Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from County Councillor Potter and County Councillor Khan.

Temporary changes

County Councillor Hind replaced County Councillor Pope.

Members are asked to consider any Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the Agenda.

County Councillor Kay declared a non-pecuniary interest in Item 6 as the site was in her electoral division.

County Councillor Yates declared a non-pecuniary interest in Item 7 as he was a Member of South Ribble Borough Council and their Planning Committee.

The committee are asked to agree that the Minutes of the last meeting held on 8 September 2021 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

Resolved: That the minutes of the last meeting held on Wednesday 8 September 2021 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

The Update Sheet will be considered as part of each related agenda report.

The Update Sheet was circulated prior to the meeting (copy attached).

A report was presented on an application for the erection of a portal framed building for storage of recycled soils at Newbridge Farm, Stopgate Lane, Simonswood.

The site imported inert wastes which were then processed and screened to produce a variety of soil products, suitable for use on sites such as football pitches, golf courses and domestic gardens. The Committee noted that the soil screening and storage operations currently took place in the open air but that this was resulting in the recycled soil materials becoming saturated by rain, making the product unfit for purpose. The proposed building would therefore be used for the storage of soil under cover, in order to prevent it being exposed to the weather. The height of the building was required to allow a loading shovel to operate inside the building to create and remove stockpiles of soil.

The report included the views of West Lancashire Borough Council, Simonswood Parish Council, the Health and Safety Executive and LCC Highways Development Control. No observations had been received from the Coal Authority and no representations had been received.

An email had been received from County Councillor Rob Bailey requesting that the application be determined by the Development Control Committee and raising concerns over expanded operating hours and additional Heavy Goods Vehicles movements through Bickerstaffe, as a consequence of the new operation.

The Development Management Officer presented a Powerpoint presentation showing a location plan, an aerial view of the site, elevations diagrams and photographs of the existing site and proposed building.

Abigayle Boardman addressed the Committee, on behalf of the applicant. Ms Boardman reported that, in recent years, an increase had been seen in the demand for dry products, especially from house builders. If the soil was too wet, it was harder for plants to root and harder for water and air to penetrate which increased the risk of surface water. Committee noted that the original planning permission had not been implemented as the proposed location of the building was not considered to be appropriate. The applicant now intended to construct a building of similar dimensions, but in a different location on the site next to the existing building. Committee noted that there would be no additional product on site , no increase in vehicle movements or any other changes.

Resolved: That planning permission be granted subject to conditions controlling time limits, working programme, building materials and hours of construction, as set out in the Committee report.

A report was presented on an application for an amendment to condition 7 of planning permission LCC/2014/0145, at Burn Hall Waste Transfer Station, Unit 8 Burn Hall Industrial Estate, Venture Road, Fleetwood, to allow the site to accept household waste in addition to the existing permitted waste inputs of commercial and industrial waste.

It was reported that the commercial waste currently being accepted on site may include wastes having a level of food contamination similar to household waste. Committee noted that the existing Environment Agency permit for the site already allowed for the importation of household waste, and therefore the amendment to the planning permission would bring the two controls into alignment.

The report included the views of the Environment Agency and Highways England. No observations had been received from Wyre Borough Council, LCC Highways Development Control, Fleetwood Town Council and no representations had been received.

The Development Management Officer presented a Powerpoint presentation showing an aerial view of the site, the nearest residential properties and the location of Cala Gran Caravan Park. A diagram was also shown of the site layout, and photographs showing the views of the waste transfer building, the open yard area, the air filtration system, the waste reception area and the piles of processed waste.

It was reported that the original application had received objections, but that none had been received for this current application and that the extraction system installed had seen good results in eliminating odours.

County Councillor Andrea Kay had requested that the application be reported to Committee for determination and had also drawn attention to the presence of two caravan parks, a farm based visitor attraction and two proposed housing developments in the local area. County Councillor Kay had asked where the waste would be originating from, the routes the heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) would take and the likely pollution impacts for the local area. CC Kay reported that a major problem was the littering of plastics which were strewn all over the road, in the fields and the nearby children's farm and emphasised that the applicant needed to comply with the conditions currently in place by keeping the building shutters closed and for loads to be secured on the HGVs.  As traffic was already an issue in the area, CC Kay informed Committee that a 7.00am start was not acceptable and stated that this should be 9.00am.

