Colchester Waste Transfer Station

• Landscape design for new waste transfer station
• Assessment of topography and visual impact.
• Sensitive design to mitigate impact on surroundings.
• One of a set of similar projects for Essex County Council

Waste transfer stations are large buildings where household refuse collected by the local council is split between what can be recycled and what cannot. The two types of waste are then taken away by lorry to specialist recycling centres or to landfill respectively.

Essex County Council identified a need for new waste transfer stations serving several of the borough councils in the county, Colchester being one. This type of development is usually unpopular at the local level so the process of planning approval requires a great deal of work.

We carried out a landscape and visual impact assessment (LVIA) of the site to identify how the area would be affected by the development with the impact on the view from residential areas being a particular factor.  We proposed mitigation strategies by using the topography of the site to place the building most effectively.  We also advised on the use of materials and screening strategies through tree planting to further reduce the impact.  Our visuals for the planning application showed how the site would appear on construction and in the future to demonstrate how the landscaping would contribute to reducing the negative impact of the site over time.

Planning approval was successfully achieved and we then worked for Essex County Council on getting similar approval for other waste transfer stations in Chelmsford, Uttlesford and Braintree.

Contact us for more information regarding this project or how we can assist you with a similar requirement