Agenda item

Wyre Borough: Application number. LCC/2017/0040
Application for the variation of conditions 1 and 2 of permission 02/13/0342 to allow the duration of sand and gravel extraction to be extended to 31 March 2027 and to amend the working scheme and water management proposals.
Tarnacre Quarry, Tarnacre Lane, St Michaels on Wyre.

Minutes:

A report was presented on an application for the variation of conditions 1 and 2 of permission 02/13/0342 to allow the duration of sand and gravel extraction to be extended to 31 March 2027 and to amend the working scheme and water management proposals at Tarnacre Quarry, Tarnacre Lane, St Michaels on Wyre.

 

The Committee was reminded that a report on the planning application had been presented to the last meeting of the Development Control Committee on 23 May 2018. At that meeting it was resolved to defer consideration of the application to allow a site visit to take place. The site visit took place on 9th July 2018.

 

The report included the views of Wyre Borough Council, Kirkland Parish Council, the Environment Agency, Cadent Gas, Natural England, United Utilities, the county council's Specialist Advisor (Ecology), the county council's Highways Development Control and details of six representations received including representations received from the St Michaels Flood Action Group and from the occupier of Brook House Farm, located adjacent to the quarry.  The report also included the further views of the county council's Flood Authority and details of presentations made to the Committee by Mr Flintoff of Brook House Farm and the agent for the applicant. 

 

The Officer reported orally that since the publication of the agenda, further representations had been received from Upper Rawcliffe with Tarnacre Parish Council and from Mr Flintoff of Brook House Farm. Details of the representations together with the advice of the officer in relation to such was set out in the Update Sheet circulated at the meeting. (Copy attached at Annex A to the Minutes). 

 

The Development Management Officer presented a PowerPoint Presentation showing an aerial view of the site and the nearest residential properties. The Committee was also shown an illustration of the working scheme and photographs of the site entrance, plant site and stockpile area and phases 1 to 4 of the site.

 

Mr Nickols addressed the Committee on behalf of St Michael's Flood Action Group. He objected to the application on the grounds that there was potential for flooding from the development to Tarnacre and other parts of St Michaels. He referred to the serious flooding which had occurred in the area in December 2015 and August 2016 and to a recent review by the Environment Agency which contained evidence of increasing river levels in the Wyre catchment area.

 

It was felt that the quarrying activities and various bunds and other alterations to the site may impede the flow of flood water across the site, leading to an increased flood risk elsewhere. This was of particular concern to residents as ground levels run downhill from the site.  It was maintained that these concerns had not been addressed properly in the applicant's flood risk assessment which was now on its 4th version.  Mr Nickols called for the additional conditions as recommended by the Council's Flood Authority, to be included verbatim in the conditions to the proposed planning permission.

 

In response to questions raised by the Committee, the officers advised that the conditions set out in the proposed planning permission and in particular condition 2 and conditions 41(a) and 42(a), addressed the concerns raised by the council's Flood Authority.

 

In response to further concerns raised by the Committee in relation to flood risk, it was agreed that officers would write to the regulators and bring these concerns to their attention.

 

Resolved:That after first taking into consideration the environmental information, as defined in the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011, planning permission be granted subject to the conditions set out in the report to the Committee.

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