Leighton's Tidy Tip about to close for six months

Leighton Buzzard's Household Waste Recycling Centre is to close imminently for up to six months so it can be modernised.
Aerial imagery of the Leighton Buzzard Tidy TipAerial imagery of the Leighton Buzzard Tidy Tip
Aerial imagery of the Leighton Buzzard Tidy Tip

The redevelopment of the Shenley Hill Road site will start in mid July after the reopening of the council’s tip in Ampthill following a similar refurbishment.

Leighton’s centre will be temporarily closed at 5pm on Sunday, July 17 to allow the work to begin.

The Leighton Buzzard redevelopment is part of a wider investment by Central Beds Council to modernise and improve Household Waste Recycling Centres across the district. The council says it will ensure they’re easy to use and equipped to meet future needs as demands increase due to a growing population.

When the Leighton Buzzard site reopens in the New Year, it will have an improved layout and a modern split-level design that will allow residents to more easily dispose of their waste into containers from an elevated platform. Residents will also be able to recycle a wider range of materials there, including hard plastics.

Councillor Budge Wells, Deputy Executive Member for Community Services at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “We understand the redevelopments may cause inconvenience for residents but we hope they will appreciate the longer term benefits that the redeveloped sites will bring in terms of improved safety, better access throughout the sites and the much improved traffic flow.

“Although we have a lot of work to do to create high standard facilities for our residents, we are doing all that we can to complete the redevelopments as quickly as possible to reduce disruption for residents.”

While Leighton Buzzard is closed the council is encouraging as many residents as possible to use one of the alternative sites in Central Bedfordshire including Dunstable or one of the other new redeveloped recycling centres in either Ampthill or Biggleswade. For garden waste residents should use their kerbside garden waste collection or one of these other sites.

For more information about the redevelopment of the Household Waste Recycling Centres or for other advice on disposing of household waste visit the council website www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/redevelopment.