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May 2022

Last Updated: 02/05/2022

Environment

Calls to move 'eyesore' smart bins at Harrogate's Valley Gardens

by John Plummer

| 03 May, 2022

The new bins have been installed outside the main entrance to Valley Gardens, in Harrogate's conservation area.

Harrogate Civic Society and the Friends of Valley Gardens have called for new smart bins at Harrogate's Valley Gardens to be moved.

The bins use sensors to identify different types of waste, as well as how full the receptacles are and whether they have been damaged.

But Harrogate Borough Council's decision to site two of them immediately outside the main entrance to Valley Gardens, in Harrogate's conservation area, has been criticised.

Stuart Holland, co-chair of the civic society, said it welcomed receptacles to collect waste and recycling but described the smart bins as 'eyesores'.

Mr Holland added:

"What is unfortunate is that these particular ones have been positioned in such a way that they spoil the entrance to the gardens and have been laid on a crude base of concrete over paving slabs with no regard for quality of installation.

"This location is at the heart of Harrogate conservation area, opposite a Grade 2* listed building and at the entrance to a designated area of significance."

A conservation area is defined as an area that has special architectural or historic interest, the character and appearance of which it is considered desirable to preserve or enhance.

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Some planning applications are rejected because of the impact on the conservation area.

Mr Holland added:

"Valley Gardens itself is Grade 2, included within the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest by Historic England, for its special historic interest.

"The paved area on which the bins have been positioned is land incorporated under the Stray Act and as such is subject to strict controls.

"There is no evidence that these controls have been respected. The civic society would welcome meeting with local councillors to look at satisfactory ways of re-positioning these bins."

Besides the two bins outside the main entrance to Valley Gardens, another two have been installed inside the children's play area.

'Consider moving them'

Ann Beeby, secretary of the Friends of Valley Gardens charity, said it welcomed the council's plan to "increase the efficiency of waste collection within Valley Gardens", adding:

"The existing bins are constantly overflowing, leaving rubbish blowing around; the gardening team had to spend many hours removing the rubbish, and this will now be done by a different team.

"The new bins are being trialed in the gardens, and we will be keeping a watching brief.

"We are however concerned about the pair of bins at the entrance on aesthetic grounds, as they are in a significant heritage area. We have asked the council to consider moving them inside the entrance, to the area near the signboard."

Harrogate Borough Council announced in February it planned to install up to 87 public bins on streets around the Valley Gardens area of the town in a joint initiative with North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Andy Paraskos, cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling at Harrogate Borough Council, said at the time:

“Understanding when a bin needs emptying or whether it might need inspecting will enable us to make the most efficient use of our resources.

“These sensors will allow us to use the data and focus on those that need to be emptied more often.

“As a result, we’d expect to see a reduction in travel, meaning a saving on fuel costs and a reduction in carbon emissions.”

The Stray Ferret has approached the council for comment on the criticisms of the new bins.

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Calls to move 'eyesore' smart bins at Harrogate's Valley Gardens

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'Consider moving them'