilled before building work starts had been completed

Originally the council wanted to the facility to be coloured “Anthracite grey” but a last minute update report saw a change of heart with “juniper green” being recommended.

Objections had been made by villagers against the facility being coloured grey.

Juniper green is the same colour as used by PCC at its sites in Brecon and Rhayader.

Principal planning officer, Tamsin Law, said:  “It was originally grey and that was amended during the process to a juniper green colour.

“This was considered acceptable to officers and satisfies the discharge of this condition.”

Cllr Hywel Lewis, (Independent – Llangunllo), said: “I’m glad to see common sense has prevailed and officers have listened to the concerns of the residents. They had wished to be consulted on colour.”

Cllr Roger Williams (Liberal Democrat – Felinfach) added: “I think it’s always a mistake to ask a committee to choose a colour.”

The other discharge condition that was passed were: (eight and 12).

This means that a written report on the site investigation of contaminated land had been completed which includes “the most appropriate remediation” option for each pollutant.

This included considering how to deal with Asbestos found at the site.

After reviewing this information the PCC contaminated land officer, David Jones, had confirmed the information is “acceptable”.

It was also agreed that condition 17: “for full engineering details and drawings for the surface water and land drainage arrangements together with the details on the surface water flood compensation pond had been submitted.”

This also needed to have been done before building work can start.

Principal planning officer Tamsin Law added that the Welsh Government Highways Department and Powys Land Drainage who were consulted had raised no objections.

This condition was passed as discharged.

In August 2018, planning permission was given for the £4 million scheme.

In May the PCC cabinet voted unanimously in favour of going ahead with it, despite receiving advice from councillors from the full council not to.

PCC has stressed  that the facility is to help the authority deal with hitting the Welsh Government recycling targets of 70 per cent by 2024/25.

It believes the recycling bulking facility is “essential to maximise the efficiency” of the collection vehicles and is “ideally located between the two main population centres of North Powys.