A bulking facility for non-hazardous waste in Abermule is now one step closer to being put into use after Powys County Council was finally granted an environmental permit.

Natural Resources Wales has revealed that the application for the facility was within the regulatory requirements to obtain the necessary permit, having turned down a previous bid on fire safety grounds. Since then, Powys COuncil has suibmitted a bid to install a  large water tank nearby.

The facility will be used to take smaller quantities of a material and bulk them into larger bundles which are easier and more efficient to transport and process.

Ann Weedy, mid Wales operations manager for NRW, said: "We are confident that the proposals in the application meet the necessary standards to operate the site without damaging the local environment.

"Our officers have worked diligently and consciencely to assess this application, and I am grateful to them for their hard work.

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"This application process has had a great deal of interest and concern locally, and I want to reassure the community of Abermule that issuing the permit is not the end our regulatory involvement.

"As with any other permitted site, the bulking facility will be periodically inspected to ensure that the conditions of the permit are met. We have powers to request improvements where necessary."

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Natural Resources Wales’ determination process included a full technical assessment, two public consultations and numerous requests to the applicant for more information.

The permit will allow the site to accept and process up to 22,500 tonnes of non-hazardous waste a year, with a maximum of 425 tonnes being kept on site at any one time.

The only permitted treatment activity at the site is the bulking up of materials, as materials will be separated  before arrival and will therefore not require any manual sorting.

Powys County Council re-applied to Natural Resources Wales for an environmental permit in June 2022 after a previous application was refused by the environmental regulator in March 2022.

The initial bid was turned down amid concerns over fire safety, and in response Powys County Council sought permission to build a large water tank on the site.

In June 2023, Natural Resources Wales announced that they launching a public consultation to explain the draft decision to the public and to give them the opportunity to comment before it is formally approved.

The consultation ran for four weeks, concluding on June 30, leading Natural Resources Wales to finalise their decision to grant the planned facility its environmental permit.