Contact: Julia Davey, ext 6732 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 Planning permission is sought for a change of use from a waste recycling centre to the storage of woodchip and mixed pelleted paper and plastic at New Farm, South Warnborough, Hook (Application No. 07/01565/CMA) (County Council Ref: HR094).

2. Recommendation

That permission for a change of use from a waste recycling centre to the storage of woodchip and mixed pelleted paper and plastic at New Farm, South Warnborough, Hook (Application No. 07/01565/CMA) (County Council Ref: HR094) be granted for a temporary period subject to conditions attached in Appendix 1.

Reason for Approval

The application is in accordance with the development plan (summary attached as Appendix 2) and it is considered that the development would not have an adverse material impact on the amenity and traffic of the locality.

3. Site and Planning Background

3.1 The site, as shown on the attached plan, extends across an area of approximately 1.1 hectares of land (including bunds and screen planting) at a disused oil exploration well site at New Farm, South Warnborough. The site is bunded on two sides and screened on the remaining sides by a fence and mature tree planting. It is located in a natural dell situated south of the main farm complex linked to it by a haul road. The site itself is hard surfaced (0.7 hectares), formerly installed by the oil company and is currently being used to store shredded wood and plastic subject of this application. The site is accessed off a haul road constructed by the oil company at the same time as the exploration well in the mid 1980s and runs adjacent to Pickaxe Lane to join the B3349 Alton Road.

3.2 The nearest residential properties are approximately 450 metres to the west along Pickaxe Lane. The nearest residential properties to the haul route are New Farm farmhouse itself. Due south of the site access to the B3349 is a property understood to be called Keepers Cottage. tenanted, it is understood, by farm employees.

3.3 On 14 January 2004 planning permission was granted (03/01493/CMA) for a change of use of the site to an inert waste recycling centre for a temporary period expiring on 31 December 2008. This activity is understood to have ceased in 2006. The waste imported under this permission was limited to inert construction and demolition waste and wood, including that arising from forestry management. No green waste was permitted to be imported other than wood. This permission required passing bays to be provided and for the site access road to be regraded and surfaced with Tarmac. Lorries were limited by way of condition to 40 lorry movements per day.

3.4 By way of background information, the applicant was using The Hangar at Lasham airfield for the storage of biomass (such as being applied for here) without planning permission. This was moved at the instigation of the County Council by February 2007. The County Council also refused planning permission for the storage of similar biomass at the applicant's grain barns at The Avenue, Lasham, which is the subject of a current planning and enforcement appeal.

4. Proposal

4.1 Planning permission is sought to provide a haulage and storage service for woodchip and mixed pelleted paper and plastic at the currently disused oil well exploration site at New Farm.

4.2 The applicant states that during periods of emergency maintenance at Slough Heat and Power in Slough, Berkshire the applicant is contacted by the company to arrange for the haulage of woodchip and mixed pelleted paper and plastic. The proposal is therefore to haul the material from Slough to South Warnborough and store it until it is returned to the power station as fuel and also to store wood that has been chipped on another part of the farm holding (as part of day-to-day agricultural activities) as an additional source for Slough Heat and Power. The applicant states that no sorting or treatment will occur on the site. The applicant adds that the site is laid to hardstanding and benefits from sealed drainage installed by Star Energy.

4.3 It is proposed that storage bays would be formed using straw bales which will form contained areas where the waste would be stockpiled up to four metres high. The straw bales would enable a flexible means of storage by way of reducing or increasing the size of the storage bay as necessary. The applicant states that there is capacity to store up to 2,000 tonnes of woodchip and mixed pelleted paper and plastic. It is expected that the total throughput would not exceed 5,000 tonnes per annum. Lorries would enter the site from the existing access from Pickaxe Lane off the B3349 Alton Road.

4.4 It is not proposed to have any permanent site-based staff but the site would be inspected on a daily basis when the material is being stored. A loading shovel or similar plant would be used to load the waste from the storage area onto a haulage vehicle.

