AN APPEAL has been lodged against a council decision to refuse planning permission for a recycling plant near Winchester.

Plans for an inert waste recycling facility on farmland by the Three Maids Hill roundabout, between the A34 and A272, were rejected in January this year, following a three-hour long county council meeting.

The proposals were put forward by Portsmouth-based TMR South Coast Ltd and sparked more than 200 objections from local residents and parish councils.

The applicant TMR South Coast Ltd stressed that measures would be put in place to protect local residents and the environment, but during the meeting concerns were raised over noise and dust potentially coming from the site.

As previously reported, the plans were for inert waste generated from construction, demolition and excavation works to be recovered and recycled at the site for re-use in construction and engineering works.

Despite the planning officer’s recommendation for the proposals to be approved, councillors voted down the scheme.

Now, Hampshire County Council has confirmed that TMR South Coast has appealed the decision to the Planning Inspectorate.

The company said Hampshire has “a pressing need for new waste management capacity” and “the site location is supported by policy and approval is recommended by officers”.

They said measures such as more vegetation would stop dust from spreading to nearby sites.

They also said to be happy to set up a liaison group to deal with any concerns.

Concerns were also raised over traffic and the impact of the scheme on the rural area.

Cllr George Sallis, chairman of Littleton and Harestock Parish Council, said: “This is an industrial development based in the countryside which attracted over 200 objections from residents and parish councils and was rightly refused planning permission by Hampshire County Council.

“It is completely unacceptable. This would expose several village communities to over 75 HGV traffic movements every day, along with significant light, noise and dust pollution that would have a serious detrimental effect on the landscape and the world-renowned Littleton Stud. Given the climate emergency we face, these plans to bulldoze open greenfield space make absolutely no sense.”

Another application for a similar facility has been lodged for a site in Down Farm Lane, near Headbourne Worthy, but no decision has yet to be made on the scheme.