It was reported that the volume of waste at the site would not be increased and that, as no contract was currently in place, it was not yet known where the waste would be coming from. There was currently an agreement in place stating which route the vehicles needed to take and that, if this rule was not being adhered to, then this would be taken up with the applicant who needed to enforce these rules. In relation to litter, Committee were advised that this should be controlled through the conditions already in place; most of the vehicles were well-enclosed and sheeted in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

A report was presented on an application for extraction of sand and gravel, including construction of a new access road and new junction with A59 Preston New Road, creation of plant site, weighbridge and stockpiling area, silt ponds, landscaping including screen mounding, with progressive restoration to wetland and passive flood management facility, woodland and agriculture at Lower Hall Farm, Samlesbury near Preston.

The application proposed the extraction of around 3 million tonnes of sand and gravel which would be worked over a period of around 20 years at an annual output of around 150,000 tonnes per annum. This would generate approximately 25 heavy goods vehicle (HGV) loads (50 movements) per day.

The key elements of the proposal were outlined to Committee and it was noted that a full description of the proposed development would be provided once the application was presented for determination. It was reported that a further period of consultation was required, following some work being carried out by the applicant, and that it was expected that the application would be put forward to Committee around March/April 2022.

Due to the scale of the proposal and likely impacts and the difficulty in visualising the proposed development 'on paper', it was considered that it would be beneficial for members of the Committee to view the site and surrounding area before considering this planning application.

CC Yates provided Committee with some details on the history of the site. However, it was noted that the background of the application should not be discussed at this stage and that Committee were merely being asked to vote on whether to visit the site prior to considering the full proposal.

Resolved: That the Committee visit the site before considering the proposal.

A report was presented on an application for the construction of a temporary classroom at Lathom Park C of E Primary School, Hall Lane, Lathom.

The temporary classroom (for a maximum of three years) was required to alleviate pressure on classroom space due to rising roll numbers. The site was located within the Lathom Park Conservation Area and within the Green Belt. Lathom Park C of E Primary School offered education for children from pre-school age to eleven years. Due to new development in the area, and the good reputation of the school, roll numbers were rising and there was now an urgent need for additional specialist teaching space. The school wished to extend the existing school building but due to its design, any extension would be costly, and it would take time for the school to acquire the necessary finance. A small temporary classroom building was therefore proposed to alleviate the immediate pressure on classroom space.

The report included the views of West Lancashire Borough Council, Lathom Parish Council and the Coal Authority. The main issues related to the impacts on the Green Belt and location adjacent to a listed building and within a Conservation Area. No representations had been received following the press advertisement and site notice and neighbouring residents being informed by individual letter.

The Development Management Officer presented a Powerpoint presentation showing a location plan, aerial photograph of the site and the nearest residential properties, elevations and a photograph of the proposed location of the building.

The Officer drew attention to the Update Sheet which included comments from LCC Highways Development Control requesting a condition be attached to the planning permission, outlining the requirement of a construction method statement clearly stating working hours. Committee were informed that, given the nature and scale of the building being proposed, it was considered that this condition did not meet a number of the tests in paragraph 56 of the National Planning Policy Framework, and therefore should not be imposed.

Resolved:

That planning permission be granted subject to conditions controlling time limits, working programme, duration of the development and building materials, as set out in the Committee report.

It was reported that, since the last meeting of the Development Control Committee on 8 September 2021, four planning applications had been granted planning permission by the Head of Planning and Environment, in accordance with the county council's Scheme of Delegation.

Resolved: That the report be noted.

An item of urgent business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the Minutes, the Chairman of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.  Wherever possible, the Chief Executive should be given advance warning of any Member’s intention to raise a matter under this heading.

There were no items of Urgent Business.

The next meeting of the Development Control Committee will be held on Wednesday, 8 December 2021 at 10.30 a.m. in Committee Room B - the Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston.

Resolved: That the next meeting of the Committee be held on Wednesday 8 December 2021 at 10.30am, County Hall, Preston.