Temporary closure of Purley Oaks HRRC to enable upgrade works

Purley Oaks Household Reuse and Recycling Centre (HRRC) in Croydon is set for an upgrade this winter, with the aim of improving the layout, reducing the need to close the site during operational hours and shortening the queues.  The site will close for a two-week period from Monday 5 December until Sunday 18 December to allow the works to take place.  The site will reopen at 8.00am on Monday 19 December.

The works have been informed by the results of a major survey of site users and local residents carried out in June 2016.   The survey asked people how satisfied they were with various aspects of the HRRC and whether or not they supported a plan to temporarily close the site in order for upgrade works to take place.

730 people took part in the survey and shared their views.  Respondents were positive about a number of things including the attitude and helpfulness of site staff.  Comments included: “This is a fantastic facility and I would encourage and support [upgrade] works at the site”, and “The staff at Purley Oaks are always extremely helpful”.

However there was clear dissatisfaction with the length of queues at Purley Oaks HRRC, with six in 10 respondents (59.8%) expressing dissatisfaction, compared to just two in 10 (22.3%) who are satisfied (the remaining 18% were neutral – neither satisfied nor dissatisfied).  There was a feeling amongst some respondents that the recent introduction of a charge for the borough’s garden waste collection service had increased demand at Purley Oaks HRRC.

There was very clear support amongst respondents for the upgrade works to be carried out.  Eight in 10 (78%) expressed support for the proposals, compared to just one in 10 (9.1%) who do not support them.  There was also strong support for the temporary site closure and upgrade works to take place in winter (74.1%), rather than summer (17.9%).

Finally, there was a clear desire for Purley Oaks HRRC to remain open later in the afternoon, with eight in 10 respondents (80.3%) saying they would make use of extended opening hours.

Councillor Stuart Collins, Member of the South London Waste Partnership Joint Committee and Deputy Leader – Clean Green Croydon, said:

“I would like to thank all the people who took the time to share their views with us back in June.  Their feedback has helped us plan the work and ensure we maximise the benefits and minimise the inconvenience.  I appreciate the two-week closure of Purley Oaks HRRC is going to be a nuisance for some, but I believe the improvements will make the short-term pain more than worth it.  The plan is that the new layout it will shorten the queue times, which in recent months have been longer than acceptable.

“If we could do these improvement works without closing the site, then we would.  But the site is very tight for space and it is just not possible to complete the works safely whilst keeping it open to the public.

“It is also clear from the survey that residents would like to see the site’s opening hours extended.  There are a number of permitting and planning issues that we need to explore, and I can’t promise anything until we’ve done that, but given the strength of feeling it is something we will certainly be looking into.”

During the temporary closure of Purley Oaks HRRC, Croydon residents will be able to use alternative facilities at Factory Lane and Fishers Farm.  For details visit www.croydon.gov.uk/recycling

Ends.

Notes to Editors

• The South London Waste Partnership is made up of four London Boroughs (Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton) who are working together to provide improved and more cost-effective waste management services to their residents
• In October 2015, the South London Waste Partnership awarded a contract to Veolia to manage the six Household Reuse and Recycling Centres (HRRCs) – more commonly known as ‘the tip’ – located across the Partnership region
• On behalf of the Partnership, Veolia is responsible for:
  • General management of the six sites – staffing, equipment and site layout improvements
  • The transportation of all materials, and
  • The recycling, treatment, and/or disposal of waste collected at all of the HRRC sites (excluding green and residual waste, which is handled by Viridor)
• The Partnership monitors the contract with Veolia using three key performance indicators:
  • Site user experience (measured through satisfaction surveys)
  • Health and safety
  • Recycling rate achieved – the target is a 70% recycling rate at each of the six sites
• Information about your local HRRC, including location, opening times and what materials you can recycle/dispose of there, are available from your local council’s website.