4.5 The applicant states that there would be up to 30 lorry movements per day although the nature of the vehicle movements would be irregular. It is proposed that the hours of operation would be 0700 to 1700 hours including Sunday and bank holidays. The applicant adds that Slough Heat and Power operates 365 days per year and therefore it is feasible that downtime could occur on any day. The proposed operational hours reflect the potential requirements of Slough Heat and Power.

4.6 The applicant adds that Slough Heat and Power is one of the UK's cleanest power stations since it has converted from coal to be fuelled by clean woodchip and fibre refuel (pelleted paper and plastic). The woodchip element of the fuel is sourced from forestry enterprises, sawmills and local farmers. However only one quarter of the wood fuel can be sourced from within 50 miles of Slough. The applicant concludes that by helping to secure the viability of the farming operations he is able to provide employment security for local residents employed in the agricultural business at New Farm.

4.7 A landscape assessment has been submitted with the application which concludes there would be no adverse visual impact to the locality by way of the proposal and would not detract from any views from public rights of way some distance from the site.

5. Development Plan

5.1 Hampshire Minerals and Waste Core Strategy (adopted July 2007) Policies DC13 (Waste recycling); and DC8 (pollution, health, quality of life and amenity) applies.

6. Consultations

6.1 The local Member, Councillor Glen, fully supports South Warnborough Parish Council's objections to the proposal.

6.2 South Warnborough Parish Council objects to the application on the following grounds:

(i) If the site is already in use it should be a retrospective application for change of use.

(ii) There is a risk of spontaneous combustion from the uncovered storage bays when damp. This was apparently the cause of a serious fire of similar material on another local site owned by New Farm which caused considerable pollution. The fire hazard presented by this site is our principal concern and should be addressed properly.

(iii) There is still a risk of dust impact, despite mitigation measures proposed, from strong winds if the bays are uncovered.

(iv) The permitted delivery hours should remain as those for operation under the current permission, namely 0730 to 1800 hours Monday to Friday and 0730 to 1300 hours on Saturday and not at all on Sunday or bank holidays. This would fit in with the applicant's statement that collection and delivery can only be done during normal working hours. It is not acceptable to have heavy goods vehicles traffic disrupting this quiet rural location 365 days per year.

(v) It is assumed that the operating hours of the site, as opposed to the delivery hours referred to above, were only intended to apply when the site was in use and required to be inspected every day on safety grounds. There should be more detailed regime in the daily inspections given the high fire and pollution risk, and detail of the proposed fire prevention measures to be taken and fire fighting measures put in place.

(vi) The use of agricultural vehicles (grain lorries) is questioned. The Parish Council considers the two uses are not compatible unless measures not mentioned are put in place to cleanse the vehicles before being re-used for grain transport and similar tasks.

(vii) It is strongly recommended that some form of remote fire monitoring is implemented that could activate a sprinkler system; this would give greater fire cover than using a probe even on a regular basis.

6.3 The Parish Council states that it would much prefer that the site was returned to agricultural use once the current permission lapses in 2008.

6.4 The Environmental Health Officer has no comments to make on the application but in relation to the hours of working issue raised by the Parish Council and the local Member, the Environmental Health Officer states that so long as the haul road at the access point near the junction with the B Road by Pickaxe Lane and Keepers Cottage is surfaced with concrete or tarmac, because the B Road is busy, then the impact should not be significant. For a similar reason there should not be an adverse impact on dwellings further away. However he would support any conditions the County Council decided to impose restricting working hours so no importation or exportation take place on Sunday and bank holidays.

6.5 Hart District Council raises no objection subject to conditions controlling hours of working, lorry movements and to restrict the height of any stockpiles to four metres in height.

6.6 The Environment Agency raises no objection to the application.

6.7 The Highway Authority raises no objections to this proposal subject to the provision of conditions to control the total number of lorry movements to and from the site each day, a restriction on the retail of the material so that all material can only go to Slough Heat and Power and cannot be produced and sold elsewhere, and the access to the site from Pickaxe Lane, consistent with the previous permission.

