Companies in and around Cromwell Road have revealed their concerns to Cambridgeshire County Council during a meeting with council officers.
The area is well used by lorries turning in and out of business sites and this could cause problems once the new recycling centre is up and running by the late summer of 2009.

The present recycling tip in Huntingdon Street will close down next year, with operations being transferred to the redesigned and revamped former Collins and Aikman building in Marston Road, just off Cromwell Road.

The issue was discussed during a meeting between the St Neots Town Centre Initiative's (TCI) Manufacturing Club – which represents companies in the area – and members of the county council's waste management team.

The council officials sought to reassure the TCI that the authority would take on board concerns about the new set-up, including fears that a bottleneck of traffic will be created as people drive in and out of the new centre.

Chairman of the TCI John Davies, who organised and chaired the meeting, said it had been very positive and it had allowed members of the manufacturing group to set out their concerns.

The county council's communication manager for the waste team Simon Lacey said the authority was keen to speak to the business representatives and listen to what they have to say prior to the start of any planning process.

Mr Lacey said: "What we have is a three-acre site. One acre will be for waste operations in the existing building with another acre allowing us to manage traffic on site and not on the road.
"The entrance to the site will be much further down Marston Road than is the case now."

The council official pointed out that hauliers had started to park in the road on the opposite side of the site to be developed.

Mr Lacey added: "Our relationship with local businesses is critical and we are working with them as closely as possible. The site is being designed to manage as much traffic off road as possible and, if necessary, we will be doing some work to see if any speed and parking restrictions are needed."

>> This week plans for the site was submitted to the county council's planners with the 'plan base' being sent to the district council. There will be a formal consultation period of approximately six weeks before the proposal goes before the county council's development control panel which, after examining any feedback, will make the final decision.