Agenda item

The continued use of land for green waste composting and wood waste processing, including an increased through-put for up to 10,000 tonnes per annum of waste wood and the relocation of the waste wood processing area including an extension to the existing storage building and yard area, the replacement and relocation of the existing overflow pond (no.3) with a reed bed system and the repositioning of the earth bunds at the southern and eastern boundaries of the site. KPS, Boathouse Farm, Isfield Road, Isfield, TN22 5JJ - WD/782/CM

Report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

Minutes:

16.1 The Committee considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. The Chair highlighted: the written comments of the Local Member; a plan of the existing and proposed Noise level monitoring receptors; and that two further Informatives had been drafted and circulated in the Chamber.

16.2 Mr Mike Pickup, the applicant’s agent, spoke in support of the application.

16.3 Members requested a further Informative, regarding the maturity of the planting to screen the acoustic fence, as per Condition 17.

16.4 Members have considered the report and additional Informatives, together with the comments of the public speaker and local member, and agree with the conclusion and reasons for recommendation set out at paragraph 7 of the report.

16.5 RESOLVED to grant planning permission, subject to the following conditions:

1. The development hereby permitted shall be commenced before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission.

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

2. The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the plans listed in the Schedule of Approved Plans.

Reason: For the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of proper planning.

3. The green waste composting facility, including the wood waste processing activities shall only operate between the hours of 0700 and 1800 on Mondays to Fridays inclusive and 0800 and 1230 on Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays, Bank and Public Holidays except for a maximum of two deliveries per month, limited to one delivery on a Sunday, between the hours of 0800 and 1230 and for essential maintenance and emergency works, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

Reason: In the interests of the amenity of the locality and occupiers of residential properties within the vicinity of the site, in accordance with Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy EN27 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

4. The total amount of waste imported to the site, including wood waste, shall not exceed 50,000 tonnes per annum.

Reason: To enable the County Planning Authority to control the development in the interests of the amenity of the locality, in accordance with Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy EN27 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

5. The amount of wood waste imported to the site shall not exceed 10,000 tonnes per annum.

Reason: To ensure the wood waste processing activities remain ancillary to the composting activities.

6. The green waste composting activities shall not take place other than in the area labelled 'Green waste composting area' as shown on the approved Block Plan (Ref: 1215/2 Rev G), dated April 2016.

Reason: For the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of the amenity of the locality and occupiers of properties in the vicinity of the site, in accordance with Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy EN27 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

7. Wood waste processing and the stockpiling of unprocessed wood waste material shall not take place other than in the blue cross hatched area as indicated for this purpose on the approved Block Plan (Ref: 1215/2 Rev G), dated April 2016, unless with the prior written agreement of the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

8. The rating noise level from the site, measured at locations R1, R2 and R3 as shown on Figure 1A in the Southdowns Acoustic Report dated 22 June 2017 (Ref:2016w-00003-02), shall not exceed the background LA90 value at any time, as measured in accordance with BS 4142:2014 (Methods for rating and assessing industrial and commercial sound).

Reason: To safeguard the amenities of the occupiers of properties within the vicinity of the site in accordance with Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy EN27 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

9. Within 7 days of the wood waste processing becoming operational within the hereby approved wood waste processing area, the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport shall be notified in writing.

Reason: For the avoidance of doubt and to enable the County Planning Authority to monitor the operations in the interest of the amenity of the locality, in accordance with Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy EN27 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

10. Within three months of the wood waste activities becoming operational within the approved wood waste processing area, a noise survey shall be undertaken in accordance with BS 4142: 2014 (Methods for rating and assessing industrial and commercial sound) and the results submitted to and approved in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. The Survey shall:

a) demonstrate whether the noise levels required by condition 8 are being achieved;

b) if the survey does not demonstrate such compliance the report must include measures to reduce noise, which shall first be agreed in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport, such that the noise levels required by condition 8 will be met;

c)These measures shall be implemented within a time period to be agreed by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport, and compliance shall be demonstrated by a further noise survey, which must be submitted to and agreed in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport within a further 3 months of the measures being implemented.

11. Other than the erection of the acoustic barrier as specified in the Southdowns acoustic report dated 22 June 2017 (Ref: 2016w-00003-02) and shown on Figure A2 of the acoustic report, no development hereby permitted shall be carried out until the acoustic barrier has been installed to a height of no less than 1.8 metres on the earth bund to the north of the site, providing an overall height of 3.8 metres. Thereafter the acoustic barrier shall be maintained in accordance with the approved details for the duration of the development.

