Meeting documents

CM/0077/18 - Variation of condition 18 of planning permission 11/20000/AWD (Energy from Waste Facility and associated development) to allow an increase in the maximum daily HGV movement from 276 per day (138 in, 138 out) to 600 per day (300 in, 300 out)

Ms J Blake, Local Member, confirmed she would consider the application with an open mind.

Mrs E Catcheside, Planning Lead Officer, BCC stated that the reasons for the increase in the maximum daily HGV movement were set out in paragraphs 22-24 of the report.  There had been some objections received from the local residents and parish councils due to the highway impacts immediately surrounding the sites as well as the impact on the environment.  Mrs Catcheside stated that there had been extensive discussions with the Highway Authority, Ecology Advisers, Natural England and Environmental Health Officers at the district council and there were no objections outstanding.

Mrs Catcheside highlighted two points of clarification:

• Paragraph four referred to the In-Vessel Composting Facility which did have its own planning consent but the movements to and from the site, if it was implemented, would form part of the current 276 or the proposed 600.
• Paragraph 25 stated that "the HGV limit imposed by condition 18 had been breached periodically since planning permission was granted in 2012".  Mrs Catcheside clarified that the periodic breaches had taken place since the site became operational in 20 16 rather than 2012.

Mrs Catcheside presented photographs of the site, the access and the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).  Natural England had raised concerns in connection with the SSSIs but these had been overcome.

Members of the Committee raised and discussed the following points:

• A Member of the Committee stated that significant controversy had occurred as the reason for the original recommendation of the limitation of traffic movements was to protect the environment of residential properties located on the transport routes of vehicles delivering waste to the Energy from Waste (EFW) Facility and therefore the movements were regulated to not exceed two hundred and seventy six.  The current application represented a vast increase.  The report had gone into great detail to explain environmental and residential concern and it would give members comfort to know why the facility was built in the first place.  Mrs Catcheside explained that the vehicle movement limitation was not requested by any technical consultees.  The movement limitations were proposed by the applicant and had formed the basis of the technical assessments submitted at the time therefore it was good practice to limit the movements to those proposed.  This application proposed to increase those vehicle movements quite substantially and this application had been accompanied by updated assessments which concluded that there would not be any significant adverse effects arising from the increase and this had been reviewed in terms of noise and air quality effects on local residents and there were no objections.

• A Member of the Committee raised concern over whether the road could cope with 600 vehicles a day as much of the road was single carriageway with blind bends.  Mrs Catcheside confirmed that a traffic assessment had been carried out; there were a number of vehicle refuge bays along the road and the assessment produced stated that no widening of the road was required.

Public speaking

Mr M Pollard, Axis, Planning Consultant and Mr M Nicholson, FCC Environment UK Limited, attended the meeting on behalf of the applicant.

Mr Pollard had submitted a statement, appended to the minutes, which he read out highlighting the following points:

• The current limitation on vehicle numbers was derived from traffic figures included in the original planning application for the EFW facility in 2011.
• The EFW facility did not become fully operational until early 2017, by which time, the circumstances had changed.  There had been an upturn in the economy and an associated increase in development activity, which had led to greater demand for the disposal of waste at the landfill site.
• The proposed increase in the vehicle cap from 276 to 600 daily HGV movements would provide FCC with operational flexibility and headroom they needed to address the continued up-turn in waste inputs at the landfill site.
• The planning application had been supported by a wealth of technical and environmental information, which had assessed the impacts of the daily increase in vehicle movements.
• Officers had concluded that the proposal would not give rise to unacceptable effects on the highway network, the environment or the amenity of local residents. 

Members of the Committee raised and discussed the following points:

• A Member of the Committee stated that the Liaison Committee was still functioning and asked whether it had been included in the consultation.  Mrs Catcheside stated that the Liaison Committee was not a formal body and, as such, would not have been consulted..  However, the people who attended the Liaison Committee meetings would have been included in their other roles e.g. the parish council, local member and as local residents.
• In response to a query from a member as to whether the HS2 routes had been confirmed; Mr D Marsh, Senior Highways Development Management Officer, stated that HS2 had submitted a cumulative assessment and he was satisfied that there would not be a severe impact on junction capacity.

Mr Clare proposed the approval of application CM/0077/18.

Mr Reed seconded this proposal and the following vote was recorded.

RESOLVED:  The Committee unanimously APPROVED application CM/0077/18 for the proposed variation of condition 18 of planning permission 11/20000/AWD to allow an increase in the maximum daily HGV movements from 276 per day (138 in, 138 out) to 600 per day (300 in, 300 out) subject to conditions to be determined by the Head of Planning and Environment, including those set out in Column 2 of Appendix A and a Deed of Variation to the each of the existing S106 Agreements to tie the obligations to the new planning permission.