Agenda item

The extraction of sand, gravel and clay as an extension to the existing Gill Mill site with the retention of processing plant, offices with welfare accommodation, weighbridge, sheeting bay, maintenance and storage facilities, vehicle parking areas, fuel storage, conveyor and haul road system, and existing site access, with the crushing, screening, washing, grading and blending of products for sale, retention and extension of existing water management provision including clean water lagoons and silt ponds, retention and extension of stockpiling areas, merchanting of imported aggregates, a concrete products factory, aggregate bagging plant, installation of wheel wash, erection of concrete batching plant and erection of recycled aggregate plant and the import of inert materials for recycling and non-recyclable waste materials for restoration of worked out mineral voids and the manufacture and sale of soils from site and imported materials. Restoration to a combination of nature conservation, including reed bed, meadows and woodland areas, with ecotourism development and recreational uses including retention of existing office complex building and new footpath and bridleway links with the retention and adaptation of the farm buildings of the Beef Unit Farmstead to provide ancillary development for the management of the restored land as a management centre including offices, stores, educational facilities and provision for a small scale biomass energy plant primarily for biomass arising on site at Gill Mill Quarry, Ducklington – Application MW.0050/13.

Report by the Deputy Director for Environment & Economy (Strategy & Infrastructure Planning) (PN6).

This application is for the extraction of approximately 7.8 million tonnes of sand and gravel from an area adjacent and incorporating an existing part of Gill Mill Quarry near Ducklington in West Oxfordshire. The land would be restored to water based recreation, lowland meadow and nature conservation incorporating reedbeds, reedmarsh and wet woodland. The restoration would involve the use of approximately 1.25 million tonnes of imported inert waste material. Up to 100,000 tonnes per annum of clay would also be worked in response to local demand and for restoration purposes. Permission is sought for 30 years and it is anticipated that extraction would take 23 years and the completion of restoration a further 4 years. The quarry currently operates under an existing permission that allows extraction until 2020. Therefore, this development would extend operations for approximately a further 16-23 years.

The application is being reported to this Committee as the District Council have objected. No other objections have been received to this application either from consultees or neighbours. The applicant provided further information to address the District Council’s concerns. However, the District Council did not respond to this. Their areas of concern are that the application is premature ahead of a new Minerals Local Plan, the scale of the expansion, the impact on the landscape, dust, the protection of the SSSI, highway safety and potential for watercourse pollution. However, they support some aspects of the development such as the eco-tourism element to the restoration proposals and the proposal to use a routeing agreement to ensure HGVs travel north towards the A40.

The report describes why the proposals have been put forward and outlines the relevant planning policies along with the comments and recommendation of the Deputy Director for Environment & Economy (Strategy and Infrastructure Planning).

The proposed development would be beneficial in terms of contributing towards Oxfordshire’s supply of sharp sand and gravel and providing a high quality restoration and it is considered that the potential impacts on flood risk, transport, protection of amenity, restoration, landscape and archaeology can be adequately addressed through planning condition and legal agreement as proposed. There would be no increase in flood risk as a result of this development. 

It is RECOMMENDED that:

(a)               subject to:

(i)                a Section 106 legal agreement to cover the matters outlined in annex 1;

(ii)               a routeing agreement to ensure that vehicle movements from the new development  are covered by the existing routeing arrangements i.e. use only the A415 access and use the route north on the A415 from the site;

that planning permission for application no. MW.0050/13 be granted subject to conditions to be determined by the Deputy Director for Environment and Economy (Strategy and Infrastructure Planning) to include the matters set out in Annex 2 to this report; and

(b)              the Deputy Directorfor Environment and Economy (Strategy and Infrastructure Planning)being authorised to refuse the application if the legal agreement referred to in (i) above is not completed within 10 weeks of the date of this meeting on the grounds that it would not comply with OMWLP policy PE13 and the guidance set out in paragraph 118 of the NPPF (in that there would not be satisfactory provisions for the long term management of the restored site).

The Committee considered (PN6) an application for the extraction of approximately 7.8 million tonnes of sand and gravel from an area adjacent to and incorporating an existing part of Gill Mill Quarry, near Ducklington in West Oxfordshire.

Martin Layer referred to the long history involved in bringing this project to this stage.  The Company through experts had undertaken exhaustive monitoring and modelling and addressed every potential environmental impact with the promise of intense detailed scrutiny.  There had been full dialogue at all levels in line with the Company’s statement of community engagement which has included county, district and parish councils, statutory consultees, conservation groups the wider local community and individuals. The environmental impact assessment has been used to inform the development and has been open to scrutiny bearing in mind that gravel can only be dug where it occurs.  The assessment has amended the original application from 9 to 5 million tonnes.  Relationships with Parish Councils had been positive throughout the process with issues worked through such as providing improved public access and the development will eventually deliver 11km of new paths where previously none existed including from the outset of the development a new 3.4 Km bridleway running across the valley which has required buying additional land and an exiting bridge over the Windrush. To meet concerns regarding increases in visitors from outside the area the Company are to fund construction of new parking places on land provided by Ducklington parish council, which is further evidence of positive joint working. The Company have worked hard to present a thorough and comprehensive proposal for a major minerals application, which has not apart from the District Council received any objections from any statutory consultee, community group or individual and which has been welcomed by those representing nature conservation interests. Approval will:

