Decision details

Continuation of 2 No. bays in an agricultural general purpose building being used as a waste sorting area. Little Exceat Farm, South Road, South Common, South Chailey, BN8 4QH

72.1     The Committee considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. 

72.2     Members have considered the report and agree with the conclusions and reasons for recommendation set out at paragraph 7 of the report.

72.3     RESOLVED unanimously (1) to refuse planning permission for the following reasons:

1.      The proposal seeks to recycle a limited volume of household waste which is managed at the site and the applicant has not demonstrated that a larger volume could be reasonably managed by a process which is further up the waste hierarchy and which delivers the best overall environmental outcome, thereby conflicting with Policy WMP3b of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013.

2.      The development is located within a small farm yard which is used for agricultural purposes including the husbandry of livestock.  Consequently, the development compromises the effectiveness of the Farm to function as an agricultural unit, due to the change of use of an agricultural building and to the introduction of activities which represent potential hazards to animals within the Farm. As such, the development conflicts with Saved Policies CT1 and ST3 (a) and (d) of the Lewes District Local Plan 2003 and the Core principles of the National Planning Policy Framework 2012.

3.      The use of the application site as a waste transfer station is out of character with the countryside locality and results in activities which are likely to result in an adverse effect on the amenity of occupiers of nearby residential properties and in the locality generally, thereby conflicting with Policy WMP25 (a) and (b) of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy ST3 (a), (c) and (d) of the Lewes District Local Plan 2003; and

(2) to endorse the undertaking of appropriate enforcement action in consultation with the Assistant Chief Executive, Governance Services, to require the cessation of activities associated with the waste transfer station and the removal of any plant, equipment, waste materials and any other associated structures and materials from the site.