Archived decisions

Contact: Neil Chester, ext: 6496 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 Planning permission is sought to import and sort spent lighting tubes before they are taken to an appropriate recycling facility. In addition, the proposal is to dismantle electronic equipment in preparation for recycling. The applicant has been operating from the site since March 2004. The proposal is appropriately located on an existing industrial estate. It would not be proper to restrict the hours of operation. Therefore, the recommendation is that planning permission be granted subject to conditions.

2. Site

2.1 The application site is approximately 0.044 hectares and is located on Bessemer Park Industrial Estate, Bessemer Road, Basingstoke (see attached location plan). The site currently consists of an industrial unit, first floor offices and designated parking. Access to the site is from Bessemer Road. To the south of the site there are residential properties. To the north, east and west of the site there are industrial and office units.

3. Proposal

3.1 The proposal is to import and sort spent lighting tubes before they are taken to an appropriate recycling facility. In addition, the proposal is to dismantle electronic equipment in preparation for recycling. The applicant has been operating from the site since March 2004.

3.2 Spent light bulbs and electronic scrap will be imported to the site and sorted within the existing industrial unit. The material will be sorted by hand. It is proposed to use the hardstanding opposite the entrance to the unit as car parking. In addition, two metal storage containers will be placed immediately adjacent to the car parking. The first floor of the unit will be used as an office ancillary to the proposed use.

3.3 The proposal will generate the following vehicle movements:

(i) two 40 ton lorry movements on a bi-monthly basis;

(ii) two 7.5 ton lorry movements per day; and

(iii) twenty 3.5 ton lorry movements per day.

3.4 The proposed hours of operation are between 0600 and 2200 hours Monday to Friday and 0800 and 1300 hours on Saturdays. The normal hours for working the site will be 0800 to 1800 hours Monday to Friday. Operations outside of these hours will be for emergencies only. Emergencies may occur if, for example, a lorry breaks down on route to the site. In three years of operating at a similar industrial site in Aldershot (Planning Permission 00/00715/CMA) there have been no emergency events.

4. Development Plan

4.1 Hampshire County Structure Plan Review 1996 - 2011 (Adopted March 2000) MW2 refers to the environmental impact of development.

4.2 Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan (Adopted December 1998) Policies 6 and 7 refer to the environmental impact of development; and Policy 46 refers to sorting and recycling operations.

5. Consultations

5.1 The Environmental Health Officer (Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council) raises concern that the proposal would give rise to an unacceptable noise impact on local residents. The Environmental Health Officer recommends that a noise report be submitted detailing measures to be taken to prevent noise and disturbance to local residents.

5.2 Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council objects to the proposal on the grounds that the proposed development is inappropriately located by virtue of its potential to create noise and disturbance to the adjoining residential area.

5.3 The Environment Agency raises no objections to the proposal.

5.4 The Highways Adviser raises no objections to the proposal subject to a condition to ensure the proper provision of off-street parking.

6. Representations

6.1 The local Member, Councillor Gurden, has been informed of the proposal.

6.2 There have been two letters of objection which concern the hours of operation and the generation of noise.

7. Chief Planning Adviser's Comments

7.1 Policy 46 of the Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan (adopted 1998) states that proposals for the transfer and other handling of waste will normally be permitted provided that the site is located within an existing industrial estate, a brownfield site, or at a waste disposal or landfill site. The proposal is therefore appropriately located on an existing industrial estate and accords with policy.

7.2 Local residents are concerned that the proposed hours of operation are unreasonable and that operating outside of the hours typically worked by other users of the industrial estate (i.e. 0800 to 1800 Monday to Friday) will give rise to an unacceptable noise impact. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council object to the proposal as they consider it to be an inappropriate activity for the location which would unacceptably impact on the amenity of local residents. The Environmental Health Officer supports this view.

7.3 The industrial estate has an extant B1 (business) planning consent. Notwithstanding that the proposed use is technically sui generis, the sorting activity takes place within the existing building and all materials are sorted by hand. Furthermore, the majority of vehicle movements serving the proposal would be made by 3.5 tonne vans with the 40 tonne HGVs only visiting the site on a bi-monthly basis. The proposal is therefore similar to a B1 use and is considered appropriate for the proposed location.

7.4 There are currently no vehicle movement restrictions or restrictions on hours of operation for businesses on the industrial estate. The proposed use is akin to a B1 use and it would therefore be improper to impose restrictions beyond those imposed on the other uses. It is considered that, due to the infrequency of the emergency events, the proposal is unlikely to result in an adverse impact on the amenity of local residents.

7.5 The Highways Adviser recommends that adequate parking provision for cycles and cars be provided on the site, thus reducing any on street parking in the vicinity of the industrial estate. It has been demonstrated that there is parking available for the seven employees. Cycle storage would be provided within the unit.

7.6 The proposal accords with the Development Plan. It would not be proper to restrict the hours of operation and the potential parking issue has been satisfactory addressed. Therefore the recommendation is that planning permission be granted subject to conditions.

Recommendation

That planning permission in respect of receiving, sorting into batches of same type ready for export of spent lighting tubes plus dismantling of electronic scrap in readiness for recycling and two metal storage units at 7 Bessemer Park, Bessemer Road, Basingstoke (BDB/58107) be granted permission for the following reason and subject to the following conditions.

Reason for Approval

It is considered that the proposal would be in accordance with the Development Plan (summary attached) and would not materially harm the amenity of local residents.

Conditions

(1) No operations shall take place outside the building except the loading and unloading of HGVs.

Reason: In the interests of reducing potential noise impact and therefore protecting the local amenity.

8813/NC

APPENDIX

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

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 6

Permission will be granted for minerals and waste development provided the Mineral/Waste Planning Authority is satisfied that:

(i) there is a clearly established need for the development (as assessed in relation to the other relevant policies of the Plan) which outweighs any adverse environmental or other impact that the development would be likely to cause; and

(ii) the development would not be likely to give rise to an unacceptable level of adverse environmental, traffic or other impact, pollution risk or danger to public health, particularly in respect of any of the factors specified in Policy 7 and measures would be taken to ensure that any such impacts would, as far as is practicable, be minimised; and

(iii) the proposals provide for the satisfactory working or operation and landscaping of the site and for its satisfactory restoration and landscaping at the cessation of the operations or use or at the end of the life of the facility to a condition suitable for an agreed beneficial after-use which is compatible with adjoining land uses and the planning policies for the area.

Notwithstanding any need there may be for waste disposal, permission will not normally be granted for mineral extraction with restoration by infilling with waste materials unless there is a need for the mineral to be extracted.

Policy 7

The Mineral and Waste Planning Authorities 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 environmental 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 sites 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 and 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.