DEVON County Council chiefs have unveiled plans for a multi-million pound recycling centre for Tavistock.

The present site at Crowndale has been branded unfit for purpose - and potentially unsafe - and work on the project might be delayed because of county council budget restrictions.

But county council officials have called on residents to have their say over the project, thought to cost around £6million, either online in a consulation which lasts for a month or at a public exhibition which was held on Tuesday (March 15) at Butchers Hall.

The consultation is to get people’s views prior to the submission of a formal planning application later this year.

The centre has long been a source of frustration for residents in Tavistock and the surrounding area because they have to queue while it is temporarily closed as full containers are loaded for removal.

Following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, senior councillors threatened to bring in security guards as hordes of residents descended on the centre to dispose of rubbish built up during weeks of having to store it during lockdown.

County councillors said some residents abused staff after being forced to wait in lengthy queues which build up on the narrow road leading up to the recycling centre.

The proposed location for the new recycling centre is on brownfield land adjacent to the existing facility.

Council chiefs say the new design is similar to an award-winning site at Ivybridge and allows for waste containers to be changed over without the need to close the site – this will reduce the likelihood of queues developing.

Because the new site has a long site access road, during busy periods cars will no longer have to queue on the highway and there will be more space on site for the public to manoeuvre and park their vehicles.

The modern split-level design will make it easier for householders to access the waste containers - the containers are at a lower level, so there won’t be any steps to climb. This will make the new site much safer to use.

Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for waste services said: ‘I think most people in the Tavistock area would agree that the current facility isn’t suitable for modern demands.

‘At the Crowndale site when containers are being changed the site is closed and residents sometimes have to queue along the Highway while waiting to dispose of their waste. This can cause frustration as well as safety issues.

‘The new facility will be much safer to access and easier to use especially as steps will no longer be required.

‘The resale area will also be significantly improved leading to more re-use and helping to reduce our carbon footprint.’

Councillor Debo Sellis, Devon County council’s member for Tavistock added she was frequently asked by resident when they were going to have a better recycling centre.

Cllr Sellis has already warned Tavistock town councillors that the new centre may be delayed because of extreme financial pressures on the county council’s budget.

But she said: ‘This is something I have been calling for many years and I am delighted that it’s now Tavistock’s turn.’