Agenda and minutes

Minutes of the Meeting held on 27 November 2019 (previously circulated)

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting held on 27 November 2019 be signed as a correct record.

Items which in the opinion of the Chairman should be considered at the meeting as matters of urgency.

No item was raised as a matter of urgency.

Report of the Chief Planner (PTE/20/5), attached

(Mr N Tugwell attended under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme and spoke to this item in objection to the application and referred to environmental issues; and Ms J Banks, Mr T Fletcher (both for the applicant) and Dr T Quarmby (applicant) spoke in support of the application)

The Committee considered the Report of the Chief Planner (PTE/20/5) on an application for  the expansion of an existing waste transfer and treatment facility involving the construction of a new transfer building, together with a large scale inert waste land raising operation.

The Chief Planner reported on further representations from Sparkwell Parish Council re-iterating their concerns (as summarised in the Report). 

The Chief Planner’s Report gave a reasoned assessment of the proposal, referring to all relevant policies and summarising the comments and views of interested parties received prior to the meeting.

Members discussions included operational conditions in particular the impact on local residents and the local highway/traffic capacity and safety; and the proposed lighting in respect of the new transfer building.

The matter having been debated and having regard to the main material planning policies and requirements,

it was MOVED by Councillor J Brook, SECONDED by Councillor I Hall and

RESOLVED that, subject to the applicant entering into a legal agreement providing for contributions of (a) £40,000 towards a traffic capacity, safety and amenity scheme for Lee Mill and (b) £5,000 towards the cost of a traffic regulation order, planning permission is granted subject to the conditions set out in Appendix I of this Report (with any subsequent minor changes to the conditions being agreed in consultation with the Chair and local County Councillor) and subject to:

Operational Conditions:

(a) further negotiation and agreement with the applicant regarding limitations on the number of HGV movements to and from the site;

(b) in regard to Condition 26: reference in the REASON to bats not being adversely affected by the proposed lighting.   

Report of the Chief Planner (PTE/20/6), attached

(Councillor B Warren (Willand Parish Council and Mid Devon District Council) and Ms S Coffin attended under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme and spoke objecting to the application and referred to local HGV traffic/road capacity, environmental and enforcement issues; and Mr H Waite (applicant) attended under the Scheme and spoke in support of the application).

The Committee considered the Report of the Chief Planner (PTE/20/6) on an application to vary the amount of feedstock to be delivered by road to this existing anaerobic digestion (AD) plant by varying a condition of the existing permission.

The Chief Planner reported on representations from the local County Council Member raising his objections and in support of the objections raised by Willand Parish Council and Mid Devon District Council. The Report should also be amended to show in condition 15  ‘….no deliveries or removal of digestate from this site between the hours of 20.00 and 07.00’   

The Chief Planner’s Report gave a reasoned assessment of the proposal, referring to all relevant policies and summarising the comments and views of interested parties received prior to the meeting.

The matter having been debated and having regard to the main material planning policies and requirements,

it was MOVED by Councillor J Brook, SECONDED by Councillor C Slade and

RESOLVED that, subject to the applicant entering into a legal agreement to make an appropriate highway safety contribution and controlling deliveries within school pick up and drop off times and routeing, planning permission be granted subject to the conditions set out in Appendix I of the Report (to include the amendment above) with any subsequent minor changes to the conditions being agreed in consultation with the Chair and local County Councillor.

Report of the Chief Planner (PTE/20/7), attached

The Committee received the report of the Chief Planner (PTE/20/7) of action taken under delegated powers.