PLANS to locate waste skips on a site near Cottered have been given the go-ahead despite opposition from the parish council. Herts County Council s develop-ment control committee this week agreed to allow six skips to be placed on the site, which will be

PLANS to locate waste skips on a site near Cottered have been given the go-ahead despite opposition from the parish council.

Herts County Council's develop-ment control committee this week agreed to allow six skips to be placed on the site, which will be filled with waste such as metal, wood, paper and cardboard.

The skips will then be transferred to a licensed waste transfer facility.

Three letters of objection and one in support of the application were received during public consultation.

Bryan Pitman, chairman of Cottered Parish Council, said: "We objected to this application when it was first raised."

A separate application for a green waste composting facility on the site, which is within an operational farm yard, was withdrawn last week after local people formed the Cottered Residents Action Group to oppose the plans.

John Newton, from the Cottered Residents Action Group, said: "We don't know many of the details about this second application yet, so it would be unfair for me to say too much at this stage.

"The main issue we had with the composting centre plan was the amount of traffic that would be going in and out of the site down a small track," he said.

The application is subject to a number of conditions, which include a limit of 10 vehicles each day (five in and five out) accessing the site on weekdays, and six at weekends.

It has also been stipulated that no rubbish will be burned on the site and that all materials stored there must be non-odorous.

A spokesman for the county council said: "In making its decision the committee took account of the need for facilities within the immediate area - and considered that such a need existed in view of the existing facility run by the applicant at Colliers End.

"While such recycling provision is normally carried out within an industrial area, the committee considered that this small-scale operation would be appropriate to a rural area, and assist rural diversification, without undue impact on agricultural land.