The replacement for the tip where people in Norwich take their rubbish and recycling could be built next to the Norwich Northern Distributor Road.

Norwich Evening News: Martin Wilby, chairman of Norfolk County Council's environment, development and transport committee. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYMartin Wilby, chairman of Norfolk County Council's environment, development and transport committee. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Archant)

The contract for the Mile Cross Recycling Centre, in Swanton Road - the main tip used by people in Norwich - runs out in September 2021.

Norfolk County Council, which rents that site, has £2.75m on a replacement and has now identified a site on land north of the NDR, now known as Broadland Northway, close to the A140 roundabout.

The site is jointly owned by County Hall and Norwich City Council, but an access road would need to be built over privately owned land - and the council is negotiating over that issue.

A previous bid to replace the Mile Cross tip, where there was a major fire in the summer, as part of a scheme called the Norwich Depot Hub, on land near Norwich International Airport, was ditched earlier this year.

Along with Broadland District Council, the county council had worked up a business case for the replacement recycling centre to form part of that hub, along with a salt store for gritting, highway maintenance and street cleaning vehicles.

But the idea was scrapped when officers told councillors it would not make enough savings to justify the outlay.

At a meeting of the council's environment, development and transport committee on Friday, November 8, councillors will also be asked to support replacement recycling centres at Ketteringham and Wymondham.

The proposed Ketteringham location would take up part of the Harford Park and Ride site while the council is looking for a site to replace the Wymondham one.

There are also proposals to expand the Sheringham Recycling Centre, potentially move the King's Lynn Recycling Centre and to install defibrillators at all 20 of the county's recycling centres.

The council had already said it would open new reuse shops at Wells, Bergh Apton and Snetterton next spring, and is proposing another one at Wereham.

Martin Wilby, chairman of the environment, development and transport committee said: 'We're planning for the future by looking to provide some bigger and better recycling centres and to make improvements to the popular service we're already very proud of.'