APPLICATION NO: 07/0081/GLMAJW VALIDATION 20Th November DATE: 2007 DISTRICT REF: AGENT: P E Duncliffe Ltd, Stonecroft, Park Road, Nailsworth, GL6 0HW
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APPLICATION NO: 07/0081/GLMAJW VALIDATION 20th November DATE: 2007 DISTRICT REF: AGENT: P E Duncliffe Ltd, Stonecroft, Park Road, Nailsworth, GL6 0HW APPLICANT: Allstone Sand and Gravels, Myers Road, Gloucester, GL1 3QD SITE: Allstone House, Myers Road, Gloucester, GL1 3QD PROPOSAL: Variation of Condition 7 of Planning Permission 05/01126/FUL to allow the door on the east elevation to be used in association with the waste transfer station. PARISH OF N/A SITE AREA: 0.75 Ha GRID REF: 384687 218258 That planning permission be granted for the RECOMMENDED: reasons set out in this report and summarised at paragraphs 7.8–7.13, and subject to the conditions set out in section 8 of this report. 1.0 LOCATION 1.1 Allstone House is a portal steel frame warehouse building, 120m long and 30m wide, set on a 0.75 ha site within the built up area of Gloucester. The building accommodates a waste transfer station handling household, commercial and industrial wastes including putrescible and hazardous wastes. 1.2 The application site lies a short distance to the east of the city centre on former railway land immediately north of the main Gloucester to Birmingham railway. Access to the site is derived from a short private road that joins Myers Road to the west which in turn links with the A3042 Metz Way via Horton Road. Vehicles enter through a gateway in the north western corner of the fenced site and waste lorries track right to enter the building on the southern elevation. After depositing their load they leave via the same entrance and continue around the building in an anti-clockwise direction to leave via the gateway. 1.3 The building is set within a yard that accommodates the lorry route around the building, and to the east and north east accommodates an open storage area used for bulk storage of aggregates, and for storing skips. The yard area is enclosed by a railway sleeper fence beyond which the land falls to a watercourse and the residential area known as Armscroft Park. DC JULY08 3 GJ 1 1.4 To the north of the site lies Armscroft Park itself, an area of parkland with rugby pitch and a rugby club house immediately beyond the northern application site boundary. To the north west and north east of the site lie areas of residential development comprising Swallow Park and Armscroft Park respectively, the nearest residence being about 70m north east of the eastern gable of the building. 2.0 THE PROPOSAL 2.1 The proposal is for the variation of Condition 7 of planning permission reference 05/01126/FUL, granted 22 September 2005, to allow use of the door on the eastern elevation to be used in association with the waste transfer station. The door in question is a 6m width opening in the centre of the eastern elevation, with a roller shutter closure. Condition 7 of the 2005 permission was imposed “In the interests of the amenity of the area”. The condition reflects a similar earlier condition imposed at the time of the original permission granted on appeal in 1997for the use of the site as a Waste Transfer Station. An application to vary the condition to allow use of the door three times weekly was refused in 2001and that decision was upheld at appeal. 2.2 The applicant proposes to use the doorway for ‘bulking out’ residual waste. This is the process of removing from the building those wastes which it is not possible to recycle or transfer for further processing, and which need to be taken to licensed landfill for disposal. The process involves enclosed lorries entering the building to be loaded and then driving out and leaving the site by the normal lorry route. 2.3 The applicant wishes to use the doorway because the internal building arrangement, and scale of operation mean that using the southern doorway for the bulking out operation conflicts with incoming waste vehicles, leading to inefficiencies and potential danger to operatives. 2.4 The applicant’s agent has submitted a report in support of the application, which presents the results of an ambient noise monitoring exercise at the site. This concludes that: 2.5 The ambient noise levels at the site have noticeably increased since November 2005. The daytime ambient noise levels compared with those of November 2005 having risen to an average (in June 2007) of 59.2 dB LAeq at the site. This was recorded as 0.8 dB above the average (non site activity Table 3) level of 58.4 db LAeq at 0700 hours. 