Plans for a waste and recycling plant to extend its 24-hour operating hours to include Sundays and Bank Holidays are set to be considered by Bolton's planning committee.
J Dickinson and Sons Ltd, a long-standing occupier of Rivington View Business Park on Station Road in Blackrod, near the M61, employs more than 100 staff at the site. It serves commercial, industrial and local authority customers, as well as householders via a skip hire service.
Current operations and proposed changes
Operations have been continuous at the site since 1999 and are regulated by an Environment Agency permit. In 2024, planning permission was granted for 24-hour operations within the waste transfer station from Monday to Friday and midnight to 7pm on Saturdays, with maintenance and cleaning carried out on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
The new application, which will go before the planning committee on Thursday, August 20, requests extending the 24-hour working inside the waste transfer station to include Sundays and Bank Holidays. It also seeks to extend operating hours at a second building, the combined units 9/10/11, to operate until 11pm for late night working.
Reasons for the expansion
The firm said the changes are 'required to accommodate an increased demand for recovery and recycling'. Units 9, 10 and 11 at the site are used for processing residual waste from the waste transfer station.
The closest residential properties are located at Bensey Rise, 170m to the north of the site; Junction Close, 250m to the south; and the Blackrod bypass, approximately 390m away.
Objections and recommendation
Objections to the plans have been received from four addresses. One objection said: “The company has continually expanded, the road saturated with heavy traffic. Any additional hours will not create more traffic but since Unit 8 was increased to 24 hours, not only is there an increase but wagons and trailers are even bigger.” Another complained about noise during night caused by the loading and unloading of waste bottles and cans.
The company said in supporting documents that extended processing hours 'allow the business to deal with increased demand for recovery'. Planning officers have recommended approval of the extended hours.
