Archived decisions

Contact: Peter Chadwick, ext 6728

1. Site and Proposal

1.1 Planning permission is sought for the development of a waste transfer station at Farlington Redoubt, Portsdown Hill, Portsmouth. The site, as shown on the attached plan, comprises an area of 1.5 hectares within the Redoubt, which was a 19th century gun emplacement. Transco owns the western side of the Redoubt and uses it as a gas transfer station and fire-fighting training centre. The applicant owns the eastern side and uses it for lorry parking, skip storage and offices. The site adjoins a golf course and the nearest houses are along Portsdown Hill Road to the east, approximately 140 metres from the site. The site lies within the Havant Strategic Gap.

1.2 The proposal is to develop a waste transfer station to handle about 50,000 tonnes of skip waste per year, which would mainly be construction and demolition waste. The waste would be tipped onto an impermeable concrete base and sorted into designated storage bays. This would enable the sorting of materials, such as metals, timber, cardboard, soils and hardcore, for recycling. Residual waste would be taken to landfill. It is also proposed to operate a soil screener to separate soils for recycling.

1.3 Access would be via the existing access onto Portsdown Hill Road. The applicant proposes routeing its vehicles to the A3(M) via College Road and Purbrook Way, other than for local collection and delivery. It is estimated that the site would generate 226 lorry movements per day between the hours of 0700 and 1900. The average hourly movements are estimated as 22 between 0800 and 1700. The application is accompanied by a traffic assessment which concluded that, taking into account the traffic flows on Portsdown Hill Road, the site access has more than adequate capacity to accommodate the likely traffic movements.

1.4 A noise assessment has been submitted which concluded that, due to the screening of the site, the noise generated by the proposed activities would not have an adverse impact on the nearest houses.

1.5 An ecological assessment has been submitted which concluded that the proposed development would not create any additional impact on nature conservation interests, nor result in a loss of habitat.

1.6 A landscape assessment has been submitted which concluded that the nature of the site and surrounding topography results in the proposed activities being well screened and the visual impact would therefore be minimal.

1.7 The applicant has planning permission, granted by Havant Borough Council, for the use of the site for lorry and container parking, the siting of four portacabins for ancillary office/staff use and four portacabins for ancillary storage. The planning permission is for a limited period expiring on 31 December 2003. The permission is also subject to conditions which include a restriction on working hours, restricting the number of lorries operating from the site to 16, and agreeing the routeing of lorries to and from the site.

2. Development Plan

2.1 Hampshire County Structure Plan 1996-2001 (Review) (adopted March 2000) Policy G2, because the site is within a Strategic Gap, and Policy MW2, concerning waste proposals, are relevant.

2.2 Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan (adopted December 1998) Policy 7 concerns waste development, and Policy 46 concerns proposals for waste transfer and recycling.

2.3 Havant Local Plan (adopted 1994) - site within Havant Gap. However, the site is allocated for employment use in the Havant Borough District-Wide Local Plan First Deposit (January 2001).

3. Consultations

3.1 The County Surveyor raises no objection, subject to a condition requiring maintenance of the visibility splays and an agreement to route lorries to the A3(M) via College Road and Purbrook Way.

3.2 Havant Borough Council's Environmental Health Officer raises no objection.

3.3 Portsmouth City Council's Environmental Health Officer comments on the need for conditions to agree noise specifications for each item of plant to be used, provision of wheel wash and damping down for dust control.

3.4 The Environment Agency raises no objection, subject to conditions for bunding of any fuel tanks, and an impervious hardstanding with dedicated drainage to foul sewer or sealed tank for areas where waste is stored, handled or transferred.

3.5 English Nature comments on the need for a 20 metre buffer around the periphery of the facility.

3.6 Portsmouth Water comments that it is extremely important that the drainage system is maintained, inspected and monitored on a regular basis with up-to-date records.

3.7 The Local Member, Councillor Miss Wride, raises objection on the grounds that there is no clearly established need in what is a predominantly residential area and that the proposal "will have a detrimental impact due to an increased amount of heavy lorries on an already busy road with existing traffic problems".

