Agenda item

Report No: DEV/SE/19/014

Water Pumping Station Corner of A143, Haverhill Road, Little Wratting

Planning Application - New water treatment works

This application had been referred to the Development Control Committee as it related to a major planning application.

The Committee was advised that the site was located in the Parish of Little Wratting, however, given its proximity to Kedington, Kedington Parish Council had been consulted and had raised objections to the scheme.

Members were also informed that prior to the submission of the application the applicant had requested a Screening Opinion from the Local Planning Authority.  The LPA subsequently determined that the proposal did not constitute environmental impact assessment development for the purposes of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017.

A Member site visit was held prior to the meeting.  Officers were recommending that the application be approved, subject to conditions as set out in Paragraph 98 of Report No DEV/SE/19/014.

The Principal Planning Officer advised the Committee of a correction to the report in respect of Paragraph 16 which should have read “…less than 1ha…” not 41ha.

Speakers:    Councillor Nathan Loader (Kedington Parish Council) spoke against the application

                   Tim Smith (Anglian Water – applicant) spoke in support of the application

A number of comments/questions were raised by Members during the debate, principally in relation to; highways concerns, landscaping and the use of the back-up generator.

In response the Case Officer explained:

Highways – a construction plan had already been submitted by the applicant and agreed by the Highways Authority.  Once constructed, vehicle movements to/from the site would be low; with space having been designated on the site to enable HGV vehicles to turn around away from the highway;

Landscaping – the proposed landscaping scheme had been agreed with the Council’s Landscape Officer and there was limited scope for further planting, but the proposed landscaping condition could be amended to require the applicant to increase the number of trees planted on the site; and

Back-up Generator – Public Health and Housing had not raised concerns with regard to the back-up generator as it was only intended for short-term use in the event of a power failure to the site, therefore unlikely to have very little impact on residential amenity.

Councillor Robert Everitt moved that the application be approved, as per the Officer recommendation and subject to the amendment to the soft landscaping condition, and this was duly seconded by Councillor Terry Clements.

Upon being put to the vote and with 12 voting for the motion and with 3 against, it was resolved that

Decision

Planning permission be GRANTED subject to the following conditions:

1        The development hereby permitted shall be begun not later than 3 years from the date of this permission.

2        The development hereby permitted shall not be carried out except in complete accordance with the details shown on the approved plans and documents.

3        The new vehicular access shall be laid out and completed in all respects in accordance with Drawing No. WAT-06742-KEHRWW-SS-PLG-0007 and made available for use prior to the water treatment works coming into operational use. Thereafter the access shall be retained in the specified form.

4        Before the access is first used visibility splays shall be provided as shown on Drawing No. WAT-06742-KEHRWW-SS-PLG-0007 and thereafter retained in the specified form. Notwithstanding the provisions of Part 2 Class A of the Town & Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (or any Order revoking and re-enacting that Order with or without modification) no obstruction over 0.6 metres high shall be erected, constructed, planted or permitted to grow within the areas of the visibility splays.

5        Gates shall be set back a minimum distance of 10 metres from the edge carriageway and shall open only into the site and not over any area of the highway.

6        The development shall be carried out strictly in accordance with the Construction and Site Management Plan submitted on 18 January 2018. No HGV movements shall be permitted to and from the site other than in accordance with the routes defined in the Plan. The site operator shall maintain a register of complaints and record of actions taken to deal with such complaints at the site office throughout the period of occupation of the site.

7        Prior to the water treatment works coming into use a layby shall be provided on the frontage of the site in accordance with details which previously shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The lay-by shall be retained thereafter in the approved form.

8        Prior to the water treatment works coming into use the drainage scheme detailed in the 'Permanent Site Drainage' document submitted on 19 December 2018 shall be implemented in full in accordance with the agreed details.

9        Prior to the water treatment works coming into operational use details showing an adequate vehicle turning space at the proposed substation within the site shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved scheme shall be retained thereafter and used for no other purpose.

10      The hours of site clearance, preparation and construction activities, including deliveries to the site and the removal of excavated materials and waste from the site, shall be carried out between the hours of 08:00 to 18:00 hours on Mondays to Fridays and between the hours of 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays and at no time on Sundays, Bank or Public Holidays without the prior written consent of the Local Planning Authority.

11      Any waste material arising from the site preparation and construction works shall not be burnt on site but shall be kept securely in containers for removal to prevent escape into the environment.

12      With the exception of the lighting details contained within the Planning, Design and Access Statement, no security lights or floodlights shall be erected on site without the submission of details to, and written approval from, the Local Planning Authority.

13      If, during development, contamination not previously identified is found to be present at the site then no further development (unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority) shall be carried out until the developer has submitted a remediation strategy to the Local Planning Authority detailing how this unsuspected contamination shall be dealt with and obtained written approval from the Local Planning Authority. The remediation strategy shall be implemented as approved.

14      No development above ground level shall take place until a scheme of soft landscaping for the site drawn to a scale of not less than 1:200 has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The soft landscaping details shall include planting plans; written specifications (including cultivation and other operations associated with plant and grass establishment); schedules of plants noting species, plant sizes and proposed numbers/ densities. The approved scheme of soft landscaping works shall be implemented not later than the first planting season following commencement of the development (or within such extended period as may first be agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority). Any planting removed, dying or becoming seriously damaged or diseased within five years of planting shall be replaced within the first available planting season thereafter with planting of similar size and species unless the Local Planning Authority gives written consent for any variation.

15      All ecological measures and/or works shall be carried out in accordance with the details contained in the Ecological Appraisal Report dated 28 March 2018 prepared by Mott Macdonald as already submitted with the planning application and agreed in principle with the Local Planning Authority prior to determination.