NLA backs bin plans

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has backed new planning guidance that will tackle the on-going waste disposal problem on streets around the country.

Eric Pickles, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, has issued the guidance to new developers forcing them to create enough space in their new builds for wheelie bins and recycling boxes to be hidden away.

Pickles has vowed to end the “wheelie bin blight” on Britain’s streets and has called on local authorities to help on what campaigners have called an “eyesore” to their properties.

Some councils give their residents up to ten bins to accommodate the correct waste, something which Pickles wants to tackle head on:

“In streets up and down the country, ugly bin clutter has ruined the street scene and the look of people's homes and gardens.

“By ensuring that developers create appropriate waste storage areas when designing new homes, we can tackle the ghastly gauntlet of bin blighted streets and driveways.”

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has said that Pickles is determined to push the guidelines through as law but are also aware that the final decision remains with the local councils and it’s up to them how they tackle the issue.

Ministers are backing the scheme as they feel it will help with “anti-social nuisance” in reducing odour and roadside litter along with the common problem of rats and urban foxes.

Gavin Dick, local authority policy officer at the NLA, said: “The NLA would welcome these new planning regulations from the Government with the condition that the new developments are built with future usage being taken into consideration such as shared ownership.

“The changing nature of households and the way in which people live has a significant impact on the way in which property is being used and will be used in the future. It is essential that developers and local authorities recognise and ensure that solutions exist to prevent unnecessary blight around residential homes.”