3.8 West Bedhampton Residents' Association raises objection, unless lorry routeing directives are included with strict monitoring to ensure compliance.

3.9 Letters of objection have also been received from 52 local residents. The main reason for the objection is concern about the associated lorry traffic, particularly along Portsdown Hill Road and nearby residential streets. Objections are also raised on the grounds of noise, smell, dust, litter, pollution, vermin and an adverse impact on wildlife from the operation of the site.

4. District Council's Views

4.1 Havant Borough Council raises no objection, subject to conditions to provide for lorry routeing to protect Crookhorn Road and Stakes Hill Road from lorry traffic, prevent public access, restrict hours of operation, ban vehicle repairs, restrict areas for waste handling and types of waste, introduce measures to suppress dust, landscape, and prevent more than 16 lorries operating from the site.

4.2 Portsmouth City Council, as adjoining authority, raises no objection, subject to a highway agreement restricting daily lorry movements and lorry routeing. In general planning terms, the proposed use of the site is acceptable.

5. County Planning Officer's Comments

5.1 National, regional, County Structure Plan and Minerals and Waste Local Plan policies all encourage waste minimisation and recycling, and in principle developments associated with such procedures are supported. The `need' is not questioned.

5.2 The site is within a Strategic Gap, as designated in the Hampshire County Structure Plan and the Havant District Local Plan. However, the site is visually contained and already in commercial use. Therefore it is not considered that the proposal would erode or threaten the integrity of the Gap, physically or visually, and so is not contrary to Strategic Gap policy.

5.3 The site is in commercial use, and has been developed. Therefore it would conform to the general locational requirement in Policy 46. The issue is whether the proposal is environmentally acceptable at this location and so complies with the other requirements of the policy.

5.4 The main concern raised by objectors is regarding the lorry traffic which would be generated and the possible use of Portsdown Hill Road and nearby residential streets, further concern being whether the routeing proposed by the applicant would be fully complied with and effective.

5.5 The other issues are the consequences of operating the site in terms of noise, dust, smell, pollution control and impact on the environment. In considering these issues it should be taken into account that the site is well contained and some distance from housing, and is currently used by the applicant for vehicle and skip storage and offices.

6695/PDC

APPENDIX

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY STRUCTURE PLAN 1996-2011 (REVIEW) (ADOPTED 27 MARCH 2000)

Policy G2

To maintain the principal breaks of open and undeveloped land between built-up areas strategic gaps will be maintained between the following:

Southampton and Totton

Southampton - Hedge End/Bursledon/Netley

North Baddesley/Valley Park

Stubbington/Lee on the Solent and Fareham/Gosport

Waterlooville and Havant

Havant and Rowlands Castle

Emsworth and Havant

Totton/Eling and Marchwood

Marchwood and Hythe

Hythe and Fawley

The precise boundaries of the strategic gaps will be defined in local plans:

(i) after provision has been made for the development requirements established in other policies in the Plan; and

(ii) including no more land than is required to effect the physical and/or visual separation of the settlements adjoining the gap

Within defined strategic gaps permission would not normally be granted for development which would diminish the gap physically or visually.

Policy MW2

Permission will be granted for minerals and waste development provided the mineral/waste planning authority is satisfied that:

(i) any adverse environmental or other impacts that the development would be likely to cause are outweighed by a clearly established need for the development; and

(ii) the proposals, where applicable, include a satisfactory scheme of working and landscaping including details of lorry routeing and, in all cases, include satisfactory measures to ensure that the development would not have any unacceptable environmental, traffic or other impact; and

(iii) the proposals, where applicable, provide for the satisfactory and prompt restoration and after-care of the site to a high standard and to a landform compatible with the local landscape and suitable for an agreed beneficial after-use.

