HAMPSHIRE Waste Services has sought to scotch rumours that the former Gibbs/Palmer site on the A31 at Holybourne is to house an incinerator plant.

Instead, the 7.05 acre site is to be used to construct a multi-million pound materials recovery facility (MRF) which, project manager John Collis assures, will be Òcompletely benign and should prove an asset to recycling within the countyÓ.

Confirming that Hampshire Waste Services Limited now owns the freehold to the site, Mr Collis said that the greatest concern was for the visual impact from the A31 and this his company intended to address with suitable landscaping along the highway boundary.

Around three-quarters of the plant will be given over to sorting recyclable materials such as plastic, tin and paper, into separate components using machinery and people to pick out the various materials - an exercise which is expected to provide Òsignificant local employment opportunities.Ó

The section of the building on the north eastern end will be used as a transfer station for the collection of non-disposable waste which will be taken by articulated lorries, either to be incinerated or more likely to a landfill site near Ringwood.

Mr Collis explained that his company was under contract to Hampshire County Council to build three incinerators - one which was under construction at Chineham, Basingstoke, a second which is due to start construction early in January at Marchwood near Southampton, and a third which has planning permission for an Easter start at Portsmouth.

He pointed out that 840,000 tonnes of waste are collected in Hampshire each year, some 420,000 tonnes of which are incinerated. ÒWith a recycling target of 40 per cent there is therefore no need to build another incinerator,Ó he said.

Hampshire Waste currently operates one MRF at Portsmouth where all recyclables go at the moment but as the collection of recyclables is increasing there is pressure for another centre and this will be just outside Alton.

Still at the concept design stage, Mr Collis has no figures as yet regarding the number of lorry movements expected at the A31 depot but points out that his lorries should not interfere with peak-time flow.

Generally vehicles will stick to the A31, unless they are collecting locally, and any vehicles coming from Basingstoke will be directed through Lasham and across the top of the Butts to join the A31 east of Chawton.

Local vehicles would park on the site which will be operated by Onyx - a subsidiary of Hampshire Waste Services. The company, said Mr Collis, would require an operators licence from the Environment Agency which would ensure that it was not infringing any regulations regarding discharges into water, air or ground.

From the point of view of smell, Òthere would be noneÓ, according to Mr Collis whose company runs seven MRFs around the country. ÒAll waste is kept inside and nothing is stored for more than 24 hours,Ó he said.

There would be no combustion and no liquid discharge.

In addition, all equipment relating to the MRF would be kept inside the building and the doors opened only to allow lorries to go in and out, so noise was not expected to be a problem.

The plant would be expected to operate a 16-hour day of two eight-hour shifts and vehicle movements would, it was thought, be restricted to between 7 am and 7 pm.

In the future, Mr Collis told the Herald, the company would be looking at the possibility of resurrecting the rail link to the site which would enable the transportation of paper by train.

Currently in the process of preparing an environmental statement and working on a formal application, it is hoped to submit plans to Hampshire County Council by early March when East Hampshire planners will also be asked to comment as statutory consultees.

Keen to keep local people informed, the Hampshire Waste team will be consulting with Alton Town Council, Froyle Parish Council and the Holybourne Village Association and intends to invite local people to help decide on the colour of the building, to ensure that it blends in with the surrounding countryside.

It is hope the new materials recovery facility will be operational by the end of 2003.