Agendas, Meetings and Minutes - Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: County Hall, Worcester

Contact: Simon Lewis  Committee Officer

Media

Items
No. Item

Available papers

The Members had before them:

 

A.    The Agenda papers (previously circulated); and

 

B.    The Minutes of the meeting held on 25 September 2018 (previously circulated).

Additional documents:

1004.

Named Substitutes (Agenda item 1)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

None.

1005.

Apologies/ Declarations of Interest (Agenda item 2)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

An apology was received from Mr J A D O'Donnell.

 

Mr R A Adams declared an interest in agenda items 5 and 6 as he was known to the landowners of both applications through his capacity as a local farmer.

1006.

Public Participation (Agenda item 3)

The Council has put in place arrangements which usually allow one speaker each on behalf of objectors, the applicant and supporters of applications to address the Committee.  Speakers are chosen from those who have made written representations and expressed a desire to speak at the time an application is advertised.  Where there are speakers, presentations are made as part of the consideration of each application.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

None.

1007.

Confirmation of Minutes (Agenda item 4)

To confirm the Minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2018. (previously circulated – pink pages)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 23 October 2018 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

1008.

Proposed small scale Waste Transfer Station and Materials Recycling Facility associated with a skip hire business (part retrospective) at Stone Arrow Farm, Peopleton, near Pershore, Worcestershire (Agenda item 5) pdf icon PDF 256 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a County Matter planning application for a proposed small scale waste transfer station and materials recycling facility associated with a skip hire business (Part Retrospective) at Stone Arrow Farm, Peopleton, near Pershore, Worcestershire.

 

The report set out the background of the proposal, the proposal itself, the relevant planning policy and details of the site, consultations and representations.

 

The report set out the Head of Strategic Infrastructure and Economy's comments in relation to Waste Hierarchy, Location of the Development, Landscape Character and Visual Impacts, Residential Amenity (Noise, Dust, Odour, Litter and Health Impacts, Traffic, Highway Safety and Public Right of Way, Water Environment, Ecology and Biodiversity, and Other Matters.

 

The Head of Strategic Infrastructure and Economy concluded that as the proposed development would involve the bulking up of various sources of waste in preparation for transfer and subsequent recycling by specialist operators, it would comply with the objectives of the waste hierarchy.

 

The Head of Strategic Infrastructure and Economy considered that on balance, given the proximity to the applicant's target market, the scale of the proposal, noting the National Planning Policy for Waste stated that Waste Planning Authorities should "drive waste management up the waste hierarchy, recognising the need for a mix of types and scale of facilities ", and the ease of access to the primary road network, the proposal would comply with Policy WCS 3 of the Worcestershire Waste Core Strategy relating to the Geographic Hierarchy.

 

The application site benefited from a certificate of lawful use existing for Use Class B2 (General Industrial) and planning permission for the storage of plant and machinery (construction) only and therefore, the site formed part of existing industrial land and complied with Policy WCS 6 of the Worcestershire Waste Core Strategy relating to compatible land uses. 

 

The proposal would generally be well screened from public views of the site, due to the existing established vegetation, bunding, intervening existing Stone Arrow Farm buildings and use of the existing building. Glimpsed views of the proposal would be possible along part of the Public Right of Way (Footpath PP-522), however, such views would be seen in the context of the existing established general industrial site and storage area for plant and machinery. In view of this, it was considered that the proposed development would not have an adverse or detrimental impact upon the character and appearance of the local area, subject to the imposition of appropriate conditions.

 

Based upon the advice of the Environment Agency, Worcestershire Regulatory Services and Public Health England, it was considered that the proposal would have no adverse noise, dust, odour or litter impacts upon residential amenity or that of human health, subject to the imposition of appropriate conditions.

 

The Head of Strategic Infrastructure and Economy was satisfied that the proposal would not have an unacceptable impact upon traffic or highway safety, subject to the imposition of conditions as recommended by the County Highways Officer and the installation of signage requiring all vehicles to turn right  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1008.

1009.

Proposed consolidation application for the construction and operation of a Biomass Boiler, erection of replacement building to house the Biomass Boiler, installation of replacement washing plant and amendments to the layout and operation of the existing Waste Transfer Station (approved under 09/000057/CM) including increased waste throughput and amended operating hours (part retrospective) at Mailes Skips and Recycling, Guiness Park Farm, A4103, Leigh Sinton, Malvern, Worcestershire (Agenda item 6) pdf icon PDF 295 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a County Matter consolidation planning application for the construction and operation of a biomass boiler, erection of replacement building to house the biomass boiler, installation of replacement washing plant and amendments to the layout and operation of the existing waste transfer station (approved under County Planning Authority (CPA) Ref: 09/000057/CM) including increased waste throughput and amended operating hours (Part Retrospective) at Mailes Skips and Recycling, Guinness Park Farm, A4103, Leigh Sinton, Malvern, Worcestershire .

 

The report set out the background of the proposal, the proposal itself, the relevant planning policy and details of the site, consultations and representations.

 

The report set out the Head of Strategic Infrastructure and Economy's comments in relation to Waste Hierarchy, Location of the Development, Landscape Character and Visual Impacts, Residential Amenity (Noise, Dust, Odour, and Air Quality), Traffic and Highway Safety, Water Environment, Ecology and Biodiversity, and Other Matters – Monitoring and Enforcement and Human Rights Act 1998.

 

The Head of Strategic Infrastructure and Economy concluded that the site currently operated under two extant planning permissions: CPA Ref: 09/000057/CM and Malvern Hills District Council Planning Ref: MH 95 / 1392. The applicant was seeking a consolidation planning permission, where any new planning permission would replace the two extant planning permissions. This application was also part retrospective as the biomass boiler building had been constructed and the biomass boiler installed. The biomass boiler was not operational. A drying floor had been installed and amendments to the layout of the site including removal of the inner bunds had already taken place, but the proposed wash plant had not yet been installed. The proposed fire ponds had also not been constructed.

 

The sorting of waste to optimise re-use and recycling already takes place on the Go Greener Recycling waste transfer station site. The proposal would generate electricity from wood waste that would otherwise be sent to landfill or the energy recovered in incineration plants in other parts of the UK, Northern Continental Europe and Scandinavia. The energy generated from the process would be used on site to power the equipment and machinery associated with the waste transfer station, with any surplus electricity being fed in the grid to provide electricity to the local area. In addition heat from the biomass boiler would be used to remove the moisture content from other waste brought onto the site. Consequently, the Head of Strategic Infrastructure and Economy considered that the development of the biomass boiler and associated wood chipping operation would overall move waste up the waste hierarchy from disposal to other recovery, and therefore, would comply with the objectives of the waste hierarchy, and Policies WCS 2 and WCS 4 of the Waste Core Strategy.

 

The Head of Strategic Infrastructure and Economy considered that the amendments to the operation and layout of the existing development, would facilitate the efficient operation of the existing waste transfer station facility, which provided a critical role in helping to drive waste up the waste hierarchy by sorting and bulking up  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1009.