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

1. Summary

1.1 Planning permission is sought to construct a Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) at Plot 81, Scott Close, the Walworth Industrial Estate. This modern facility will replace the existing HWRC at Shepherds Spring Lane, Andover. There is local concern that the proposal will give rise to increased vibration, odour, flies and vermin, fly-tipping and noise. There is also concern that the proposal will adversely impact on the `quality' of the industrial estate.

1.2 It is considered that the amenity issues have been satisfactorily addressed. At face value the height of the proposed fencing detracts from the quality of the design and lower or palisade fencing would preferable. However, the increased fence height has been partially mitigated by the landscaping scheme and on balance, the design issues are not sufficient to justify refusal given the industrial setting. Therefore, it is recommended that planning permission be granted subject to conditions.

2. Recommendation

That planning permission for Development of a Household Waste Recycling Centre at Plot 81, Scott Close, Walworth Industrial Estate, Andover (Application No. 07/0015/HCC3N) (County Council Ref: TV234) be granted for the following reason, subject to conditions set out in Appendix 1.

Reason for Approval

It is considered the proposal would be in accordance with the development plan (summary attached in Appendix 2) and would not materially harm the character of the area or the amenity of local residents and would be acceptable in terms of highway safety.

3. Site and Proposal

3.1 The application site, as shown on the attached plan, comprises an area of 0.57 hectares of scrub land located within the Walworth Industrial Estate, to the north-east of Andover and has not been previously developed. The site is approximately 1.5 kilometres from the A303 (via the A3093).

3.2 To the south and east of the site are existing industrial units (an industrial adhesive manufacturer and a manufacturer of storage containers, such as `wheelie bins'). To the north of the site is another undeveloped industrial plot. To the west of the site is Scott Close and further industrial units. The nearest dwellings, Harewood mobile home park, are approximately 90 metres to the south of the site boundary.

3.3 The proposal is to develop a modern facility to replace the existing HWRC at Shepherds Spring Lane, Andover. The existing site is inefficient as it has to be temporarily closed to the public during servicing operations (eg when the waste containers are taken to and from the site). This results in an unacceptable accumulation of traffic on the public highway approaching the existing HWRC.

3.4 The proposal is for a split-level site to segregate the operational area from the public and to construct a customer stacking lane to prevent vehicles from queuing on the highway. It is proposed to erect a `portacabin' type site office and welfare facilities. A close-boarded fence (3-4 metres) is proposed to screen the site on the northern, southern and western boundaries. Palisade fencing is proposed for the eastern boundary. The proposal is to plant a landscape belt on all boundaries, although this is limited on the northern and western boundaries due to the constraints on the land available. In addition, the Highways Authority has agreed to the applicant planting within the highway verge, although this is outside of planning control.

3.5 Public access to the site is from Scott Close, whilst egress is onto Livingstone Road. Service vehicles will access and egress the site from Livingstone Road.

4. Development Plan

4.1 Hampshire County Structure Plan Policy MW1 concerns proposals for re-use and recycling of waste; and Policy MW6 concerns waste transfer and recycling facilities.

4.2 Hampshire Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan Policy 46 concerns proposals for waste transfer and recycling.

5. Consultations

5.1 Test Valley Borough Council's comments have not been received at the time of writing this report.

5.2 The Environmental Health Officer (Test Valley Borough Council) raises no objection to the proposal subject to conditions to ensure that any cumulative noise impact is acceptable.

5.3 The Environment Agency raises no objection to the proposal.

5.4 The Highways Adviser raises concerns about the proposal in terms of the visibility when egressing the service area within the application site and problems physically accommodating any vehicles with trailers on the stacking lane.

5.5 The local Member, Councillor Hughes, has been informed of the proposal.

6. Representations

6.1 There have been five letters of objection and one letter of support for the proposal. The main reasons for objection are that the proposal will give rise to increased vibration, odour, flies and vermin, fly-tipping and noise. There is also concern that the proposal will adversely impact on the `quality' of the industrial estate.

7. Chief Planning Adviser's Comments

7.1 Policy 46 of the Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan states that permission will normally be granted for proposals for waste transfer and recycling in industrial locations. In principle therefore, the Walworth Industrial Estate is a suitable location for an HWRC. The main issue is whether the proposal gives rise to any unacceptable environmental impacts.

7.2 The construction of the dwellings on the Harewood mobile home park makes them particularly vulnerable to vibration. However, vibration is not a problem commonly generated at HWRCs. Moreover, the site is located approximately 90 metres from the mobile home park and therefore the effects of any vibration during construction will be negligible.

7.3 There is concern from neighbouring industrial units and the mobile home park that the proposal will create odour and attract flies and vermin. The HWRC will be managed to reduce these risks and the experience at other modern HWRCs within the county suggests that odour, flies and vermin are unlikely to become an issue. Management will include measures such as removing all residual waste from the site within 72 hours and any full waste containers being covered. Moreover, any waste which is malodorous will be removed from the site at the earliest opportunity. These issues will also be addressed through the Waste Management Licence that has to be obtained in order for the site to operate.

7.4 A neighbouring industrial unit is concerned that the proposal will encourage fly-tipping. It is understood that fly-tipping already occurs on the Walworth Industrial Estate. Fly-tipping is illegal and is a matter for the Environment Agency to enforce. However, there is no evidence to suggest that fly-tipping would increase as a direct result of the proposal and fly-tipping has not increased as a result of other HWRCs.

