The Portland household recycling centre at Easton Lane is being sold to Dorset county council by the Crown Estate Commissioners.

The council currently has a lease for the site until July 2025 and has been offered the freehold ‘off market’. It is operated by the Dorset Waste Partnership.

Council officers say that with a medium to long-term use for the site the deal makes sense and will protect the area for future waste disposal on the island: “The lease is a protected tenancy, but there is a risk, albeit remote, that the waste function could be stopped and/or ransomed at this site when the lease expires,necessitating an alternative site to be found and developed at a substantial project cost. The site continues to remain suitable for its use over the medium to long term and the policy decision to remain at this location is substantiated.”

The county council cabinet is being asked to endorse the move when it meets on December 5th.