6.8 The local Airports, including Lasham Gliding Club, raise no objection.

6.9 Star Energy states that it has no objection to Mr Porter's planning application for change of use to storage of woodchip. At this stage Star Energy does not envisage re-activating its use of the site but because of the nature of the company's activity it would like to retain the current planning consent in case there are changes to its geological understanding or there are advances in current technology.

7. Representations

7.1 At the time of writing no representations had been received to the development.

8. Chief Planning Adviser's Comments

8.1 The main issues associated with this application are planning status of the site, the impact of the proposals for local residents and the policy support for waste transfer and recycling.

8.2 The site was constructed as a well site following exploration drilling (Humbly Grove B), but has not been used for several years. The site was included in the Environment Act Reviews of the Humbly Grove Oilfield in 1999 and retained. Therefore the site has planning permission as an oil well site until 2025 or cessation of oil production, whichever is the sooner. Whilst there is a condition requiring the site's restoration to agriculture, this would not be enforceable for many years. The use of the site for the proposed use would not prejudice any future use of the well site for oil exploration as it does not involve the construction of any permanent

structures. Accordingly, it is considered that a temporary consent for storage of wood chip and mixed pelleted paper and plastic would not prejudice the oil well site, nor prevent the restoration of the well site at a later date.

8.3 It should be noted that the applicant is applying for a permanent permission. However, in view of the fact that this is a new venture and that storage of such material in the barns at The Avenue, Lasham created issues arising from a fire in 2005, it is considered that if permission is granted it should be temporary to enable the impacts of the development also to be monitored.

8.4 The main impacts for local residents are potential for noise disturbance and the impact of the lorries travelling to and from the site. However the local Member and Parish Council have also raised the issue of fire, dust and hours of working. The proposed site is partially bunded which will provide noise attenuation. The nearest houses are some distance from the site and the Environmental Heath Officer has raised no objection to the proposal. Accordingly it is considered that the noise generated from the site could be managed within acceptable limits. There is a potential noise issue from the lorries travelling along the haul road. However it is understood that the haul road was re-graded and re-surfaced as part of the previous recycling permission to address this issue. Dust is also a potential cause of disturbance, particularly from the haul road. Maintenance of the surface of the haul road can be covered by condition as can dust suppression within the site.

8.5 The proposals would generate lorry traffic of up to 30 lorry movements a day, which would travel to the site. This is 10 movements fewer than the 40 movements permitted under the previous temporary recycling facility. At the time of the last application it was considered that the main road through South Warnborough was capable of taking the 40 additional lorry movements a day and there is a purpose-built haul road, which would avoid the use of Pickaxe Lane, other than at its junction with the main road. The additional 30 traffic movements arising from the current proposals is considered acceptable.

8.6 Nevertheless the site is situated in a fairly remote rural area and accessed on rural roads. Whilst the Environmental Health Officer has raised no objection to the proposal he would support the County Council should it wish to impose conditions restricting working on Saturday afternoons, Sunday and bank holidays. Lorries importing and exporting material during Sunday and bank holidays especially would cause an adverse amenity impact to local residents. Accordingly it is considered that, should permission be granted, a condition should be imposed preventing the importation or exportation of material from the site on Saturday afternoons, Sunday and bank holidays, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

8.7 The Parish Council's and local Member's concerns about fire are noted. At the time of writing this report the Fire Service is being consulted, notwithstanding that fire risk is not a major planning consideration in the circumstances of this application. The material is not hazardous and little different from other agricultural products that could use the site without express consent.

8.8 To conclude, it is considered that the proposal is in accordance with policy, provided it is for a temporary period not exceeding the permitted life as an oil well site . There is a need for storage of biomass relating to Slough Heat and Power. It is considered that the bunding around the site and the distance from houses are such that the impact on amenity would be acceptable. Whilst there would be disturbance from additional lorry traffic, this would not be an intensive operation and the level of traffic would be acceptable so long as there was no normal working on Sunday and bank holidays. Therefore it is recommended that permission be granted, subject to conditions.

