Sustainable waste management

The Council will encourage all service providers to improve, augment, and expand existing service infrastructure throughout East Ayrshire in order to meet demand. Such developments will be supported by the Council where it can be demonstrated that there would be no detrimental impacts on the landscape, natural and built heritage designations or on the road network and where the proposal meets with all other relevant LDP policies. 

East Ayrshire’s existing cleaner communities installations are safeguarded on the LDP maps. Any proposed new development within the vicinity of these facilities which has the potential to compromise or inhibit waste handling operations will not be supported by the Council.

The design of all new developments, including commercial, business, industrial and residential, will be required to make provision for waste separation and collection. This should include, but is not restricted to, waste storage, kerbside collection and mini recycling facilities.

The Council will particularly be supportive of new developments that provide, where appropriate, at-source segregation or separate collections in order to increase the amount and quality of recyclable materials and to minimise the potential for cross-examination of materials.

The Council will require all major and certain more significant local developments to provide Site Cleaner Communities  Plans to demonstrate how waste generation will be minimised during the construction and operational phases of the development.

Proposals for new and extended cleaner communities infrastructure and facilities, including any activity which is ancillary to an industrial process, will be supported by the Council only where the proposed development meets all the following criteria:

(i) While a significant shortfall of waste management infrastructure exists, suitable locations for new waste facilities will be supported;

(ii) The proposal is proposed within a suitable location, unless it can be demonstrated that there is a site specific locational need to locate elsewhere. Suitable locations are defined as:

• Land identified for Business, Industry and Storage and Distribution purposes on the LDP maps particularly those which contain other heavy or specialised industrial uses
• Existing waste management sites or sites close to existing waste management facilities
• Areas of degraded, contaminated or derelict land
• Sites previously occupied by waste management facilities
• Existing or redundant sites or buildings that can be easily adapted
• Sites that have the potential to maximise the re-use of heat generated from waste through co-location with potential heat users
• Existing railheads, and other suitable sites located close to railways or junctions in the strategic road network

(iii) The proposal can accommodate an adequate buffer zone and screening between surrounding sensitive receptors such as dwellings, settlements, natural heritage resources worthy of protection and the new facility itself.

(iv) The proposal can demonstrate that measures will be put in place to prevent and control contamination of the surrounding area and the degradation of environmental amenity by:

• Wind blown material and dust
• Production of landfill gas
• Pollution of groundwater and watercourses by on-site operations
• Vermin and bird nuisance
• Noise and smell nuisance

(v) The proposal has no adverse impacts on the existing road network.

(vi) The proposal will have no unacceptable adverse impacts on the amenity of nearby residents and settlements and of residents of properties located along the transport routes to the site.

(vii) The proposal will not have an unacceptable adverse impact on the natural and built heritage (including historic gardens and designed landscapes), visual amenity and the landscape character of the area.

(viii) The proposal provides full operational details, restoration proposals where appropriate; and after use of the development site.

(ix) The proposal can demonstrate that the site is not at risk of flooding.

Development proposals which do not meet or comply with all of the above criteria or which are considered to have an unacceptable adverse impact on amenity of the natural and built environment will not be supported by the Council.

Where there is a proliferation of separate waste management facilities close to a local community or within a particular settlement, then the Council, wherever possible or feasible, will encourage the combination of different waste management processes within a single site.  The Council will also ensure that any co-location of facilities within a single site will not result in unacceptable cumulative impacts on, or unduly adversely affect, the amenity of the area or of local amenities.

In line with the spatial strategy and settlement hierarchy, all new major waste facilities will, in the first instance, be directed to whichever of the five towns of Kilmarnock, Cumnock, Galston, Stewarton or Dalmellington is in the closest proximity to the source of the waste.

The Council will require all applicants for new or extended waste management facilities:

(i) to submit detailed planning applications; applications for planning permission in principle will not be acceptable

(ii) to establish Liaison Committees, where appropriate, with local representatives to act as a forum through which relevant operational and associated issues can be discussed and addressed

(iii) to upgrade, maintain and repair at their own expense, road damage shown to have been caused by vehicles servicing their developments

(iv) to service any existing or proposed waste management development by rail if feasible

Any development for landfill will require a financial guarantee in line with policy RE5 and the Council’s Supplementary Guidance on Financial Guarantees (PDF 1.2Mb) to be in place before any development starts.

Proposals for development associated with the recovery and/or disposal of waste, including energy recovery from waste, will be supported by the Council where the development:

(i) Fully accords with the provisions of General Policy WM 4;

(ii) Makes contributions to waste management targets set by the European Union and the Scottish Government;

(iii) Accords with any legislative restrictions on waste recovery and disposal;

(iv) Provides a connection to the electricity grid, where appropriate;

(v) Has investigated the potential for heat and electricity distribution to neighbouring uses has been fully explored and provided where viable. The developer will be required to provide sufficient justification and evidence to demonstrate why heat and electricity distribution cannot be provided.

(vi) Provides a high quality restoration and aftercare plan, in accordance with Policy RE5: Financial Guarantees.

All proposals for energy from waste facilities must achieve high efficiency in terms of energy recovery and will be required to provide a Heat and Power plan for the proposed facility in accordance with SEPA’s Thermal Treatment of Waste Guidelines 2014. (PDF 0.5Mb)

Proposals for thermal treatment plants will also be required to meet with SEPA’s Thermal Treatment of Waste Guidelines 2014. (PDF 0.5Mb)

The Council will generally be supportive of the establishment of secondary industries and businesses associated with an established waste management facility as an integral part of, or in as close proximity as possible to, the waste management facility from which they derive their business. Any new secondary industries and businesses will be assessed against all relevant LDP policies including those relating to business and industry.

The Council will encourage and support the development of small scale centralised waste collection and mini recycling facilities such as bottle banks etc. within areas easily accessible to the public, including:

• town centre and supermarket car parks
• car parks associated with commercial leisure developments
• industrial estates, retail, commercial, office and business locations
• schools and other educational establishments
• new housing developments

In the case of proposed new developments of the types detailed above, such facilities should be provided as an integral part of the original design for any development proposal. These facilities should be located in easily accessible locations which do not impede natural surveillance or prejudice the efficient operation of the areas in which they are situated. Proposals to develop larger scale HWRCs to meet the needs of local communities at appropriate locations, in or close to existing centres of population, will also be supported by the Council, subject to meeting all relevant policies.