·                    Provide long term security for 40 direct jobs

·                    A long term framework for future investment decisions

·                    Provide a secure and steady supply of material to local markets and the wider Oxfordshire area maintaining existing infrastructure and supporting growth of the local economy

·                    The state of the art recycled aggregates washing plant will provide long term support for the supply of recycled construction materials

·                    Provide significant areas of priority habitat and major biodiversity gains building on the on the success already achieved at Gill Mill and helping to meet the ambitions of the government’s biodiversity strategy.

Gill Mill has supplied material since 1989 largely without problem or complaint and approval of this application will help maintain that supply of primary and recycled materials.  The company will continue to respect its agreement and create high quality restoration and support local liaison and he urged the Committee to support its officer recommendation to approve.

Mr Layer then responded to questions from:

Councillor Tanner – 22 hectares would be reinstated to agricultural land and the general view was that the gain through the provision of reed beds would outweigh the loss of 11 hectares.

Councillor Handley – there had been extensive discussions with the MoD regarding proposals for bird management.  That formed part of the S106 agreement and would remain in place as long as RAF Brize Norton was an operational station.  He confirmed that the 31/2 Km cross valley route would be fenced and safety was key to the Company while operating.

Councillor Bartholomew – the Company had had extensive discussions with Councillor Charles Mathew with regard to this application over the years.

Councillor Cherry – it was unlikely that the development would allow further employment opportunities but it would secure current jobs and indirectly support the local economy.

Councillor Purse – he confirmed that cuttings from Ducklington Mead were being spread elsewhere in an effort to encourage the spread of fritillaries. However, if those efforts were to prove successful it would take some time for them to establish.

Councillor Mathew complimented Smiths on their local arrangements and management of the site and expressed support for their operation.  However he had 2 main concerns and 1 minor.  Firstly the survival of the fritillary in this area was very important. First recorded in the 16^th century they were once very abundant but were now confined to specific areas.  His concern was that the view had been taken that the application would not adversely affect the current situation and whilst that might be the case by the time we knew that it might be too late.  Although no digging was taking place in this particular area he did not believe that it would not have an effect. Secondly there was the imbalance of production of sand and gravel in Oxfordshire.  Currently West Oxfordshire produced 80% - 90% of material in the County and this development would continue that trend.  He suggested permission for 6 – 7 years and then for a further application to be submitted when the position that existed then could be gauged.  Thirdly there was the question of flooding at Gill Mill and the retention of flood water at the confluence of the Thames and Windrush and he suggested one reason for that could be the pumping of flood water from the Gill Mill site into the river and he suggested the Committee consider an additional condition that water pumping at times of flood be reviewed.

He then responded to questions from:

Councillor Bartholomew – officers had stated that the fritillary population would not be damaged.  There was no proof that that would happen but he questioned whether such a risk was justified.

Councillor Handley – grazing was strictly controlled on the meadow to protect them.

Councillor Cherry – flooding had occurred each year for the last 5 years and confirmed he was not anti-business.

Councillor Johnston – he had not professed to hold hydrological qualifications.

Councillor Cherry moved that the officer recommendation as set out in the report be approved.  Councillor Greene seconded.

Tamsin Atley confirmed that no objections had been received with regard to the SSSI and she was content there would be no adverse impact. Monitoring would take place and if any change was picked up then mitigating action would be taken.

Mr Periam confirmed that it would not be possible to condition to review future tonnage if need for material reduced.

Councillor Cherry with the agreement of his seconder accepted an amendment by the Chairman to control water pumping off the site at times of flood.

The amended motion was then put to the Committee and –

RESOLVED: (by 11 votes to 0, Councillor Purse recorded as having abstained): that

(a)               subject to:

(i)                 a Section 106 legal agreement to cover the matters outlined in annex 1;

(ii)               a routeing agreement to ensure that vehicle movements from the new development were covered by the existing routeing arrangements i.e. use only the A415 access and use the route north on the A415 from the site.

that planning permission for application no. MW.0050/13 be granted subject to conditions to be determined by the Deputy Director for Environment and Economy (Strategy and Infrastructure Planning) to include the matters set out in Annex 2 to the report PN6 and to include measures to control water pumping off the site at times of flood ; and

(b)               the Deputy Director for Environment and Economy (Strategy and Infrastructure Planning) being authorised to refuse the application if the legal agreement referred to in (i) above was not completed within 10 weeks of the date of this meeting on the grounds that it would not comply with OMWLP policy PE13 and the guidance set out in paragraph 118 of the NPPF (in that there would not be satisfactory provisions for the long term management of the restored site)