Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from County Councillor Hindle, County Councillor Dad and County Councillor Berry.

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.

No pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests were disclosed.

The committee are asked to agree that the Minutes of the last meeting held on 19 October 2022 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 October 2022 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 demolition of the existing building and erection of a purpose-built building (and ancillary structures) at land at Tower House, Simonswood Industrial Park, Stopgate Lane, Simonswood, to house a high temperature treatment facility for the management of medical waste.

A report on the planning application had been presented to the Development Control Committee on 7 September 2022. A copy of that report, the PowerPoint presentation and the minutes of that meeting were attached to the agenda papers.

At the Committee's meeting on 7 September 2022, a decision on the planning application had been deferred for the following reasons:

·  To allow the full text of the report by Atkins Global Ltd reviewing the applicant's air quality and human health assessment to be reported to the Committee;

·  To provide a further explanation of the planning policy position with regards to national policy and the status of the relevant development plan policies and;

·  To provide an explanation of the role of different authorities and agencies in monitoring and enforcing environmental controls relating to businesses on the Simonswood Industrial Estate.

Since the September 2022 Committee meeting, consultation responses had been received which were mainly in relation to the additional environmental information submitted by the applicant in July 2022. Responses had been received from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Knowsley Council, St Helen's Council, Simonswood Parish Council and Bickerstaffe Parish Council. In addition, further representations had been received from the Stop the Simonswood Incinerator Community Group, local residents, Merseyside Pensioners Association, Rosie Cooper MP, the Rt Hon Sir George Howarth MP and Bill Esterton MP (Sefton Council). Details of the consultation responses and further representations were included in the Committee report.

Committee's attention was drawn to the Update Sheet which provided a summary of further representations from the Stop the Simonswood Incinerator Action Group and Knowsley Council, the full submissions having been previously circulated to the Committee. In addition, the Update Sheet provided details of the objections from West Lancashire Borough Council and the following additional condition:

'15. No demolition works on the site shall be undertaken between 1 March and 31 July unless the building has first been checked by a qualified ecologist and it has been confirmed that no breeding or nesting birds are present within the building.

Reason: In the interests of ecology and to conform with Policy DM2 of the Joint Lancashire Mineral and Waste Local Plan.'

The Development Management Officer presented a Powerpoint presentation showing a site location plan, aerial view and diagram of the application site including the nearest residential properties, site access, location of aggregate processing/washing plant, waste transfer/processing uses, proposed building, water tanks, exhaust stack and combustion plant. Also presented were elevations diagrams and photographs of the view of the site from the internal access road, view of the industrial estate access/Stopgate Lane, view of the application site from Stopgate Lane and the view from the nearest properties on Sidings Lane.

Ms Paula Carlyle, a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

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, 21 December 2022 at 10.30 a.m. in Committee Room A - the Tudor Room, County Hall, Preston.

Resolved: That the next meeting of the Committee be held on Wednesday 21st December 2022, at 10.30am in Committee Room A – The Tudor Room, County Hall, Preston.