People are being asked what they would want to see in a new recycling centre, as council bosses search for a replacement site for when Mile Cross tip closes.

The contract for the Mile Cross Recycling Centre, in Swanton Road - the main tip used by people in Norwich - runs out in September 2021.

Bosses at Norfolk County Council, which rents that site, is ready to spend £2.75m on a replacement, but is launching a consultation to ask people in the city what would be important at a new centre.

Along with Broadland District Council, council bosses had worked up a business case for a replacement recycling centre, as part of a scheme called the Norwich Depot Hub, on land near Norwich International Airport.

Along with the recycling centre, it would have integrated highway maintenance, street cleaning vehicles and a salt store for gritting, on a single site.

But after analysis showed the Depot Hub would not make enough savings to justify the outlay, the idea was scrapped, leaving the council needing to identify a new site.

Martin Wilby, chairman of the council's environment, development and transport committee, said: 'We'd love to hear from as many people as possible as the feedback will help shape the design of the brand new recycling centre. We don't yet know where the new recycling centre will be located although a possible site could be near Norwich airport.

'This consultation is an important early step for us as we want to hear what people would like to see in a new recycling centre for Norwich.

'We want to be able to provide a state of the art facility that fits with the needs of a growing city and helps to make it easy for people to reuse and recycle more of their household waste.'

Once the consultation is finished, responses will be pulled together and presented to councillors overseeing the search for a replacement recycling centre.

A decision on a site is expected by the end of this year, to allow time for design, planning, permitting and construction by September 2021.

The consultation runs from tomorrow until Friday, July 27 and can be found at www.norfolk.gov.uk/recycling