Smeaton Bing

Smeaton Bing Recycling Centre, Carberry

This page contains information on the recycling centre at Smeaton Bing near Cousland which is presently under development.

Development updates...

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Smeaton Bing from Chalkieside

Smeaton Bing from Chalkieside

Planning Application

09/00617/FUL Reformation of bing to form bunds, formation of access road, suds pond, erection of buildings, associated planting and use of land as a waste recycling facility Smeaton Bing Carberry East Lothian.

View application documents

East Lothian Council Planning Committee approved the above planning application at a committee meeting held on Tuesday 2 March 2010 at East Lothian Council Chambers in Haddington.

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Smeaton Bing Proposal Plan

Smeaton Bing Proposal Plan

NOTE: This diagram is an unofficial plan of the Smeaton Bing development. It is simply intended to illustrate the general arrangement of the proposed site and location of the main entrance. This diagram is loosely based on the planner's most recent drawings.

'Hidden Recycling Centre'

Hamilton Waste and Recycling Ltd. aquired the Smeaton Bing site and are reshaping the land to create a hidden site for a recycling centre. The plans are to lower and hollow out the bing, and use the material to develop a screen or bund wall around the perimeter between the site and surrounding properties.

Landscape

The bing currently rises to about 40m above original ground level, with a high point near the centre and some flatter areas around some edges. Parts of it have developed scrub woodland but much is bare and black.

Reshaped, it will be lower and wider, between about 20m and 25m above original ground level, with a large low level flat area hidden in the centre.

Buildings and operations inside the reshaped bing will be hidden from view (except when looking directly into the site entrance).

The outside slopes will generally be about 1:2, slightly less steep than most of the existing bing.

About half the reshaped bing will be planted up with native woodland, the rest will be seeded with meadow grass to green up the bing and encourage wildlife.

A SuDS (Sustainable urban Drainage System) pond will be located near the main site entrance to act as a drain for flood water from the site and from the A6124 Carberry road which is prone to flooding during periods of heavy rainfall.

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Processing and Waste Materials

Smeaton Bing will be a centre where inert (non-toxic) waste is taken apart and sorted for recycling.

Mixed construction waste comes in to the main shed where it is sorted, then moved into specialist sheds for further processing for recycling.

Single source materials go direct to the specialist sheds

Wood, metal and topsoil are all separated out, and rubble is sorted into coarse and fine aggregates (hardcore, gravel and sand). Green waste is composted.

About 90% of incoming material is sorted, processed, then stored for a short period before being sold. The remaining 10% goes to landfill. Nothing remains on site.

Nothing on site will be incinerated and there will be no fires.

It is intended that some of the revenue earned from the recycling centre be used to improve and maintain the area surrounding the site.

The nearest comparable example of the type and scale of operation that would be carried out at Smeaton Bing is located at Drem in East Lothian. This site is also owned and operated by Hamilton Waste and Recycling Ltd. More details on the Drem facility are available on the company's website at www.hamiltonwaste.com.

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Noise Mitigation

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Dust Mitigation

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Transport

Site access will be located on the Carberry road (A6124) roughly midway between the entrances to Carberry Tower Estate and the Carberry Candles Factory.

Potential routes have been identified to minimise impact on local communities.

The proposal will remove HGV traffic serving the existing Hamilton recycling site from Wallyford.

Traffic increase in the order of 30-40 vehicle movements per hour (see below).

There will be a mix of vehicles - pick ups, vans, small trucks and lorries. Articulated lorries will make up about 10% of traffic (up to 3 per hour).

The scheme includes improvements to the local pedestrian and cycle routes.

Alternative access points were considered.

Anticipated vehicle movements

We anticipate a total of 350 vehicle movements a day - cars, vans or lorries, in or out of the site, of which up to 90% will be to and from the A1 and 10% to and from the A68.

On the A6124 north to the A1 there are currently 1,700 vehicles per day - This would increase by just over 300 per day. At peak times this would be an increase from 165 vehicles per hour (or about 1 every 22 seconds) to 200 vehicles per hour (1 every 18 seconds).

On the A6124 south to the A68 junction there are currently just over 1000 vehicles per day, which would increase by about 30 per day.

The B6414 past the site entrance currently has 1,300 vehicles per day. We anticipate this would increase to about 1,650 vehicles per day. This would be an increase in peak time traffic from about 1 vehicle every 25 seconds to about 1 vehicle every 20 seconds.

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Operational Hours and Lifespan

Operating times will be from 7am until 6pm on weekdays and 7am until 1pm on Saturdays.

There will be no operations on Sundays.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What will happen on the site?

The reshaped bing will allow commercial waste that currently goes to landfill to be recycled and sold on as useful material. The remainder that cannot be recycled will then go to existing landfill sites. The recycling will take place within buildings within the site so that noise and dust are contained.

What will happen to the bing?

