A new £20million waste hub facility on the outskirts of Bury St Edmunds is due to be fully operational by next year, according to property consultants.

The West Suffolk Operational Hub (WSOH) will combine services that are currently located at four separate sites onto a single site at Hollow Road Farm in Fornham St Martin.

Cambridge-based Carter Jonas, who helped secure planning permission on behalf of west Suffolk councils and Suffolk County Council for the six-hectare facility, say the project represents the “missing piece in the puzzle” of providing a modern waste system in Suffolk.

Richard Sykes-Popham, associate partner at Carter Jonas, said: “The delivery of the new waste facility has been an objective of the councils since the launch of the widely recognised energy-from-waste facility at Great Blakenham.

“This project represents the missing piece in the puzzle of providing a modern and efficient waste management system in Suffolk.

“The development will create a range of opportunities within the region, which is seeing significant growth – and as such, an increase in waste production.

“By replacing the current, sub-standard facilities with a carefully planned, innovative facility on a single, well located site, the process of waste management will be a great deal more sustainable.”