HAMPSHIRE, PORTSMOUTH AND SOUTHAMPTON MINERALS AND WASTE LOCAL PLAN (ADOPTED 17 DECEMBER 1998)

Policy 7

The Mineral and Waste Planning Authority will grant planning permission for minerals and waste development provided they are satisfied that, where appropriate, the proposed development pays due regard to:

(i) the relationship of the proposal site to other properties and land uses (particularly residential and other environmentally sensitive properties) and the likely effects of the proposed development on the locality by reason of noise, dust, smoke, fumes, illumination or any other factor and the need for buffer zones between the development and residential and other properties;

(ii) the likely volume and nature of traffic that would be generated by the proposed development, and the suitability of the proposed access to the site and of the road network that would be affected, in terms of highway capacity and safety and environmental impact, and whether any highway improvements required could be carried out satisfactorily without causing unacceptable environment impact;

(iii) the likely visual impact of the proposed development and the need for additional planting and screening, including planting in advance of the commencement of the development;

(iv) the need to safeguard the character and amenities of individual settlements and to safeguard open gaps between settlements from permanent development which would cause long-term harm to the function of the land;

(v) the likely effects of the proposed development on and the need to protect and safeguard sites of nature conservation, geological, archaeological, historic, architectural and landscape importance and their settings;

(vi) the extent and quality of agricultural land to be taken by the proposed development and the proposals for its subsequent restoration and the likely effects of the proposals on farm structure and management;

(vii) the likely effects of the proposed development on and the need to maintain the distinctive character of the landscape; the likely effects of the proposed development on and the need to safeguard and protect individual species, habitats and landscape features, including woodland, trees and hedgerows; and the likely effects of the proposed development on forestry and woodland management;

(viii) the likely effects of the proposed development on site used for recreation and public rights of way and the need to protect or secure the satisfactory diversion of public rights of way;

(ix) the likely effects of the proposed development on and the need to safeguard the flow and quality of watercourses, water supplies, floodplains, groundwater, the drainage of the site and adjoining land on the level of the water-table in the locality and the likely effects of the proposed development on the immediate setting of any river;

(x) any potential danger to aircraft from birds being attracted to the site;

(xi) the possible amenity implications of any landfill gas that might be generated at the site and of any provisions that might need to be made to deal with it; and

(xii) the likely cumulative impact of the proposed development in combination with any other significant development taking place or permitted to take place in the locality and the need to minimise the impact of mineral extraction and waste disposal operations by securing, where appropriate, the phased release of sites and progression of working and restoration.

Policy 46

The Waste Planning Authorities will normally permit the use of land and the erection of plant and buildings for the recycling, transfer, storage and other treatment or handling of waste (excluding waste processing facilities covered by Policy 45) provided that:

(i) the proposed site is located near to the likely source(s) of waste and/or the market(s) for the recycled or recovered materials; and

(ii) the proposed site is located close to and has adequate access to the Hampshire Lorry Route Network (as shown on the proposals map), so that the development would not be likely to cause unacceptable traffic impact (including the environmental impact of traffic) on the local highway network; and

(iii) the proposed site is located:

(a) within an existing industrial site or on land which is permitted or allocated for industrial development; or

(b) within an area of land in the countryside that has already been disturbed by permanent development (a brownfield site); or

(c) at a waste disposal landfill or landraising site provided that the proposed development is connected with the waste disposal operation and is for a temporary period commensurate with the operational life of the waste disposal facility; and

(iv) the proposed site is located and the proposal includes adequate measures to ensure that no unacceptable impact would be likely to be caused to the occupants or users of houses, other residential buildings, schools, hospitals and other environmentally sensitive buildings and land uses by reason of noise, dust, fumes, smell or other cause; and

(v) the proposed site is located so as to avoid unacceptable impact on landscape, nature conservation and archaeological interests; and

(vi) the proposed site is located and the proposal includes adequate measures to ensure that there would be no significant risk of pollution or danger to public health or safety; and

(vii) the proposed site is located and, if necessary, the proposal includes landscaping measures to ensure that the development would not cause unacceptable visual intrusion.