Agenda item

Planning Application 18/03373/COU - Chaffcombe Waste Transfer Station, Chaffcombe Road, Chard

Minutes:

Application Proposal:Change of use of existing transfer station site to aggregate storage/sales and parking of heavy goods vehicles

The Specialist – Development Management presented the application as detailed in the agenda and explained that the application was for the change of use of the former household waste recycling site to accommodate aggregate storage and sales and for the storage/parking of articulated vehicles. Since writing his report, one further letter of objection had been received and one further letter from the applicants. He concluded that it was considered a brownfield site and the proposed use was acceptable subject to conditions and so his recommendation was to approve the application.

In response to questions from Members, the Specialist – Development Management confirmed:-

· Many of the objections had centred on the impact of the business on neighbours but it was proposed to relocate their most popular product to a storage bay in the new site to reduce the impact.

· The adjacent site had an existing road frontage access so it would be logical to use that rather than the more difficult access to this site.

· It would be difficult to introduce a condition to monitor the impact of the heavy lorries on the nearby road bridge but this could be included as an informative if permission was granted.

· There were no buildings on the new site so reference to buildings in condition 8 should be removed.

· Reference to the applicants obligations under the Reservoir Act 1975 could be included as an informative.

· No specific figures on traffic movements from when the site was operating as an HWRC compared to the proposed use had been submitted by the applicants.

· It was possible to amend condition 10 to state that no system of public address, loudspeaker, amplifier, relay or other audio equipment, except vehicle fitted warning systems, should be operated on any part of the site at any time.

· The proposed landscaping should help to mitigate the visual impact of the site.

The Committee were then addressed by 5 people in opposition to the application. Their comments included:-

· In 10 years of operation, the applicants had not complied with previous conditions of operation. Concrete mixing, spray painting, soil riddling and excessive hammering still took place and residents complained of the noise and dust from the site.

· Sprinklers at the site would help to reduce the dust but the noise of concrete mixing and soil riddling were unacceptable.

· 10 years ago the Chard Reservoir site was not as developed but now it was recognised as a local nature reserve and held Green Flag status. With 700 new homes planned to be built in Chard, it would be used even more and the impact of the noise from the aggregate storage and associated works would have a greater impact.

· Planning regulations appeared to assume that a once brownfield site for household recycling was still in force but permission for this use at this site would not be granted now. N The development of the reservoir and the use of the road by walker and cyclists should be taken into account.

· The Parish Council’s support of the application was not representative of the people of the village. The business should be re-sited in a more suitable place.

The Committee were then addressed by 2 people in support of the application. Their comments included:-

· There used to be a hedge between the road and the site and if it were reinstated then it could help. Most people in the village had purchased goods from the site and it was a good local company.

· This was a small family business in a competitive industry who provided employment. Their location close to the reservoir was already established and they would enhance the derelict site and bring it to an acceptable standard.

The applicant advised that they had commissioned a vehicle mapping study which confirmed that two vehicles could pass each other on the Chaffcombe Road. She said they would not access the Chaffcombe site outside their agreed operating hours and the majority of their vehicles were low Euro 6 emission standard. There was no PA address system at the site and there was no need for one. The Health and Safety Executive had agreed the removal of reversing silencers on certain vehicles but not the lorries at the site.

The Ward Member said the needs of the business should be weighed against the nearby Chard Reservoir and its priority to SSDC. She suggested the application be referred to the Regulation Committee because of its proximity to the reservoir. She concluded that she reluctantly supported the application as it provided local employment.

During discussion Members felt that the application was acceptable on an existing brownfield site and there were no valid reasons to refuse permission. It was also noted that Area Committee should be prepared to make planning decisions in their area. It was agreed to amend conditions 8 and 10 to prevent soil riddling at the site and except vehicle fitted warning systems there should be no PA system as proposed by the Specialist – Development Management. With these two amended conditions and two informatives relating to the current structural integrity of the bridge and to remind the applicant of their obligations under the Reservoir Act 1975, it was proposed and seconded that planning permission be approved. This was unanimously agreed.

RESOLVED:

That Planning Application No. 18/03373/COU be APPROVED as per the Specialist’s recommendation outlined in the agenda report for the following reason:

01. The proposed change of use is considered to be an acceptable form of commercial development, respects the character of the area and is not considered to be detrimental to highway safety or cause any unacceptable harm to residential amenity, in accordance with the aims and objectives of policies EQ2, TA5 and TA6 of the South Somerset Local Plan (2006-2028).

SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING:

01. The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission.

Reason: To accord with the provisions of section 91(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

02. No operations, other than lorry movements and deliveries, shall be carried out at the site outside the hours of 07.00 hrs and 18:00 hrs Monday to Friday and 08:00 hrs and 13:00 hrs on Saturdays.