Minutes:
The report before members detailed an application for landscaping works to a landfill site.
Members noted that the application had been called in by Councillor Linda Van den Hende on the grounds that it was considered that the proposal would be harmful to the openness and visual amenities of the Green Belt without any very special circumstances having been demonstrated. It was also considered that the proposal would be harmful to highway safety and amenity.
In accordance with the public speaking arrangements the Committee was addressed by an objector with a response by the applicant.
The objector commented that the proposed works would involve over six hundred vehicle movements on the site. The objector stated that the proposed works would result in a change to the character of the land to the detriment of the green belt. The objector also questioned the need for the works to take place and suggested that the works could increase the potential flood risk of the site in the future.
In response the applicant commented that the scheme was environmentally friendly and would remedy the past problem of back filling of household waste on the site. The applicant also commented that the site was prone to flooding due to poor drainage and that the proposed works would result in a modest raising of land levels.
With its agreement Councillor Van den Hende addressed the Committee.
Councillor Van den Hende commented that the application site was a small area of land at the end of a field. The field was regularly farmed and there was no seeming difference in land quality between the field and the application site. Councillor Van den Hende questioned the purpose behind the importation of materials onto the site stating that the proposed clay fill was of a non-porous nature and could lead to future drainage problems. Councillor Van den Hende also commented that no special circumstances had been submitted by the applicant To justify the works in the green belt.
During the debate Members discussed the number of lorry movements to and from the site and the possibility of placing controls on the number of movements. Members sought clarification on the types of crops that could be successfully farmed on the site and drainage arrangements for surface water.
The report recommended that planning permission be granted, however it was RESOLVED that consideration of the planning permission be deferred to seek clarification on the following points:
· The extent of possible/reasonable controls over lorry movements to include vehicle tracking and possible controls on frequency of vehicles to the site;
· Clarification on the end use crops capable of being farmed / to be farmed at the site;
· Why the adjoining land is capable of sustaining crops and the application site, in its current form, is not.
· Where would surface water drain to and would this carry contamination beyond the site?
When reporting back to the Committee it was agreed to also cover the proportionality and reasonableness of conditional controls in relation to the scale of the specific development.