Planning application for expansion of West Suffolk Operational Hub agreed

02 Sep 2026

A planning application to expand the West Suffolk Operational Hub, in Fornham St Martin, has been granted approval.

West Suffolk Council submitted the application earlier this year to extend the Operational Hub to meet immediate operational needs and support future growth in West Suffolk.

The plans were approved by councillors on West Suffolk’s Development Control Committee earlier today, Wednesday 2 September.

The expansion will see the construction of a new staff and visitors car park, alongside alterations to the current West Suffolk Operational Hub vehicle parking arrangements. There will also be access, landscaping and associated infrastructure works.

Outline planning permission was also granted for the remainder of the application site for additional development to meet future operational needs. However, the reserved matters for future development of this part of the site would still be subject to approval.

The award winning Operational Hub first opened in 2019, bringing together a waste transfer station, an operations depot, a Household Waste Recycling Centre and a re-use shop on one site, providing a more efficient way of managing household waste and recycling along with other frontline services. However, the Better Recycling scheme could not have been anticipated when the Operational Hub was being planned, therefore it is not currently able to fully accommodate the expanded operational requirements and future growth.

Cllr Dave Taylor, Cabinet Member for Operations at West Suffolk Council, said: “We are pleased to have secured planning approval for the expansion of the Operational Hub.  The development will support the council to meet the immediate increased needs of Better Recycling, re-establish capacity for future growth and enable the councils’ ability to continue to provide high standard services for years to come.

“Having a single operational site also enables the council to maximise operational efficiency and increases commercial services activity, which provides an income stream which helps fund important council services.”

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