Major projects and improvements

Significant milestones have been reached in the £4.65m Norwich North and Norwich South recycling centre schemes with planning permission now granted for the Norwich South site, and construction underway on the Norwich North site.

The new £2.75m Norwich North recycling centre is set to replace the current Mile Cross recycling centre in 2021. The site will complement a planned £1.9m Norwich South site, on an underused part of the Harford park and ride site, which is scheduled to replace the smaller Ketteringham site in autumn 2021.

Both the Norwich North and Norwich South sites are at locations with good transport links to make them accessible to as many people as possible in the growing Norwich area.

The new Norwich North recycling centre

The first stage of construction for the new Norwich North recycling centre started on Monday 9 November on land off the A140/A1270 junction, near the airport. Highway teams started work on the 0.4km access road which is the first stage in the project and will see the new recycling centre open in autumn 2021.

While work on the access road is underway until April 2021 one of the lanes of the A140/A1270 Cromer road roundabout will be closed and lower speed limits will be in place to allow traffic to move safely past the work. As the work will affect the cycleway along New Holme Lane this will need to be temporarily closed throughout the project because it is not possible to provide safe route through the works at this point. A fully signed diversion route for cyclists will be in place via West Lane, Church Street and A140 Cromer Road. And an alternative route for cyclists is available from Horsham St. Faiths via Bullock Hill, the new cycle track parallel to the Broadland Northway, and St. Faiths Road.

See the location site on Google maps.

Key features planned for your new site

• The county’s largest reuse shop
• One-way system for smooth traffic flow and reduced queues
• Low level bins with no steps 
• Plenty of parking for cars and bikes
• Pay As You Throw service for disposal of DIY waste
• Trade waste service for small businesses
• The site will not close for essential waste collection and servicing operations

Timetable for the development of the new site

• Initial consultation ran in June and July 2018 – views were then used to help shape initial design
• Consultation on the initial design ran 4 November to 2 December 2019 – feedback shaped final design submitted in planning application
• Planning application was submitted in spring 2020
• Planning permission granted in June 2020
• Construction started autumn 2020
• Recycling centre opening September 2021

Why we're moving

The contract for the Mile Cross site at Swanton Road in Norwich ends in 2021. The Mile Cross recycling centre is the busiest site and with new housing expected around Norwich we’re growing out of it.

We’re investing £2.75m in a bigger recycling centre to help us reuse and recycle more.

The proposed new site provides easy access from the Broadland Northway (A1270) and reduces the need to travel into city centre traffic. It is 3.3 miles from Mile Cross recycling centre.

The new Norwich South recycling centre

Planning permission was granted for the new Norwich South recycling centre in October 2020. Construction of the new recycling centre, using available spare space on an underused part of the Harford park and ride site at the junction of the A11/A140, is due to begin in spring 2021.

The design of the new site has been shaped by feedback from the consultation that ran from 17 February to 30 March 2020. Some of the key things you told us were you liked the good vehicle flow into the site and avoiding steps with low level bins to help you get rid of your waste easily. Other feedback led to adjustments to the initial design of the recycling centre layout; the internal road was widened to two lanes, another disabled parking bay was added near the main waste containers and changes were made to ensure pedestrians would not need to cross any roadways on site to access bins and containers.

See the location on Google maps.

Key features planned for your new site

• A new reuse shop 8 times the size of the current shop at Ketteringham 
• One-way system smooth traffic flow and reduce queues
• Plenty of parking for cars and bikes 
• No steps on site as the bins will be at a lower level
• Pay as You Throw service for disposal of construction and demolition waste 
• Trade service for small businesses
• The site will not need to close for bins to be emptied (unlike at Ketteringham)

Why we're moving

A new improved recycling centre is proposed to replace Ketteringham Recycling Centre and provide a larger, modern site with easy access for residents living in and near the south of Norwich. The site will be on part of the current Harford Park and Ride site, using available spare space with an allowance for daily peak usage. The park and ride site will be unaffected by the recycling centre plans.

Timetable for the development of the new site

• Consultation on the initial design was open 17 February to 30 March 2020 – feedback shaped the final design submitted in planning application
• Planning application submitted in June 2020
• Planning permission granted October 2020
• Recycling centre construction set to start in spring 2021
• Recycling centre opens autumn 2021