North Somerset Council has reluctantly accepted a substantial rent increase for its recycling depot to ensure it continues meeting its legal obligations for waste collection.
The council does not own the depot, located at Westland Distribution Park, where its waste operations are based. Recently, the landlord, AEW UK REIT Plc, served notice to terminate the lease next year.
Losing access to this facility could cost the council millions more in transporting waste outside the area or result in a failure to comply with its statutory waste collection duties.
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In response, the financially constrained council has secured a new lease extending until 2031. However, a break clause in the agreement means tenancy is not guaranteed beyond July 2028. To obtain this lease, the council agreed to a 30% increase in rent, raising the annual payment from £224,000 to £291,500.
Council officials stated they had negotiated the rent “to the fullest extent possible.” Steve Bridger, Cabinet member for assets, commented: “There isn’t realistically an alternative within the timescale available to us. Without the premises at Westland, we would risk being unable to deliver our statutory waste collection service from next spring.”
Council members have approved the commencement of plans for a new waste depot and recycling centre on land owned by the authority. While only an initial £2.5 million has been earmarked for design work so far, the full cost of the new facility is projected to reach approximately £56 million upon completion.
However, the new site will not be ready before July 2028. AEW UK REIT Plc is reportedly considering redevelopment plans for the current depot but currently has no immediate intentions.
Should the current depot close before the new facility opens, the council could face potential additional costs estimated at £4.6 million to transport recycling waste to alternative locations. Officers emphasised efforts to mitigate this risk and noted that the figure represents a worst-case scenario.
Beyond providing a waste depot free from lease restrictions, the new facility will incorporate a recycling centre to replace the existing one on Aisecombe Road in Weston-super-Mare, which is no longer deemed suitable for long-term use.
The proposed new facility is planned for construction at the former Avoncrest landfill site, situated just across the road from the current recycling centre.