7.5 There is local concern that the proposal will generate unacceptable noise, and thus adversely impact on the amenity of the neighbouring industrial units and residents of the mobile home park. The mobile home park is particularly sensitive to noise and the applicant carried out a noise assessment to ascertain the extent of any noise impact from the proposal. The assessment concluded that the each individual noise source would only be of "marginal significance". However, the report recommended that an acoustic barrier be erected on the southern boundary to attenuate any cumulative impacts. The proposal incorporates a three metre high close-boarded fence on the southern boundary. The Environmental Health Officer raises no objections to the proposal subject to conditions.

7.6 Test Valley Borough Council has a strategy to create "a state-of-the-art site for 21st Century business development" at the Walworth Industrial Estate. A waste management proposed does not necessarily compromise this aim. Moreover, `Planning for Sustainable Waste Management' (PPS10) states that "waste management facilities in themselves should be well designed, so that they contribute positively to the character and quality of the area in which they are located. Poor design is itself undesirable [and] undermines community acceptance of waste facilities...".

7.7 Test Valley Borough Council owns the Walworth Industrial Estate and, as landlord, requires that there are no views into the proposed site. As a consequence, the proposal incorporates three metre high close-boarded fencing on the northern (rising to four metres), southern and western boundaries to achieve the landlords consent for the proposal. The eastern boundary will be well-screened by planting.

7.8 In design terms, it is considered that the height of the fence detracts from the quality of the design and a lower or palisade fencing would preferable. However, the increased fence height has been partially mitigated by the landscaping scheme and, on balance, the design issues are not sufficient to justify refusal, given the industrial setting.

7.9 The Highways Adviser is concerned by the visibility when lorries are egressing the service area within the site and that this may cause conflict with private vehicles leaving the HWRC. Furthermore, the Highways Adviser is concerned that vehicles with trailers cannot be accommodated on the stacking lane. These are site management rather than planning issues and the applicant has been advised about the concerns.

7.10 In conclusion, the amenity issues, such as noise and odour, have been satisfactorily addressed and the design issues are not sufficient to justify refusal. Therefore, it is recommended that planning permission be granted subject to conditions.

1240/NC

APPENDIX 1

Conditions

Commencement

(1) The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of three years from the date on which this planning permission was granted.

Reason: To comply with Section 91(as amended) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Hours of Working

(2) The site shall only be open to the public during the following hours, and no vehicles carrying waste or recycled materials shall enter or leave the site and no plant or machinery shall be operated other than during the following hours: between 0800 and 1900 in summer (1 April to 30 September) and 0800 and 1630 at all other times. The site shall be closed on 25 and 26 December.

Reason: In the interest of local amenity.

Landscape

(3) The landscape scheme shown on approved Drawing No. 17/A180/PLOT81/SCH/01 Rev 3 shall be implemented in the first planting season following the opening of the household waste recycling centre. Any plants or trees which, within a period of five years from the date of planting, die, are removed or become seriously damaged or diseased, shall be replaced in the next planting season with others of similar size and species, unless the Waste Planning Authority gives written consent to any variation.

Reason: To improve the appearance of the site in the interests of visual amenity.

(4) Details of the materials and finishes to be used for the boundary fencing and its precise level of acoustic attenuation shall be submitted to and approved by the Waste Planning Authority in writing before the development commences.

Reason: In the interests of visual amenity and to secure a satisfactory development.

Miscellaneous

(5) Prior to development becoming operational an Environmental Management Scheme for the control of noise and odour at the site shall be submitted to the Waste Planning Authority for approval in writing. The Scheme shall be implemented as approved for the duration of the site's operation.

Reason: In the interests of local amenity.

(6) The recycling hereby permitted shall be restricted to the sorting of waste brought to the site by members of the public, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Waste Planning Authority.

Reason: In the interests of local amenity.

(7) No development shall commence until details of the site office and welfare facility buildings have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Waste Planning Authority.

Reason: In the interests of visual amenity.

Noise, Dust and Odour

(8) Prior to the site becoming operational an Environmental Management Scheme for the control of noise, dust and odour at the site shall be submitted to the Waste Planning Authority for approval in writing. The Scheme shall be implemented as approved for the duration of the site's operation. The scheme shall detail the precise level of noise attenuation offered by the fencing, natural screening and adjacent buildings.

Reason: In the interests of local amenity.

(9) There shall be no burning on site.

Reason: In the interests of local amenity.

APPENDIX 2

Annexe to Reasons for Conditions

(as required by Article 22 of the Town and Country Planning

(General Procedure) Order 1995 - as amended)

__________________________________________________________________

Hampshire County Structure Plan (Review) 2000

Policy MW1

Planning authorities will, through policies and proposals in local plans and day-to-day development control:

(i) seek to ensure an adequate supply of minerals and provision of waste management facilities to meet needs having regard to the need to: maintain the environmental quality and diversity of Hampshire, including the protection of living conditions; safeguard important socio-economic interests; prevent pollution; and protect features of particular environmental or historical importance including those listed in Policy MW3, Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation and historic parks and gardens;

(ii) seek environmental enhancement and public benefits through minerals and waste development;

(iii) conserve and prevent unnecessary sterilisation of mineral resources and encourage efficient use of materials;

(iv) encourage the use of secondary and recycled aggregate materials; and

(v) seek the management of waste in accordance with the following hierarchy:

1. reduction of waste;

2. reuse of waste;

3. recovery of waste (recycling, composting, energy from waste); and

4. waste disposal;

having regard to the proximity principle and the principle of best practical environmental option.

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 not re-used, recycled or processed; and

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

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

Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan (Adopted) 1998

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.