Plans have been submitted to extend and update a waste recycling facility near the village. The proposals for the Histon Road, Cottenham, recycling facility – which trades as SunSkips – aim to modernise the facility and increase the volume of waste being recycled at the site by 40%.
As part of the plans, permission is being sought to demolish a nearby property at 254 Histon Road and change the land use from residential to waste management.
The proposals also include creating a new access from the B1049 and constructing a replacement recycling building, a site office, staff welfare facilities, a new weighbridge and a weighbridge office. Infrastructure for its operations – such as parking bays, a water storage tank, external lighting – are also featured.
Planning documents submitted with the application – including a design and access statement prepared by Bury St Edmunds-based JMJ Planning Limited – state the overall site would cover 2.5 acres. This includes the proposed 0.7-acre extension. The site is considered grey belt.
The document says: “This planning application seeks to amend the [previous] 2012 planning permission and extend the site to enable enhancements that will modernise the facility, improve the quality of recyclates, environmental controls, sustainable drainage systems, working conditions for site personnel, landscaping and biodiversity.
“The proposals will also increase the volume of wastes that can be recycled, which will contribute to meeting a capacity gap for material recycling facilities identified in the 2021 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s Minerals and Waste Local Plan.”
Capacity increase
The applicant, Stowmarket Skips, trades as SunSkips and is part of the SunEnviro Group.
Waste arriving at the site is collected from homes, businesses and construction sites before being sorted and separated for processing at specialist recycling facilities.
Materials handled at the Histon Road site include ferrous and non-ferrous metals, wood, cardboard, green waste, soil, rubble, plasterboard and rigid plastics, using a combination of manual and mechanical sorting processes.
Documents submitted with the application state that the site’s environmental permit currently allows it to process up to 25,000 tonnes of waste each year. The proposed expansion would increase capacity by 40% – a further 10,000 tonnes annually.
According to the design and access statement, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough currently face a material recycling capacity shortfall of around 22,000 tonnes per year. Without additional facilities coming forward, this gap is expected to rise to 74,000 tonnes by 2031 and 120,000 tonnes by 2036.
The documents also state that “a significant proportion” of the waste processed at the expanded site would come from areas within approximately eight miles of the facility.
Other details
The site currently employs 20 people, with the expansion expected to increase full-time staffing to 30 if approved.
No changes are proposed to operating hours, which would remain 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 7am to 1pm on Saturdays. The site would continue to be closed on Saturday afternoons, Sundays and Bank Holidays.
The application will be decided by Cambridgeshire County Council, which is the planning authority for waste-related developments. A determination deadline has been set for 24 July 2026.
Residents are invited to share their views with H&I County Councillor Ros Hathorn, or upload a formal comment using the Cambridgeshire County Council planning portal where all documents related to the application can be accessed. The application reference is CCC/25/099/FUL.
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As a Histon resident , the new recycling site is too near residents. It should be processed at our original recycling centre. This new proposal will contribute to the following:-
More traffic and congestion, more pot holes, very smelly. Too near the school.
I do not agree it should be on Histon Road.