Around £1.5million has been earmarked to move Dunmow’s waste depot away from the town centre.

The site is currently located on New Street but due to the growth of the town, it no longer meets the requirements of the waste service.

Money has been built into Uttlesford District Council’s (UDC) capital programme to purchase and develop a new plot, which would need space for the trucks as well as a mess area for the staff.

If moved, the depot could provide a mixture of more parking spaces close to the town centre and residential development.

Deputy leader of UDC, Councillor Susan Barker, said: “We want to move it out of the town centre. It has never been a very suitable site and I do not know why it went there in the first place. We have been talking about it for some time and it is time to get on and find a suitable alternative.

She added: “The former site could be used for car parking because we are short of that in the town centre.”

According to Cllr Barker a new site has not been located yet but would ideally be in Dunmow or very close to the town so employees can still get to work easily.

Mayor of the town, Cllr Jonathan Cadwallader, supported the idea but was keen the old site would only be used for parking.

He said: “I would think the most valuable use for the land would be parking.

“I am not sure how big the site is but we could use extra parking spaces in the town centre. I would rather see it used for parking than any other development.”

This was supported by the deputy mayor of Great Dunmow, Cllr Barrie Easter, who added: “Parking is a premium in Dunmow. It is a bad entrance as you have to go up past the war memorial but we do need the extra spaces.”

The depot will be discussed at UDC’s scrutiny committee meeting on Tuesday (February 10) evening.