The bing will be reshaped to form a bund all the way around the site with the recycling in the middle. The bund, along with the buildings will keep the recycling process well screened and contained. The bund will be lower than the existing bing and it will be properly planted up.

Will the site take household waste?

No, it will only take commercial waste, for example waste from building sites, building and demolition operations and from commercial contracts. In the future waste from kerb side collections may be processed at Smeaton but the general public will not be able to drive in and recycle their waste.

Will the site be used for landfill?

No, all material will be recycled with the residue being taken to existing landfill sites elsewhere. The process can reduce the amount of material going to landfill by 90%.

Is the material being recycled dangerous or poisonous?

No all material entering the site will be safe. This is strictly controlled by SEPA via their licence which can be withdrawn at any time.

How will traffic be managed?

We anticipate around 300 commercial vehicle movements per working day (around 3 artic lorries per hour, the rest will be assorted commercial vans and smaller lorries), plus around 50 staff car movements. "Movements" means total vehicle movements so in terms of commercial vehicles we mean 150 in and 150 out. The road will be widened at the site entrance so that vehicles can wait to turn into the site without stopping other traffic moving. We will also provide a proper public footpath and cyclepath along the main road frontage to the site.

Will there be any incineration on site?

The planners have stated that there will be no burning or incineration on site.

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Smeaton Bing from Crossgatehall

Smeaton Bing from Crossgatehall

Environmental Studies

Environmental studies are currently being carried out to look at the potential impacts of the proposed development. The studies will involve surveys and measurements on the site and the adjacent land. Among many other things it will include noise and vibration testing. The studies will form part of an Environmental Statement to accompany any future planning application for development on the bing.

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What is a Bing?

Bing is a Scots word meaning to heap or pile up but it is also used to describe a slag heap. In Scotland, the main type of bing is coal or mineral spoil from deep mining.

For an in-depth description of bings, read this web page.... http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/advisorynotes/50/50.htm

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Smeaton Bing

Smeaton Bing

About Smeaton Bing

Smeaton Bing lies on the outer edge of the Edinburgh Green Belt, at Carberry in East Lothian. The site crosses the route of the old Smeaton to Saltoun railway line (closed in 1960) and the area has been in a derelict and disused condition for many years. The area to the West of Smeaton bing was the site of the old Dalkeith colliery. There were also pits located to the East, along the route of the old railway, towards Elphinstone, Limeylands and Ormiston and these were mined intensively up until the 1960s.

Beneath the bing are the remains of the mining community of Smeaton village which was abandoned around the late 1950s.

Transfer of land from Green Belt status

The bing was formerly co-owned by Scottish Coal and Buccleuch Estates Limited and was purchased by Hamilton Waste and Recycling Ltd. in March 2008. The land was formerly designated as Green Belt, however it is understood that East Lothian Council formally approved the re-designation of its status to Development Control Policy DC1 in view of more flexible planning policy approach to restoration of the land on 27th November 2007. Page 13 of the following document refers to this....

Word Document Finalised East Lothian Local Plan 2005 Report of Public Local Inquiry - Statement Of Decisions On Reporter’s Recommendations Director of Environment Environment Department.

Word Document Smeaton Bing Green Belt. This is a copy of a letter sent by the Director of Environment at East Lothian Council to Mrs. C Lindsay of Carberry Residents Group on 1st July 2008 regarding the removal of Smeaton Bing from Green Belt status.

PDF Document  Edinburgh Greenbelt Study (PDF download 4.29Mb). The last page of this document has a very good map showing designated green belt land surrounding Edinburgh.

Development Control Policy DC1

Proposals for all forms of development will generally require to conform to the following criteria:

  1. Not result in a significant loss of character or amenity to the area.
  2. Be of a size, scale and design in keeping with the locality.
  3. Reflect local architecture and design.
  4. Not constitute 'backland' development without a road frontage.
  5. Not involve a significant loss of trees or other important landscape features or valuable habitats and species.
  6. Ensure that landscaping is an integral element in layout design, taking account of existing physical features (e.g. trees, hedgerows, walls, etc.). Where appropriate, tree planting should augment the amenity and appearance of the site.
  7. Ensure that the standards for 'Open Space' are satisfied.
  8. Meet the parking and access requirements of the Council and provide appropriate mitigation to minimise the impact of new development (see).
  9. Not prejudice the amenity of neighbouring properties by unreasonably restricting sunlight, daylight or privacy.
  10. Seek to create safe and secure environments and reduce the scope for fear and crime.
  11. Be designed to meet disabled needs and include provision for disabled access within public areas.
  12. Ensure that the design of all street and communal lighting and any flood lighting forming part of, or associated with the development, seeks to minimise the extent of light pollution caused.

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Carberry Residents Group

Carberry Residents Group held their first meeting on Tuesday 9th September at Carberry Tower to discuss the proposed Smeaton Bing development. Around 50 local residents attended the meeting and an update was given by several members of the group who have volunteered to keep residents informed of events.

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Links

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