By Declan Harte Published: 10/09/2010

MORE than 150 people gathered to voice their opposition to a planned recycling plant in

Aberdeen at a public meeting last night.

Emotions ran high as residents of the city’s Hazlehead area told Aberdeen City Council

representatives that they feared placing the unit at the former Grove Nursery site would bring

dangerously-high levels of traffic to nearby roads. Residents worry that the building would

spoil the look of nearby Hazlehead Park and would bring an abundance of extra traffic that

could put children at risk.

Earlier this year, councillors backed plans to build the city’s fifth recycling centre at the site,

near Hazlehead Avenue.

Addressing the crowd at the meeting in Hazlehead Academy, the council’s director of housing

and environment, Pete Leonard, said that an extra recycling plant was needed to cope with the

high-volume of rubbish produced by city residents. He said: “The search for a site in the west

of the city has been going on for a very long time, yet today we do not have one. We believe

that the issues that have been identified can be addressed.”

Many of his comments were met with loud groans and jeers from those in attendance.

William Sell, chairman of Craigiebuckler and Seafield Community Council – which arranged

the meeting – warned that extra traffic could endanger the lives of children attending the

nearby Hazlehead Primary School. He said: “The concerns of parents have been paramount

among the e-mails we have had. The last thing on earth that residents want is to have a

recycling plant on that site.”

A representative of contractors Sita showed photographs of similar recycling centres in

England on a large screen.

Cameron Campbell, 48, of Macaulay Drive in Hazlehead, responded by saying: “I didn’t see

any rubbish or traffic in the photos, so they are not showing the whole picture.”

Hazlehead councillor Jennifer Stewart said that the noise of lorries arriving at the site early in

the morning could disturb those who live nearby. She said: There could be quite an increase

in traffic which could be quite disruptive to residents.”

Mr Leonard replied by saying: “Of course waste has to go out and that will be taken on

containers on trucks. We are probably looking at about one per hour.

“If there is a concern that undue noise is being caused then this will be addressed.”

Speaking after the meeting, Hazlehead councillor Martin Greig said he has seen hundreds of

e-mails from residents opposed to the plan. He said: “There is clearly unanimous opposition

to a recycling centre at Hazlehead Park. There has been an enormous turnout at the meeting as

the issue has caused considerable unrest in the area.”