Hilltop Outdoor Centre challenges Norfolk council’s £1.75m Sheringham recycling center plan approved near their business.
A judge granted a review in the Royal Courts of Justice because lawyers claim the proper processes were not followed. The new recycling center would be built in fields next to Hilltop, used by Norfolk schoolchildren, and it would sit on land in a National Landscape.
The Reads say their business will suffer because noise and traffic from the center are concerns. They also say the council didn’t follow all rules.
A lawyer for Hilltop said proper sites were not considered, citing Stonehill industrial estate in Cromer as a missed option. She said council members lacked clear advice during the meeting approving the recycling center plan.
The council claims they did consider other options, and their lawyers will present their arguments later. A judge will decide if the council acted lawfully following a two-day High Court hearing.
The council planning committee voted to approve the center with a vote of eight to two with one abstention. North Norfolk District Council and the Norfolk Coast Partnership also objected to the plan.
The council now has a booking system for its recycling centers, and they agreed to close them on Wednesdays as a way to save money. Work hasn’t started on the Sheringham recycling center, and the court’s decision could stop the project.