Angus Council chiefs are braced for a backlash over plans to save money by merging two recycling centres.
The plan will result in the closure of the Forfar and Kirriemuir facilities, which will be replaced by a combined facility at Padanaram, halfway between the two towns.
The authority warned it may not be the last such move because it has no cash to sustain centres in its seven burghs.
The Padanaram proposal is thesubject of an application lodged bythe council with its own planningdepartment for land on the A926 east of Dragon Hall Farm.
In a supporting statement, council service manager Stewart Ball said it can “no longer afford” to provide recycling centres in each town.
But he warned closing any of thefacilities would “not be a populardecision with either the public or local elected members.”
He added: “The existing sites are tired, and would require considerable investment to bring them up tomodern-day standards.
“The centre at Kirriemuir has traffic management issues that present an ongoing risk to health and safety, particularly during busy periods. The provision of a kerbside recycling service to all households within Angus means the nature of centre usage will change, thus presenting an opportunity forservice redesign.”
The justification report establishes that relocating Kirriemuir’s centreto Forfar, as the larger centre ofpopulation, would attract “significant public opposition.”
The council expects journey times to increase by up to seven minutes forcurrent users of the Kirriemuir site and by up to five minutes for users of theForfar site.
“In summary, provision of recycling centres in each of the seven burghs of Angus is no longer economically viable,” Mr Ball concluded.
The 8,000 square metre site adjacent to Dragon Hall Farm will also require a new junction at the 40mph speed limit point on the outskirts of Padanaram.
A decision is expected by March 10.
The chairman of KirriemuirCommunity Council, Dave Milne, said: “To give the council their due, the three or four-bin system for kerbside recycling is working really well. But to move the recycling centre? It’s just another cut, isn’t it?”
Mr Milne said the group would meet on January 27 to discuss the application.
Kirriemuir Landward East Community Council chairman Ivan Laird said he was surprised by the application.
“This is the first we have heard of it as a community council, but what immediately springs to minds is that there will be a cost involved in developing this site,” said Mr Laird.