Hilltop Outdoor Centre contests council’s approval of the new Sheringham Recycling Centre. Court hearing scheduled.
The outdoor center hosts many Norfolk schoolchildren annually. The new recycling center is planned next to the adventure center. Hilltop worries about noise and traffic hurting its business. They also believe the council didn’t follow proper procedures.
The court will hear arguments from both Hilltop and the council. The judge will decide if the council’s process was lawful. Martin Read, a Hilltop director, says the decision was unlawful and unethical. He feels they had no choice but to take legal action.
He says the site was picked without public input. He believes biased reports justified the choice of location. Other, better sites were not assessed fairly. Last May, the council approved the new recycling center. Eight members voted for it, two against, and one abstained.
The new center replaces the current one on Holt Road. North Norfolk District Council also opposed the plans. The Norfolk Coast Partnership and CPRE disagreed too. They said it hurts an area of natural beauty. Officials claimed they explored other sites though.
The council says the tip now costs £1.75 million. It was originally estimated at £1.65 million. The council claims its planning team followed all rules. They await the court’s decision and will not comment further. Since the plans passed, changes occurred at Norfolk tips.
The council began using a booking system. They also started closing the tips on Wednesdays. This was done to save money.