2.6 The on-site monitoring results confirm that the ambient noise levels exclusive of any Allstone’s activity have increased quite significantly in recent times. This is not at variance with national trends and the conclusion must be drawn that the increase is principally attributable to an increase in road traffic activity. DC JULY08 3 GJ 2 2.7 The most prominent noise source at the site in the absence of Allstone’s activity appears to be the motor traffic on the elevated roadway of Metz Way. The average background ambient noise level for the period 0400-0700 hours is close to that of the daytime level in the general vicinity of the site. 2.8 The question as to whether or not the status (open or shut) of the eastern door of the waste transfer building has any effect on the average ambient noise levels on the site and its general vicinity would appear to be answered by comparing the noise levels during those days when it was open with those when it was not. 2.9 No readily discernible difference appears to result from a direct comparison between the weekday LAeq averages of 14.05.07 to 21.05.07 (58.3 LAeq door open) with the period 25.06.07 to 30.06.07 (59.2 dB LAeq door closed). The result of the 1 day exercise of 28.09.07 (61.6 db LAeq door closed) serves also to illustrate the point. 2.10 It should be noted that the steel roller shutter type eastern door has poor acoustically attenuating properties as does the fabric of the building itself. The reason for the imposition of the closed door ‘condition’ was, initially, twofold, arising from concerns relating to possible dust emissions as well as noise. 2.11 A full monitoring survey of atmospheric particulates undertaken in May 2005 disposed of this concern. Therefore the only overriding reason for the requirement to maintain the eastern door in the closed position during operational hours relates to noise attenuation. In view of the findings detailed in this report it would now appear that this requirement is superfluous. 3.0 PLANNING HISTORY Application Description of development Decision number /date 05/01126/FUL Variation of condition 2 of appeal decision ref Approved T/APP/U1620/A/98/294844/P7 to allow use 22/09/2005 of the site for putrescible and special wastes (in addition to the approved use of the site as a waste transfer station for household, industrial and commercial wastes. 01/00254/FUL Variation of condition 5 on planning Proposal to use permission 97/00789/COU to allow door in the eastern door west elevation to remain open during refused and operational hours and door on east elevation refusal upheld on to be opened three times per week for appeal. Inspector operational reasons. based decision on ‘precautionary principle’ in respect of potential noise DC JULY08 3 GJ 3 and dust impacts on neighbouring properties 01/00255/FUL Variation of condition 2 on planning Approved permission 97/00789/COU to allow use of 03/07/2001 East part of waste transfer station building for door to be used storage of building and garden products. only in emergency 97/00444/FUL Erection of 2 storey workshop with ancillary Approved offices. Installation of weighbridge and 01/10/1997 aggregate bays, construction of parking area, landscaping and planting works, demolition of storage building and open store. 97/00789/COU Change of use from warehouse (Class B8) to Refused Waste Transfer Station. 31/03/1998. Appeal allowed 09/10/1998 4.0 PLANNING POLICY Planning Policy Statement 10: Planning for Sustainable Waste Management (PPS10) 4.1 PPS10 encourages communities to take responsibility for their own waste and to enable waste to be disposed of in one of the nearest appropriate installations. The statement promotes sustainable waste management whereby waste is moved up the waste hierarchy of reduction, reuse, recycling and composting and waste to energy, with waste disposal to landfill as a last resort. 4.2 When determining planning applications the PPS is a material consideration which may supersede policies in development plans and Waste Planning Authorities should therefore not place requirements on applicants which are inconsistent with the PPS. 4.3 In considering application for waste management facilities the statement indicates that authorities should consider the likely impact on the local environment and amenity. 4.4 The requirement for applicants to demonstrate that their proposal represents the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO), which was a requirement of previous guidance (PPG10) has been removed. Planning Policy Statement 23: Planning and Pollution Control (PPS23) 4.5 PPS23 sets out the material considerations that should be taken into account determining planning applications for developments that may give rise to pollution. PPS23 notes that the planning and pollution control systems are separate but complementary. DC JULY08 3 GJ 4 4.6 PPS23 states that any air or water consideration is capable of being a material consideration in so far as it affects land use.