BUILDING Powys County Council’s( PCC) controversial £4.1 million Bulk Recycling Facility in Abermule may start in the New Year.

Building work should be finished by the summer of 2020 and it is set to become operational in the autumn of 2020.

There are questions surrounding what could happen to the business units planned for the site.

But protestors are still fighting against it and have asked potential Montgomeryshire  MPs what they could do to help them?

Stephen Meadowcroft of ACT said: “Residents of Abermule continue to resent and oppose the building of PCC’s Bulk Recycling Plant at the edge of our village.

“We are however realistic in accepting that this hideous monstrosity will now be built and that we will unfortunately be left to deal with the consequences of its further development and use.”

“When we started the campaign we were asked not to make this a political issue, but local issues could sway how many villagers vote on December 12.

Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate Kishan Devani, said: “PCC should now seek to assure residents that the remaining units on the site will be used for the purpose they were intended – the attraction of new business and enterprise.

“The enterprise park idea was sold to residents on the basis that it would attract new business to the community and help bring in new jobs, at no point was it suggested that the site will be used for “dirty and industrial purposes.”

“This is more than just a political or economic decision, but people fighting fo their homes, well being and futures.

“The freezing out of groups such as ACT from decisions regarding the remaining units will only result in the situation becoming more agitated and a greater sense of distrust in PCC.

Labour prospective parliamentary candidate, Kait Duerden, said: ”

“If I was your MP I would call for a moratorium on the Abermule site.

“I would insist that no UK Government or Welsh Government funds being made available to the project until we understood the whole plan for recycling from PCC and were assured that the Abermule development was part of an integrated plan that it would be carbon zero in its operation.

“I would also want to understand and dependencies from other projects such as the Buttington Incinerator and Bryn Posteg.

“If needed, I would call on independent expertise to do a short, sharp review to this end.

“The review must include road usage associated with the project and the business case would have to include whole life cycle costs of the project; from cradle to grave.

“I would also tackle the practice of PCC no longer publishing planning objections on their website.

“I would also seek to ensure they took proper advice on their consultation process and publicly agreed a charter which is underpinned by involvement of local communities and openness.”

Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate, Craig Williams, said: “I have in mind a series of questions I would like to put.

“I mentioned these would be better put following the election, but I’m mindful I need to demonstrate a willingness to work proactively with you.

“If lucky enough to win, I will again meet with my new team and ACT in short order, certainly before Christmas, and take forward the issues we discussed.

“I know you will appreciate the limited scope a candidate can flex his or her muscles, and beyond that commitment, I can only write letters in aid.

Gwlad Gwlad perspective parliamentary candidate, Gwyn Wigley Evans – spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service on the issue: “Why put this facility in Abermule in the first place?

“The best place to put one of these facilities is near where most of the population it would serve live.

“The recycling facility is supposed to serve Welshpool, Newtown and the surrounding area, and it would be better to put it in the biggest place, which is Newtown

“This is very much symptomatic with the way we get treated in Mid-Wales because there are more sheep here than people.

“This is industrialisation of the countryside and it’s not a good thing.”

In August 2018, planning permission was given for the £4 million scheme.

In May the PCC cabinet voted unanimously in favour of going ahead with it.

PCC has stressed  that the facility is to help the authority deal with hitting the Welsh Government recycling targets of 70 per cent by 2024/25.

It believes the recycling bulking facility is “essential to maximise the efficiency” of the collection vehicles and is “ideally located between the two main population centres of North Powys”.