12. Other than the erection of the acoustic barrier, no development hereby permitted shall be carried out until surface water management proposals are submitted to and approved in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. The proposals shall include, drawings/ diagrams and cross section information to show how the rainwater harvesting tanks and discharge pipes in the eastern area of the application site will be used in an overflow situation as opposed to continuous discharge. The development shall thereafter be carried out in accordance with the approved details, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

Reason: To reduce the risk of flooding, in accordance with Policy WMP28a of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013.

13. Other than the erection of the acoustic barrier, no development hereby permitted shall be carried out until details of the management of surface water from the new areas of hardstanding, showing a 'like for like' discharge rate between the existing and proposed scenarios up to and including the 1 in 100 (plus an allowance for climate change) rainfall event are submitted to and approved by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. The drawings shall be supported by detailed hydraulic calculations. The development shall thereafter be carried out in accordance with the approved details, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

Reason: To reduce the risk of flooding, in accordance with Policy WMP28a of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013.

14. Prior to the commencement of the construction of the building and concrete push walls hereby approved, details of the external materials and finish including colour shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. The development shall thereafter be carried out in accordance with the approved details, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

Reason: To ensure an appropriate appearance of the barn extension and wood waste processing area, in accordance with Policy WMP23a of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013.

15. Prior to the use of the development hereby approved, a scheme for the control and management of dust from the site operations and vehicle movements shall be submitted to and approved by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. The development shall thereafter be carried out in accordance with the approved details, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

Reason: In the interests of the amenity of the locality to accord with Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy EN27 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

16. Prior to the use of the development hereby approved, a scheme for the control and management of odour from the site operations shall be submitted to and approved by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. The development shall thereafter be carried out in accordance with the approved details, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

17. Prior to the development hereby permitted being brought into use a landscaping scheme shall be submitted to and approved by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. The scheme shall include, proposals for the planting of the new eastern boundary bund, understorey planting to the Oak trees on the bund to the south of the site access and further planting to screen the acoustic fence as shown on the approved Block Plan (Ref:1215/2 Rev G), dated April 2016, noting species and location, together with a programme for implementation and maintenance. The planting shall thereafter be undertaken during the first available planting season following the approval of the details and maintained in accordance with the approved scheme.

Reason: To integrate the development effectively into the surrounding environment, in accordance with Saved Policies EN8 and EN12 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

18. Prior to the use of the development hereby approved, the concrete boundary push walls as specified on Push Wall detail Drawing no. KPS2016/PWD, dated April 2016 shall be installed to a height of 3 metres on the perimeter of the wood waste processing area as shown on the approved Block Plan as proposed (Ref: 1215/2 Rev G), dated April 2016, and thereafter maintained in accordance with the approved details for the duration of the development, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

19. No material shall be stacked, stockpiled, deposited or windrowed to a height exceeding 5 metres above the hard surface of the site.

Reason: In the interests of visual amenity in accordance with Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policies EN27 and EN8 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

20. The site access, access road and gate shall be retained in their existing positions in accordance with the details approved by the County Council on 13th November 2001 and the hard surface shall be maintained so that dust, mud and other debris can be swept up to prevent it being carried onto the public highway.

Reason: To maintain an appropriate access to the site in the interests of highway safety and to accord with WMP26 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy TR3 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

21. The total number of vehicle visits to the site per week shall not exceed 100 lorries and refuse collection type vehicles (200 movements) and 30 light or medium goods vehicles (60 movements).

Reason: In the interests of amenity and highway safety, in accordance with WMP26 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy TR3 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

22. The total number of additional vehicles (not including those controlled by condition 21 above) removing compost or woodchip from the site and returning to the site shall not exceed 10 per day (20 movements), unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

Reason: In the interests of amenity and highway safety, in accordance with Policy WMP26 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy TR3 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

23. The 'no left turn' sign at the site exit, advising vehicles to leave the site to the south, shall be retained in accordance with the details approved by the County Council on 22 July 2002.