1437/JD

APPENDIX 1

Conditions

Time Limits

(1) The permission shall be for a temporary period expiring on 30 September 2012, on or before which date the use of land for storage of woodchip and mixed pelleted paper and plastic shall cease, all machinery, structures and waste be removed and the land reinstated.

Reason: In order to assess the impact of the site.

Pollution Control

(2) Any above ground oil/chemical storage tank/container and associated pipe work shall be bunded in a manner so as to retain at least 110% volume of the tank capacity. All filling points, vents, gauges and sight glasses must be located within the bund, which shall be sealed so as to retain any spillages.

Reason: To prevent pollution to the water environment.

(3) Waste imported to the site shall be restricted to wood chip and mixed pelleted paper and plastic only. All waste shall be stored within the areas identified on the layout plan to be submitted under Condition (12).

Reason: In the interests of local amenity.

Hours of Working

(4) Unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Waste Planning Authority, no lorries shall enter or leave the site, and no operations shall take place within the site except between 0700 and 1700 hours Monday to Friday and between 0730 and 1300 hours on Saturday, and not at all on Sunday and recognised public holidays- except in case of emergencies only and any such request would need to be made in writing to the Waste Planning Authority and agreed in writing by the Waste Planning Authority beforehand.

Reason: In the interests of local amenity.

Noise and Dust

(5) Within one month of the date of this consent an Environmental Management Scheme addressing environmental issues including wind blow, dust and fire prevention shall be submitted to the Waste Planning Authority for approval in writing. The scheme shall be implemented within 14 days of any such approval.

Reason: In the interests of local amenity.

(6) No stockpiles of material stored on this site in association with this permission shall exceed four metres in height.

Reason: To minimise visual impact.

Highways

(7) Access to the site shall be via the former well site access road only which serves the existing farm complex and joins the B road due west of Pickaxe Lane and Keepers Cottage as shown on approved drawing no. PTR/EO12727/VIA/01 (REV A).

Reason: In the interests of highway safety.

(8) The access road to the site shall be maintained to ensure the tarmac surface required under planning permission No. 03/01493/CMA is secured in satisfactory conditions to serve the permitted use.

Reason: In the interests of local amenity.

No Retail Sales

(9) There shall be no sale of waste, wood or pelleted paper or plastic taking place from this site with relation to this permission. The material stored on the site is to be imported and exported only to Slough Heat and Power in Slough, Berkshire. Absolutely no retail sales shall take place directly from this site to any third party.

Reason: To help control the scale of the operation, the type of waste being stored and its potential impacts on local amenities.

Lighting

(10) There shall be no lighting installed at the site unless otherwise agreed beforehand in writing by the Waste Planning Authority.

Reason: In the interests of local amenities.

(11) No other use shall take place on this site during the course of this permission, in particular the use of land for recycling as permitted under planning permission 03/01493/CMA.

Reason: To control the impact of the development on the environment and local amenities.

(12) The layout of the site showing the existing bunds, fencing, gates, area of hard surfacing and proposed lorry turning area and general area of material storage shall be implemented strictly in accordance with approved Plan No.PTR/EO12727/SFP/01.

Reason: To ensure the site can be effectively monitored and that it is implemented in accordance with this permission.

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 Minerals and Waste Core Strategy

Policy DC13 - Waste Management and Recycling

Waste management developments (excluding landfill) will be permitted provided that the site:

a. Is identified as a site, or within an area suitable for waste management uses, in the Hampshire Waste Management Plan, or

b. Re-uses/redevelops previously developed land and/or redundant agricultural and forestry buildings (including their curtilages), or

c. Is within a planned area of large-scale development, or

d. Is on employment land, preferably co-located with complementary activities, and

e. Has good access to, the minerals and waste lorry route as shown on the Key Diagram, and where possible, the site enables the use of waterborne and rail freight, and

f. In the case of recovery and treatment sites, incoming waste shall be subject to pre-treatment, either on or off site to maximise the potential for recycling, and where technically possible, energy will be generated and used and the by-products, including heat, will be reused or recycled, and

g. In the case of sites providing public access, the site shall be accessible for use by disabled people.