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Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: County Hall, New Road, Oxford

Contact: Graham Warrington  Tel: 07393 001211; E-Mail:  graham.warrington@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

38/18

Apologies for Absence and Temporary Appointments

Minutes:

 

Apology for Absence

 

Temporary Appointment

 

Councillor Dan Sames

Councillor Judith Heathcote

Councillor Alan Thompson

Councillor Ted Fenton

Councillor Richard Webber

Councillor Liz Leffman

 

 

39/18

Declarations of Interest - see guidance note opposite

Minutes:

Councillor Judith Heathcote advised that she was the local member in respect of Item 3 (Minute 34/18 Wicklesham Quarry) and Item 5 Chairman’s Update (also Wicklesham Quarry).

40/18

Minutes pdf icon PDF 193 KB

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2018             (PN3) and to receive information arising from them.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2018 were approved and signed.

 

 

Minute 34/18 – Wicklesham Quarry – Members were advised that the Monitoring Officer had decided that no further action was required in respect of correspondence received by members from the protect Wicklesham Quarry Group.

 

Minute 37/18(b) – Castle Barn Quarry, Sarsden – the Chairman advised that he had written to the Cabinet Member for Environment asking that arrangements for future road maintenance for the proposed revised route resulting from this S73 application receive a high priority having regard to the potential for damage.  She had referred his letter to the County Council’s Road Maintenance Team.

41/18

Petitions and Public Address

Minutes:

 

Speaker

 

Item

 

 

County Councillor Ian Corkin

 

7. Update report on proposed planning enforcement action at Elm Farm Quarry, Stratton Audley

 

 

42/18

Chairman's Updates

Minutes:

Wicklesham Quarry – Update

 

Officers advised members that seeding and planting restoration work had now been completed. However, concerns remained regarding gradient levels achieved on the site as part of that work which officers estimated to be 1metre higher than they should be. Evidence suggested that the ponds were overgrown but had not been filled in.  Committee instructed officers to write to Grundons in the strongest terms asking them to adjust and correct those levels as soon as possible in order to comply with previously agreed restoration plans. If no positive response was received then officers were advised that the Committee would support them in considering the expediency of enforcement action being taken requiring the site to be restored within a potential timeframe of 3 – 6 months.

 

43/18

Part change of use to allow the development of a building materials hub, comprising the importation and storage of primary and secondary aggregates together with related and pre-packed building and cement-based products prior to onward distribution, in addition to the existing consented aggregate bagging operation at Hanson Aggregates, Appleford Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 4PW - Application No. MW.0097/18 pdf icon PDF 533 KB

Report by the Director for Planning & Place (PN6).

 

The report considers whether planning permission should be granted for a builidng materials hub to operate alongside an existing aggregate bagging facilitiy at Appleford Depot (planning permission no. MW.0054/17). It is a full application and no changes to the aggregate bagging facility itself are proposed. The building materials hub would generate an additional 6 HGV movements in addition to those already arising from the Sutton Courtenay complex.

 

The application is being reported to Committee because Sutton Coutenay Parish Council has objected to the application on the basis that local roads are at capacity and the additional HGVs would cause severe harm to the network however there is no technical objection from the Transport Development Control Officer and the recommendation is for approval of the application. The report also outlines further comments received and the recommendation of the Director for Planning and Place.

The development accords with the Development Plan as a whole and with individual policies within it, as well as with the NPPF. It is considered to be sustainable development in terms of environmental, social and economic terms. The proposed development would be beneficial as it would reduce the overall number of vehicle movements on the highway network and the total HGV miles travelled by allowing materials to be combined in single loads prior to delivery to customers. It is considered that potential impacts can be adequately addressed through planning conditions and a supplemental routeing agreement which ensures HGVs associated with the site pass along the A4130 Didcot Perimeter Road rather than through local villages.

 

It is RECOMMENDED that subject to the applicant entering into a supplemental routeing agreement to ensure that all HGVs associated with the development adhere to the routeing agreement covering the site under planning permission no. MW.0054/17, that planning permission for application MW.0097/18 be approved subject to conditions set out in Annex 1 to the report PN7.

 

Minutes:

The Committee considered (PN6) an application for a building materials hub to operate alongside an existing aggregate bagging facilitiy at Appleford Depot (planning permission no. MW.0054/17) generating an additional 6 HGV movements in addition to those already arising from the Sutton Courtenay complex. No changes were proposed to the aggregate bagging facility itself. The application had been reported to Committee because Sutton Courtenay Parish Council had objected to the application citing local roads already operating at capacity with any additional HGVs likely to cause severe harm to the network.

Having presented the report Ms Catcheside responded to questions from:

Councillor Fitzgerald-O’Connor – hours of operation were the same as for the existing bagging facility.

Councillor Johnston – as the proposal was for additional storage with no additional hardstanding or buildings there would be no impact on drainage.

Members were advised that Councillor Richard Webber who had been unable to attend this meeting had commented that he was content with everything in the report and, regarding traffic impact, although there had been recent issues with HGVs ignoring weight limits and routeing agreements he felt that as long as conditions addressed this issue then the objections lodged by Sutton Courtenay Parish Council would be answered.

 

RESOLVED: (on a motion by Councillor Reynolds, seconded by Councillor Phillips and carried unanimously) that subject to the applicant entering into a supplemental routeing agreement to ensure that all HGVs associated with the development adhered to the routeing agreement covering the site under planning permission no. MW.0054/17, that planning permission for application MW.0097/18 be approved subject to conditions set out in Annex 1 to the report PN7.

44/18

Update report on proposed planning enforcement action at Elm Farm Quarry, Stratton Audley pdf icon PDF 508 KB

 

Report by the Director for Planning & Place (PN7).

 

The report updates members on an enforcement strategy for Elm Farm Quarry, Stratton Audley to secure the best long-term restoration

 

It is RECOMMENDED that the Committee notes the update report.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered (PN7) a report on an enforcement strategy for Elm Farm Quarry, Stratton Audley to secure long-term restoration. Mr Periam updated the Committee on an application which had now been received proposing to extend the time period for the completion and restoration in 2020. That would be determined in due course.

 

Having presented the report Mr Periam responded to questions from:

 

Councillor Sanders – he confirmed that liability attached to the land and not the previous owners.  Mr Mytton added that with regard to an Escrow Agreement to secure restoration that might have been reasonable at the time of the original application but he considered that would not be the case now.

 

Councillor Reynolds – the County Council owned a small part of the pit adjacent to the site.

 

Councillor Roberts – some species of county wide interest mainly flora had been identified and although no proposal had been put forward it would be expected these would be protected under management plans.

 

Councillor Johnston added that there were some rare species on the site and he agreed with the point in the officer report regarding the importance of protecting certain areas for example calcareous grassland where measures would need to be introduced to prevent the site becoming overgrown with scrub.  Orchids also present on the site would be sensitive to disturbance and would need protection.  

 

Responding to Councillor Phillips Louise Fox confirmed there had been some surprises amongst the species found and potentially it was a very exciting site.

 

The Chairman thanked the officers for an excellent and detailed report on a location which presented a significant opportunity for development as a local wildlife area.

 

Councillor Corkin expressed his gratitude to the Committee for its continued support.  This was an important site locally and a fantastic opportunity for the local community to get involved.  The ecology on the site was special and needed to be at the heart of any development.

 

Councillor Johnston felt it would be useful for the Committee to see any management plan when drawn up. That would need to bear in mind that the habitat on the site was variable and that some areas would be more resilient to public access than others such as wetland areas.

 

RESOLVED: that the report be noted.