A site visit will be held before a decision is taken on plans for an eco park near Milford Haven but not until after May’s local elections.

Pembrokeshire County Council has submitted a three phase plan that adds to existing proposals for a waste recycling facility on land at Amoco Road, near Puma Energy, where a holding direction is in place from Welsh ministers.

Members of the planning committee discussed the proposals at its meeting on Wednesday, March 16 with full planning applications for phases one, two and three and outline planning for phase four being made.

A planning report states that waste received at Pembrokeshire Eco Park will be non-hazardous and hazardous household and commercial wastes from various local authority and commercial vehicles and from members of the public and commercial business.

Phase one is a recycling transfer facility and associated access roads to “bulk, sort and store recycled waste from kerbside collections and waste and recycling centres across the county.”

Phase two will provide parking places for 60 refuse and recycling vehicles and 11 staff parking bays, motorcycle parking and EV charging facilities, as well as wash bay, maintenance workshop and welfare facilities for staff.

Phase three is a building for residual waste, dry mixed recycling and absorbent hygiene products and a covered area for storage of bulked materials and a quarantine bay.

During pre-application consultation there were concerns raised about odour, increased traffic and noise, as well as visual impact, location and whether smaller sites would be more suitable.

Cllr Reg Owens, member for the adjoining ward, highlighted an agreement made in the 1970s that land be returned to agricultural use by Amoco if refining on the site ceased.

Why it was called an eco park and not a waste facility was questioned by Cllr Stephen Joseph, who said “I’m sure there would have been more objections if the council was honest and called it a waste facility” with Cllr Jacob Williams adding its what is usually called “a tip.”

The committee decided that a site visit after the election would allow time to examine the potential agreements in more detail and allow members of the new planning committee to take a decision.