Tynwald Mills Recycling Facility Statement
6th September 2012
C Balmer Planning Officer Department of Infrastructure Murray House Douglas Isle of Man IM1 2SF
Dear Mr Balmer,
Recycling and storage facility at the rear of Tynwald Mills.
The Tynwald Mills operation has developed significantly over the last twenty years, during recent times we have also focused on improvements in our operational efficiency. In particular and of issue here is our waste recycling and storage, where changes have been necessary to comply with safety and environmental legislation and current industry best practice for the reception and handling of goods. We generate more than four containers of card board per week at peak times and nearly the same of plastics and pallets.
On site at Tynwald Mills we have one main warehouse at the rear of Tynwald Mills and two remote warehouses located off site on the Balthene Industrial Estate Ballasalla. Contained in the rear yard at Tynwald Mills are a number of portable steel containers used to store equipment and waste especially cardboard.
It was our plan to replace these steel containers in early 2011 with a custom built facility, this scheme was intended to improve the efficiency, safety and look of the area including reducing the environmental impact that the considerable traffic movements between Ballasalla and St Johns generates, from a logistical and environmental perspective the daily trafficking between facilities is not ideal and unfortunately we have been unable to acquire a suitable facility in closer proximity.
The initial concept scheme that was planned to be constructed on the Tynwald Mills site when costed was over budget and despite numerous scrutinises of alternatives to the "L" shaped shed that made best use of the area, none could be brought in on budget.
An immediate solution was important as earlier last year we stepped in to a bankruptcy situation with House and Home a major tenant on site, we reorganised re-launched the business, saving four jobs, that reorganisation put extra pressures on our existing operations which were already at full capacity to meet the Christmas trading period.
Our delay in bringing forward a solution and the unplanned extra work meant that as the Christmas peak approached, we had a crisis of under capacity, as an interim solution we erected a simple shed on the site of some of the steel containers to get us through the Christmas period with a view to providing a proper solution in the new year that would include provision for the necessary waste handling and recycling facilities. It is this shed that forms the retrospective part of this application.
We now bring that final solution forward with this application as two separate sheds i.e. the warehouse shed (retrospective) and waste recycling shed (proposed) which is cheaper than our L shaped original design but still delivers most of the improvements envisaged, that is we can store more waste cardboard onsite and handle the same better, we also cut down on the number of pickups and so vehicle movements to and from site.
It should be noted that the proposed facilities are located at the rear of the site which is not accessible or visible/conspicuous to members of the public visiting the centre at Tynwald Mills. Additionally the buildings are sited against a large wooded embankment that forms a backdrop to the buildings.
We acknowledge that the process of delay resulting from financial constraints and circumstances beyond our control does not justify the violation. We confirm that it was and is our intent to complete this necessary provision to high standard and in future to operate within the process in a way that we have always done previously.
If you have any queries or require further information please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours sincerely Stephen Bradley
DIRECTORS: ROBERT A. JEAVONS, A.M. JEAVONS, S.C. BRADLEY INCORPORATED IN THE ISLE OF MAN No. 6053
