POUNDBURY residents last night sent a clear message to Dorset County Council - do not dump a household recycling centre on us.

More than 200 people packed the Brownsword Hall on the Prince of Wales' estate for a meeting of the Poundbury Residents' Associa-tion to discuss West Dorset District Council's draft Pound-bury development brief, which includes a possible site for a replacement household recycling centre for the county town.

John Bennett, team leader for minerals and waste planning policy with Dorset County Council, told the meeting that just because a site had been suggested for a new centre it did not necessarily mean that one would be built there.

He said it was early days and by including the site in the brief it was merely safeguarding a potential site for the future.

He said the county council would be looking for other potential sites before putting forward any formal proposals.

He said: "It's a long way down the road. There's no planning application."

Steve Burdis, head of waste management for the county council, added that a new site was urgently needed because the existing site in Dorchester is inadequate.

But despite reassurances from council chiefs that the Poundbury site was a long way from being confirmed as the site for the household recycling centre, residents called for the scheme to be dropped altogether.

One resident said: "I don't keep my dustbin in my entrance hall but by having a centre like this you are putting a dustbin in the entrance to Dorchester."

Concerned Residents said they were concerned about the potential smells, noise and traffic congestion the site might generate.

They said they were concerned that the centre would be used by more than the people of Dorchester.

West Dorset District Councillor David Barrett said: "I can't ever see Poundbury providing a site for this development. It's not suitable."

And Dorset County Councillor Trevor Jones said: "There's no commitment on this site.

"If the council did commit there is no sign of money and no sign that the Duchy will allow it to happen.

"Someone will have to justify whether it is justified in planning terms - someone completely independent.

"It's not in the power of the county council or the district council to force this through."

The meeting was told that the draft development brief, which also includes details on how the rest of the estate will grow over the next 15 years, will go out for further consultation early next month and residents are being encouraged to comment.