THE construction of a new waste transfer station in Stanton Harcourt was approved by councillors yesterday.

The FCC station, which will remain open until March 31, 2029, will handle up to 40,000 tonnes of municipal waste and commercial and industrial waste every year.

Oxfordshire County Council’s Planning and Regulation Committee gave the go ahead at County Hall with the condition that all vehicles associated with the development take the route via the A415 and the A40 to avoid rural villages, despite concerns from West Oxfordshire District Council about the cost.

Claire Lock, head of environmental services at the district council, said the agreement would mean the district council’s vehicles, which take waste to the site, would have to travel an extra 10 miles compared to the shorter route they currently take.

She said: “That equates to £28,000 a year in additional fuel costs.”

But councillor John Tanner said: “Just because somebody has always been doing something which is not very good doesn’t mean we have to do it.”

The site will operate Monday to Friday from 7am until 5pm, including bank holidays with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

On Saturdays it will open from 7am until 1pm. It will be closed on Sundays, but will open eight Sundays a year following bank holidays.