Contact: Peter Chadwick, ext 6728

1. Summary

1.1 Planning permission is sought to extend the time permitted for tipping at the Netley Landfill site from 31 December 2001 to 31 July 2002. The reason for the application is to complete the tipping in accordance with approved plans. The recommendation is to approve this extension of time.

2. Site and Proposal

2.1 The Netley Landfill site, illustrated on the attached plan, totals an area of approximately 48.5 hectares. The landfill site has been operational for many years, initially as a quarry, followed by waste tipping. Tipping commenced in 1983 and the landfill site has been used for household and industrial/commercial wastes. The site is on the outskirts of Southampton, within the Strategic Gap. Access is via Portsmouth Road.

2.2 The planning permission for the site included a condition that tipping should cease by 31 December 2001. The final phase of tipping has not been completed therefore an extension of time is requested to 31 July 2002 to complete the tipping in accordance with the approved plans.

3. Development Plan

3.1 Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan (adopted December 1998) Policy 37 concerns proposals for landfilling (see attached appendix).

4. Consultations

4.1 The County Surveyor (Highways), Environment Agency and Hound Parish Council raise no objection.

4.2 Eastleigh Borough Council's Environmental Health Officer supports the extension of time.

4.3 The local Member, Councillor House, has been informed of the application.

4.4 Letters of objection have been received from two local residents on the grounds that the operation of the site has caused great inconvenience for many years through the associated lorry traffic, smell and litter. Looking forward to the end of the site, they are strongly opposed to extending the time.

5. Borough Council's Views

5.1 Eastleigh Borough Council's views are awaited.

5.2 Southampton City Council, as neighbouring authority, raises no objection.

6. County Planning Officer's Comments

6.1 There is remaining tipping capacity in the final phase at the site. The current tipping area is well away from the houses and the completion of the site in accordance with the approved schemes and plans is supported. The concerns of the local residents about extending the time, when they were expecting the site to cease after many years of disturbance, are appreciated. However, on balance the wider interest is not served by sterilising the remaining landfill capacity. Completion would only be delayed for a few months.

6.2 A planning application has been submitted to Southampton City Council for a waste transfer station at Ashley Crescent, which is the industrial estate neighbouring the site. This waste transfer station would replace the Netley Landfill site as the delivery point for household waste from Southampton and Eastleigh. However, there will be a time gap between the completion of waste tipping at Netley and a new transfer station being operational. One option would be for a temporary waste transfer station at the Netley site in the interim. This would require planning consent and any application would be considered on its merits if submitted.

Recommendation

That planning permission be granted for a variation of condition to extend the period for the completion of tipping operations at Netley Landfill site, Old Portsmouth Road, Hound (Application No. 15164/021), subject to the following condition:

(1) The tipping operations hereby permitted shall cease on or before 31 July 2002 and the site shall be restored in accordance with the approved restoration scheme within a further period of six months or such longer period as the Waste Planning Authority may approve in writing.

Reason: To minimise the duration of disturbance from the tipping operations.

Note to the applicant:

All other conditions of planning permission 15164/17 remain in force.

6978/PDC

APPENDIX

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

Policy 37

The Waste Planning Authorities will grant planning permission for waste disposal by landfilling provided they are satisfied that:

(i) the waste to be disposed of cannot practicably and reasonably be reduced, re-used, recycled or processed at a resource recovery plant and there is a proven need for the disposal of the waste by landfilling which cannot reasonably be met by other suitable existing or permitted waste disposal facilities within a reasonable distance of the source of the waste by the preferred areas in Policy 38; and

(ii) the proposed landfilling would normally take place within a mineral working site that:

(a) is an active extraction site; or

(b) has been unsatisfactorily restored and landfilling would enable satisfactory restoration to be achieved; or

(c) has been restored below original levels and there would be an environmental benefit from the raising of levels by infilling; and

(iii) the proposed site is located near 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

(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.