To receive a report of the Head of Planning and Regeneration regarding this application.
Minutes:
The Committee had before it a * report of the Head of Planning and Regeneration regarding the above application. The Area Planning Officer outlined the contents of the report reminding Members that on 29 July 2015, the Committee had considered the application and had deferred any decision until the outstanding appeal at Menchine farm with regard to the AD Plant capacity had been completed. The appeal had been dismissed and therefore the application for the erection of a new building for processing digestate fibre was before the Committee today for determination.
He highlighted the site location plan, the proposed block plan for the development, which identified the locality of the AD Plant and other units on the site, the proposed elevations and site sections, proposed floor space and photographs from various aspects of the site. He added that the provision of additional conditions 6 and 7 would provide additional control.
Referring to the questions posed in public question time: the landscape impact issues could be controlled by Condition 5. Data had been received from the applicant with regard to weight logs and these had been promised on a regular basis for monitoring. An explanation had also been given on how the proposed building would be divided up. He referred to the suggested conditions put forward by Miss Coffin, with regard to the proposed Condition 8, he felt that there was a need for reasonableness and proportionality and that Conditions 6 and 7 covered this issue. The proposed Condition 9 would affect the AD plant and that was not being considered within this application; but again conditions 6 and 7 would control this issue. The Head of Planning stated that whilst condition 6 would restrict the building to processing digestate from the Menchine Farm AD plant only, the wording of condition 7 could to amended to require records of the amount and source of digestate fibre processed at the building to be kept and made available to the Local Planning Authority.
Consideration was given to:
· The output from the AD Plant
· Estimated additional traffic movements on top of the original transport issues
· The size of the proposed building in line with the result of the Inspectors decision to limit the capacity of the AD Plant
· The justification for a building that size
· Visual impact
· The reduction in volume from digestate to pellet form and the use of the pellets
· The data/record keeping requested had been submitted
· Limited noise of processing
· Traffic movements
· Industrialisation of a rural area, scale and massing on the site
· Planting and screening of the site
· Whether the applicants were still focussing on an increased output
· The possibility of visiting such a scheme in the local area.
RESOLVED that the application be deferred for more information on the need for the size and capacity of the building proposed in relation to the digestate produced from Menchine Farm AD Plant with a maximum of 500 kw output.
(Proposed by Cllr R L Stanley and seconded by Cllr F W Letch)
i) Cllr R F Radford declared a disclosable pecuniary interest as a fellow chicken farmer and left the meeting during the discussion thereon;
ii) Cllr Mrs F J Colthorpe declared a personal interest as the applicant, his extended family and some of the objectors were known to her;
iii) Cllrs B A Moore and R L Stanley declared personal interests as some of the objectors were known to them;
iv) Mr Cole (Applicant) spoke;
v) Mr Govett (objector) spoke;
vi) Cllr Mrs J B Binks spoke as Ward Member;
(vii) The following late information was reported: Page 73: I further letter of objection has been received in addition to those set out in the report, referring to the negative impact that further concentration of activity at Menchine Farm will have on locality.
Officer comment: No further action required as these matters are covered in the report and the recommendation.
11th May 2016
Please revise wording of condition as follows – bold text are new inserts
5. The proposed scheme of landscaping adjacent to the application building as shown on plan MF/FB/01B (received on 26th May 2015) and as required as part of the scheme approved for the AD plant (approved under LPA ref: 14/00575/MFUL) shall be carried out in the first planting season following the construction of the building hereby approved. In addition a further scheme of planting immediately to the south and west of the building hereby approved shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority prior to the commencement of its construction, and shall be implemented in the first planting and seeding season following the construction of the building hereby approved. Any trees or plans which within a period of 5 years from the completion of the development die, are removed or become seriously damaged or diseased, shall be replaced in the next planting season with others of similar size and species. Once provided, the landscaping scheme shall be so retained.
vii) *Report previously circulated copy attached to minutes.
Supporting documents: