Proposals for a controversial new waste recycling centre will go before councillors in Aberdeen next week.
Suez, formerly SITA UK Ltd, has submitted the proposals for a site at Altens East Industrial estate, close to Doonies Farm.
And now planning chiefs at Aberdeen City Council have recommended the application for approval when it goes to planning committee next week.
The site would include a facility where mixed recyclable goods from the kerbside would be split up before being transferred on for reprocessing and recycling.
It would also have a refuse derived fuel centre where black bag rubbish is turned into fuel bales.
The development would further provide a replacement depot for the council’s waste collection vehicles.
Suez claims the development would create about 40 jobs, and by reducing the amount of waste going to landfill would in turn help reduce the city’s £5million landfill tax bill.
Cove and Altens Community Council have already objected to the proposals, and say screening between the farm and the site provided an “inadequate buffer zone” and would affect animals and visitors in nearby fields.
The group also claimed the development would be detrimental to the long term viability of the farm and the building would dominate the skyline, while also raising concerns about volumes of traffic.
Meanwhile plans for a joint incinerator project have been backed by members of the Aberdeen City Council’s zero waste sub committee.
Aberdeen City Council has agreed to join forces with Aberdeenshire and Moray councils to create a £180million facility at East Tullos.
Waste from all three regions would be processed at East Tullos to provide an alternative to costly landfills, give low cost heating and help the council meet green regulations and targets.
The first meeting of an Energy for Waste stakeholder group will be held on Tuesday, and Torry Community Council – which has been strongly opposed to the plans – will be in attendance, in the hope of furthering their argument that if the facility is needed, it should be nowhere near a settled community.
Zero waste sub committee convener Jean Morrison said “There was general support to continue to proceed into the next stage and that is the stage of working with other local authorities.
“It’s a long, long process. It’s not something that’s going to happen tomorrow.”