Reason: In the interests of public and highway safety and the rural and residential amenities of the locality, in accordance with Policies WMP25 and WMP26 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policies TR3 and EN27 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

24. No plant, machinery or vehicles shall be used on the site unless fitted with silencers maintained in accordance with the manufacturers' recommendations and specifications, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

Reason: In the interests of the amenity of the locality and occupiers of residential properties in the vicinity of the site, in accordance Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy EN27 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

25. Any machinery on site fitted with a reversing alarm shall only use a non-intrusive 'white noise' reversing alarm, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

Reason: To reduce the potential for noise nuisance from the site and to protect amenity, in accordance with Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy EN27 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

26. Notwithstanding the provisions of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (or any other order revoking and re-enacting that Order with or without modification) no plant, building or machinery, whether fixed or moveable, shall be erected other than as expressly authorised by this permission unless with the prior written approval of the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

Reason: To enable the Waste Planning Authority to control the development in the interests of the amenity of the locality, in accordance with Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policies EN27 and EN8 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

27. No burning of waste materials whatsoever including the use of braziers shall take place within the application site.

Reason: In the interests of the amenity of the locality and occupiers of the residential properties in the vicinity of the site, in accordance with Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy EN27 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

28. All trees and hedgerows within the application site shall be retained and protected in accordance with BS 5837: 2015 (Trees in Relation to Design, Demolition and Construction). In the event that any trees, shrubs or hedgerows are removed or seriously damaged as a result of the construction activities on the site, including the mature oak trees in the woodland adjacent to the approved extension to the earth bund on the eastern boundary of the site, they shall be replaced in the next planting season following completion of the construction, in accordance with details which are first submitted to and approved in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

Reason: To ensure the protection of existing trees and hedgerows in the interests of visual amenity and biodiversity, in accordance with Policy WMP25 and WMP27 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy EN12 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

29. No retail sales shall take place from the site.

Reason: To enable the County Planning Authority to control the development in accordance with Policy WMP23b of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Minerals and Waste Plan 2013.

30. If no substantive composting operations take place on the site for more than 24 consecutive months, the impervious base, bunds and any structures associated with the development shall be removed from the site and the land restored. Such restoration shall be in accordance with details, which shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport, within 2 months following the 24 months during which no substantive composting operations have taken place on the site.

Reason: In the interests of the countryside locality and amenity, in accordance with Saved Policies GD2 and EN8 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998 and Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013.

31. There shall be no illumination of the external faces of the site buildings or structures or other external areas other than in accordance with a scheme submitted to and approved in writing by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. The submitted scheme shall show the position, height, type and power of each light and indicate the need in safety and security terms, and the circumstances in which the light shall be activated. Thereafter the artificial illumination of the site shall take place only in accordance with the approved lighting scheme.

Reason: In the interests of the amenity of the countryside location and to comply with Policy WMP25 of the East Sussex, South Down and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policies EN8 and EN27 of the Wealden Local Plan 1998.

INFORMATIVES

1. The applicant is informed of the need to ensure that the development also accords with the conditions of the site's Environmental Permit, issued by the Environment Agency.

2. The Applicant's attention is drawn to the provisions of The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) particularly with regard to the protection of nesting birds, slow worms, grass snakes, common lizards and adders which are protected against international killing or injuring under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), which may be affected during the proposed operations.

3. For avoidance of doubt, any monitoring undertaken of noise levels from the site activities need to take into consideration all operations, including the simultaneous green waste composting and wood waste processing operations.

4. The Applicant is reminded that the site will be monitored as part of the County Council’s Site Monitoring Policy, to ensure operations at the site remain in compliance with the conditions attached to the planning permission hereby approved.

5. The Applicant’s attention is drawn to the provisions of Condition 17 of the planning permission hereby approved, and where feasible mature and semi mature planting shall be undertaken to provide effective and timely screening to the acoustic fence as shown on the approved Block Plan (Ref: 1215/2 Rev G).

Schedule of Approved Plans

KPS2016/PWD - Push Wall Detail, KPS2016/MPD - Marker Post Detail, 1215/1 Rev C - Site Location Plan and Existing Layout, 1215/3 Rev B - Proposed Extension to Storage Barn - Elevations, 12141/4 Rev E Proposed Extension to Storage Barn - Floor Plan, 1215/2 Rev E - Block Plan , 1215/2 Rev G Block Plan (Site Layout Plan - As Proposed)

Supporting documents: