Agenda item

Report by the Director for Planning & Place (PN6)

The application seeks planning permission to extract 875 000 tonnes of mineral from a 23-hectare extension to the west of the existing Hatford Quarry and to restore the quarry to agriculture using imported inert materials and materials from the site. The application is considered against development plan policies and other material considerations. It is  recommended for the grant of conditional planning permission subject to the completion first of a legal agreement setting out a 20 years’ long term management of restored habitats, to be funded by the applicant  and a routeing agreement to ensure that HGVs follow the route approved for HGVs associated with the existing quarry.

Subject to the applicant signing a Section 106 agreement for the matters outlined in Annex 2 and a routeing agreement to ensure that HGVs follow the route approved for HGVs associated with the existing quarry, it is RECOMMENDED that planning permission for MW.0066/19 be approved subject toconditions to be determined by the Director of Planning and Place, to include those set out in Annex 1 to the report PN6.

The Committee considered (PN6) an application to extract 875,000 tonnes of mineral from a 23-hectare extension to the west of the existing Hatford Quarry and restoration of the quarry to agriculture using imported inert materials and materials from the site. The application had been considered against development plan policies and other material considerations and   recommended for the grant of conditional planning permission subject to the completion first of a legal agreement setting out a 20 years’ long term management of restored habitats, to be funded by the applicant  and a routeing agreement to ensure that HGVs followed the route approved for HGVs associated with the existing quarry.

Gemma Crossley the Agent for the applicant was in attendance to respond to questions.

Catherine Kelham presented the report along with a further comment from the Environmental Strategy Officer raising no objection to the proposed development subject to conditions requiring a barrier to protect trees and woodland to be put in place prior to commencement of site clearance and there after maintained for the duration of the development; that farming operations increased the level of soil organic matter to enhance soils and natural capital and that the Landscape and Ecological Management Plan included details of how agricultural operations would be conducted to protect the environmental areas from contamination with fertiliser, pesticide and herbicide drift and surface run off.

Responding to:

Councillor Johnston - she confirmed that about a million tonnes of material would be extracted and tipping undertaken as part of the restoration programme would be monitored.

To Councillor Haywood who had raised the issue of a breach of condition at the site involving mud and sand deposits on the highway as detailed under Item 8 on this agenda she confirmed that recent resurfacing of the long haul road should help to resolve future issues.

Councillor Heathcoat - there would be no change to the current operation of  the hydraulic breaker and with regard to lighting she suggested that the agent might be better placed to provide details for that element of the scheme.

Mrs Crossley confirmed that no new lighting was proposed and other than headlights on vehicles in the new extraction would be restricted to existing operational areas such as the site office and weighbridge area and then only during operational hours such as early am or late pm during winter months. Lighting would be low level and downward facing.

Councillor Handley – a detailed dust management and monitoring plan would be conditioned with bunding along the northern boundary of phase one and moved south to the northern boundary of phase 2 and removed following the restoration of phase 3.  There was also a bund on the southern site boundary to mitigate impacts on the footpath and would be in place for the duration of the works.

Councillor Roberts – the noise from the breaker would be weighted to the human ear and assessed by the Environmental Health officer and factor into that assessment the issue of intermittent noise.

Councillor Webber – there were currently 51 conditions which was not unusual. The list was to be finalised with every likelihood that that figure would reduce where some elements requested by different consultees could be merged into one condition.

Responding to Councillor Haywood Mrs Crossley advised that were several reasons for not including the mineral processing plant in with the western extension application:

·           It was not just the processing plant that would have needed to be included, but also the silt ponds, internal roads, site office, weighbridge and access road. This supporting infrastructure was positioned in such a way that the red line around all of it would have been rather convoluted.

·           There was some life remaining on the existing planning permission which contained the processing plant and other supporting infrastructure and it made sense to ensure getting the western application approved prior to extending the life of the supporting infrastructure.

·           The red line boundary was smaller without the existing infrastructure being included, which made the planning application fee lower.

·           There were other amendments to submit under a Section 73 Variation of Condition application and so it made more sense to apply for one application incorporating the extension of time, following determination of the western extension application.

RESOLVED: (on a motion by Councillor Johnston seconded by Councillor Sanders and carried nem con) that subject to the applicant signing a Section 106 agreement for the matters outlined in Annex 2 to the report PN6 and a routeing agreement to ensure that HGVs follow the route approved for HGVs associated with the existing quarry that planning permission for MW.0066/19 be approved subject to conditions to be determined by the Director of Planning and Place, to include those set out in Annex 1 to the report PN6.