Contact: Peter Chadwick, ext 6728

1. Site and Proposal

1.1 The site, illustrated on the attached plan, comprises an area of 0.19 hectares, located alongside the railway line at the junction of New Lane, Havant. The entrance to the site is close to the railway crossing. The nearest houses are opposite the site and have been recently constructed. There are further houses on New Lane to the north-east. The land to the north of Eastern Road is a cemetery.

1.2 Wessex Construction and Plant Hire Company Limited has operated a depot from the site since the early 1960s. The activities have included storage of building materials; the storage, parking and maintenance of vehicles and plant; and the deposition and transfer of waste. The site is currently used for both waste transfer and as a builders' merchant. The proposal is to construct a large building which would enclose an expanded waste transfer and recycling facility.

1.3 The current waste transfer operation does not have a specific planning permission but, as it has been operating for many years, the use is not unlawful. There is some doubt, however, that the waste transfer activity is contained within the historical area but to date there is no conclusive evidence on this. There is a waste management licence for the facility, which is monitored by the Environment Agency.

1.4 The building would be an industrial unit with the colour of cladding to be agreed with the planning authority. It would measure approximately 54 metres by 33.75 metres and 11.5 metres high to the eaves. The building would cover the majority of the site. The existing offices fronting New Road would be retained, although part of the rear would be demolished.

1.5 The new facility would be able to handle about 120,000 tonnes of waste per year, at present the site handles about 95,000 tonnes per year. The waste would be the same as currently accepted, comprising non-hazardous industrial and commercial wastes, including building demolition and other inert wastes. The recycled materials would include scrap metals, secondary aggregates and soils. It is proposed to increase the proportion recycled from 20% to 80%.

1.6 It is proposed that the builders' merchant and related activities at the site would be progressively reduced as they are displaced by the waste transfer facility. Therefore, in terms of traffic, the applicant states that the increased output of waste transfer and recycling would be offset by the reduction in the builders' merchant and related activities. As a result, the applicant states, the lorry traffic would remain at existing levels of about 500 movements per day (ie 250 vehicle deliveries). A one-way system would operate, the entrance to the site would be from New Road and the exit onto Eastern Road.

1.7 The proposed hours for accepting waste would be 0630 to 1830 hours Monday to Friday, 0630 to 1400 hours Saturday and exclude Sunday or Bank holidays, except for the delivery of materials from roadworks and waste from other emergency works which can be delivered outside these times. These are the hours permitted by the waste management licence for the existing operation. The sorting and processing of waste and recyclable materials would be restricted to 0700 to 1800 Monday to Friday and 0700 to 1300 Saturday, with no sorting or processing on Sunday or Bank holidays.

1.8 The planning application is accompanied by a supporting statement, which includes a transport assessment and environmental noise assessment.

2. Development Plan

2.1 Hampshire County Structure Plan 1996-2001 (Review) Policy MW6 supports the provision of facilities for waste transfer and recycling (see attached appendix).

2.2 Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan (adopted December 1998) Policy 44 (ii) concerns safeguarding of existing waste recycling, storage, transfer and processing sites. Policy 46 concerns proposals for waste transfer and recycling facilities (see attached appendix).

3. Consultations

3.1 Havant Borough Council's comments are awaited.

3.2 From a transport point of view, although the report states that the amount of vehicle movements at the site will not increase, it is clear the nature of these vehicles will change and may result in a significant impact on the local highway network. A fuller transport assessment is required.

3.3 Environment Agency, Hampshire and Isle of Wight - comments awaited.

3.4 Havant Borough Council's Environmental Health Officer has serious reservations about the proposal on issues relating to noise and dust. Comments have been forwarded to the applicant for consideration.

3.5 The North Havant Residents' Association raises objection to the application on the following grounds:

(i) The overpowering size of the building and contribution to over-development of the site.

(ii) Proposal would result in more and larger vehicles, increasing dirt, dust and traffic hazards already suffered.

(iii) The area is primarily residential, with proposals in Draft Havant Local Plan for further housing.

(iv) Nearest house only 21 metres away, one of 29 units built as affordable housing, including flats for disabled.

(v) A new 30-bed mental health unit will be built in New Lane shortly, and new community hospital proposed nearby.

(vi) Danger to the public, especially children having to walk past the entrance and exit to the site.

(vii) New cycle route ends opposite entrance.

(viii) It is considered that the traffic assessment undertaken in 2001 is not an accurate representation - inflated to cover new proposal.

4. Representations

4.1 A total of 158 letters of objection has been received from local residents on the grounds that the New Lane site already generates unacceptable levels of noise and dirt, both from the site itself and lorries travelling to and from it. The operation should be relocated to a more appropriate area away from schools and housing, which are currently severely affected by the New Lane depot. Associated lorry traffic is a danger to other road users and pedestrians, particularly as New Lane is used as pedestrian route to local schools. The very large building proposed would be extremely intrusive locally.

5. Issues

5.1 The proposal is to construct a building to enclose the waste transfer and recycling operations at the site. The applicant states that this is to improve environmental standards, increase throughput and the level of recycling. The site is in industrial use and already contains a waste transfer facility. However, the site is close to housing and the operations have given rise to justifiable complaints for some time. In part, the application is in response to these complaints.

5.2 The County Council strongly supports proposals for recycling and the development of existing facilities to improve environmental standards and increase capacity. However, any proposal has to comply with environmental and planning criteria as set out in the development plan.

5.3 The main issues are whether the details of this proposal are acceptable with regard to the impact of the operation of the proposed facility on local residents (particularly with regard to noise and dust), the impact of the lorry traffic associated with the proposal, both in terms of the amenity impact and highway safety, visual impact of the proposed building on the locality and the suitability of the site to accommodate the increased scale of waste transfer and recycling. Finally, consideration must also be given to the availability of alternative sites in the locality.

7523/PDC

APPENDIX

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY STRUCTURE PLAN 1996-2001 (REVIEW) (ADOPTED MARCH 2000)

Policy MW6

Planning authorities will seek a reduction in the quantity of waste requiring treatment or disposal, including a significant reduction in the quantity of non-inert waste disposed by landfilling.

The waste planning authorities will seek, through policies and proposals in the Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan and day- to-day development control, the provision of sufficient facilities to meet the need for the management of all unavoidable waste (excluding special waste) arising in Hampshire.

Having regard to Policy MW1(v), permission will be granted for:

(i) facilities for the re-use and recycling of waste, including the production of secondary and recycled aggregate materials;

(ii) facilities for composting, anaerobic digestion, incineration with energy recovery and other methods of resource recovery waste processing sufficient only to cater for unavoidable non-inert waste which is not re-used or recycled;

(iii) landfill capacity sufficient only for the disposal of unavoidable waste which is no re-used, recycled or processed; and

(iv) waste transfer stations to serve areas of local waste processing and disposal facility shortages;

provided that the development would not have unacceptable environmental, traffic or other impact.

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

Policy 44

The Waste Planning Authorities will normally seek to safeguard the following sites for waste recycling, storage, transfer or processing uses:

(i) the sites listed in Policy 43;

(ii) the existing waste recycling, storage, transfer and processing sites listed in Appendix 7; and

(iii) any sites where planning permission is granted for waste recycling, storage, transfer or processing.

The Waste Planning Authorities will normally oppose proposals for development within or in proximity to any of these sites where the proposed development would prevent or prejudice the use of the site for waste recycling, storage, transfer or processing.

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.