The metal processor at the Recycling Lives plant

A recycling centre on the outskirts of Preston has applied for permission to operate for longer each day.

Recycling Lives, based at the Red Scar Industrial Estate near Grimsargh, wants to remove the condition restricting it from operating its metal shredder.

Currently it is only allowed to process metal in its shredder from 7.30am to 2pm on Monday to Fridays.

Now bosses at the plant have applied to extend the finishing time of the metal shredding to 5.30pm each weekday.

A noise impact assessment, carried out by external consultants, says “complaints would be of low significance if the fragmentiser was used between 2pm and 5.30pm Monday to Friday”.

Red Acoustics Limited set up noise monitors in The Hills residential estate to monitor the Longridge Road processing plant.

Their figures show when the fragmentiser is switched off the noise coming from the site reduces by 20 decibels at the processing site. But the residential noise monitors show very little change in noise when the site is operating or not.

The Recycling Lives plant was granted planning permission by Lancashire County Council in March 2010.

Anyone wishing to comment on the planning application can do so via the county council website.

It is due to go before the county council’s development control committee on Wednesday 2 September.

In April a major fire ripped through the Recycling Lives plant, taking more than 24 hours to bring under control.