Bin lorry garage set for move out of Clean Air Zone in Birmingham

An application for a new Tyseley “super” facility combining the waste fleet garage, offices and other facilities currently spread across two sites is due to be considered by the planning committee.

This is the second of two planned new waste depots– with work already under way at Perry Barr Household Recycling Centre (HRC) for the other.

The city’s street scene and parks chief Councillor John O’Shea spoke about the planned move out of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) when asked about the 82 fines incurred by the council’s waste fleet in the first month.

More than 800 fines for council vehicles had been issued by August 31 – though it was not said at that point which departments within the council had incurred the £120 penalty charge notices (PCNs).

The new facility at Tyseley would bring together services currently provided by the garage at Montague Street, Bordesley – within the A4540 ring road – and office, welfare and parking facilities at Redfern Road, Tyseley, to one location.

A new, purpose-built, 163 metre-long building would also stand at Redfern Road – at the former site of Atlas Works – with 193 spaces for fleet vehicles.

A report to councillors states: “This relocation will enable the service to provide for a central hub/ purpose-built ‘super’ facility within a central location for all the waste service vehicles to meet the future needs of the city and this in turn will promote energy savings by operating from one sustainable site.”

A note on three individual responses to a public consultation contained in the report states: “[There were] concerns about smell and noise and constant heavy traffic especially as this is a larger facility amalgamating two depots into one.”

An officer has stated “the highway impact of the proposal development is not severe” and added potential noise concerns in relation to two nearby houses could be addressed with conditions attached to the recommended approval.

One condition suggested is a limit on noise levels for the site’s plant and machinery.

A recommendation for approval states: “This is a previously developed site within a core employment area and the principle of the use is considered acceptable.

“Access and design considerations have been accepted and provides opportunities for ecological enhancements to take place.

“The site can be adequately accessed and serviced, and amenity can be secured.”

The project is not set to meet the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) standard of excellent for sustainability.

The council’s own sustainable construction policy requires new, non-residential buildings with a total floor area of more than 1,000 square metres to meet the BREEAM excellent standard.

A document included in the application states achieving the rating would make the project financially unviable.

The report to councillors states the council has “demonstrated adequate energy efficiencies given the viability of the project” – including allowing for the nearby Tyseley Energy Centre to provide energy to the site in future which would make the site carbon neutral.

The site will also include infrastructure allowing for the charging of an electric fleet as it “moves away from diesel and petrol”.