PUBLIC SERVICES wants to find a permanent location for a civic-amenity site as soon as possible. But the department believes its aim of establishing one is being held back by Environment’s unwillingness to sit down and meet it.

Environment minister David De Lisle, however, denies that is the case.

Speaking at the latest Waste Disposal Authority meeting, Public Services minister Bill Bell said his department was trying to apply pressure to Environment to make some progress.

‘It’s in Environment’s hands in many ways.

‘We have never been able to persuade it to make suggestions about a site.

‘It is something we want to progress on as soon as possible.’

The Public Services board confirmed it had one location in mind which it did not wish to reveal at present.

It said it had been looking to arrange a convenient time to meet Environment’s planning officers, but without success.

Public Services’ chief officer Adrian Lewis confirmed that Longue Hougue was no longer an option for a permanent site.

He said locating a permanent one in that area could hamper any final waste-solution alternative that the States decided on to be built there.

Public Services board member Deputy Al Brouard said it was the job of the department to come up with a number of site suggestions.

‘We have to come up with the sites which are good because Environment won’t come to us saying, ﾓyou can go hereﾔ or ﾓyou can go thereﾔ.’

However, Deputy De Lisle said he was surprised to hear that it was Environment who was being accused of acting too slowly.

‘I’m very supportive of a permanent civic-amenity site and I think we should be moving along with that very quickly.’

Deputy De Lisle confirmed it was Public Services’ responsibility to come to it with suggested sites.

‘I don’t think Public Services has been going ahead with it as quickly as it could have, as is the case with some other recycling initiatives.’

He also believes that the island would need to have more than one site in the long term and that Longue Hougue was one location the department could be using immediately.