The habitat of the Dingy Skipper butterfly could be threatened

The habitat of rare butterflies and great crested newts will be threatened if the site is developed, the conservationists have claimed.

Waste Recycling Group, which is behind the plans, said three hectares would be set aside for "ecological mitigation".

Planners will discuss the proposals, which include an educational facility on recycling, on Monday night.

The new recycling, composting and waste transfer centre would be situated on Bryn Lane on the Wrexham Industrial Estate and would process the town's waste.

Glass, newspapers, plastics and tin cans would be among the goods that could be processed at the centre.

Residual waste would continue to be sent to the landfill site at Penybont near Chirk.

Approval of the scheme has been recommended to councillors and they will be told that recycling is becoming increasingly important to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill.

It is claimed the centre will help Wrexham council meet its 2010 targets in relation to waste recycling.

However, the approval is subject to various conditions including the establishment of a management body to oversee the land set aside for the site's habitat ecology.

It would be a great shame if developers weren't able to work around the wildlife on this industrial estate Russell Hobson, Butterfly Conservation Wales

But the group Butterfly Conservation Wales say the mitigation measures included in the plan do not go far enough.

They fear that not enough of the habitat of two rare species of butterfly - the Dingy Skipper and the Grizzled Skipper - will remain if the recycling centre is built.

Russell Hobson from Butterfly Conservation Wales said the site ranked as one of the largest centres for the populations of both butterflies in Wales.

"It would be a great shame if developers weren't able to work around the wildlife on this industrial estate," he said.

"In Wales in the last 20 years, the Grizzled Skipper has declined by 62% and the Dingy Skipper has declined by 49%."

The Countryside Council for Wales is also concerned about the impact on the butterflies and a colony of great crested newts, which are also a protected species.

Rubbish incinerator

Local residents have also expressed concerns about smell, traffic and noise from the site.

The plans have been out for public consultation and if planning is approved, it is hoped the centre will open in 2009.

Wrexham Council has faced opposition in the past over some of its plans to dispose of household waste.

When proposals first emerged for a rubbish incinerator on the town's industrial estate, it provoked protests and thousands signed a petition.

The council also had to abandon controversial plans for a heat-treatment plant to deal with the town's rubbish.

There has also been a long-running row about Hafod quarry in Johnstown, Wrexham, being used to dump household rubbish by Merseyside waste company MWH Associates.