Report Item 4 Application No 12/97162 FULL
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Planning Development Control Committee - 17 April 2012 Report Item 4 Application No: 12/97162/FULL Full Application Site: The Old Mill Unit 1 Forest Corner Farm, Hangersley Hill, Forest Corner, Hangersley, Ringwood, BH24 3JW Proposal: Use of a former agricultural barn as scaffolding training centre (Use Class D1) Applicant: The SCA Group Case Officer: Mark Funnell Parish: RINGWOOD 1. DISTRICT/BOROUGH: New Forest District Council 2. REASON FOR COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION Contrary to Parish Council view. 3. DEVELOPMENT PLAN DESIGNATION Conservation Area 4. PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN POLICIES DP1 General Development Principles CP7 The Built Environment CP8 Local Distinctiveness CP14 Business and Employment Development DP19 Re-use of Buildings SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING DOCUMENTS Design Guide SPD NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK Section 3 Supporting a prosperous local economy Section 7 Requiring good design Section 11 Conserving and Enhancing the Natural Environment Section 12 Conserving and enhancing the Historic Environment 5. MEMBER COMMENTS None received 6. PARISH COUNCIL COMMENTS Ringwood Town Council: Recommends permission. 16 Members felt that the proposal represents good use of an existing unused building, to provide a much needed training centre, which would bring employment and visitors to the town. Conditions should be imposed: a 3 year temporary permission that is limited to the applicant and use in question, a maximum of 15 delegates per course and use during normal working hours only. 7. CONSULTEES 7.1 Environmental Protection NFDC: No objection subject to: A one year temporary permission to allow an assessment of any detriment to amenity due to noise from activity at the site. The erecting and dismantling of scaffolding structures could be restricted to a total of two periods, totalling no more than four hours per day. Hours should be restricted to 9-5 Monday – Saturday. Should longer term or more wide-ranging or a permanent planning permission be sought, any permission should only be granted subsequent to the submission and approval of a scheme of noise control. 7.2 Highway Authority (HCC): Recommends refusal. Adequate provision is not made on site the parking or vehicles, either cars or cycles. The proposed development will therefore be likely to encourage the parking of vehicles on the adjacent registered right of way, to the detriment of the safety and convenience of users of this route. 8. REPRESENTATIONS 8.1 Two letters of objection raise the following points: The 2003 appeal decision stated that commercial use of the Mill building should cease. In the appeal decision, the Inspector described the building as being steel framed and clad with corrugated asbestos, and reminiscent of an aircraft hangar. It is an ugly structure that dominates the streetscene and it’s completely out of character with these rural surroundings. The continued efforts to develop Forest Corner Farm as an industrial estate are contrary to the development plan. The proposal would not enhance natural beauty or promote opportunities for understanding and enjoyment; it would have a gradual suburbanising effect. The proposal would not seem to meet local business needs or benefit the local community. The use would produce tremendous noise when scaffolding poles were erected/dismantled causing surrounding residents a great deal of distress. Concerns over traffic generation, which would adversely affect the quality of life and environment in this rural area. The distance from the site to the A31 is short, but it is still a country lane and in some places not wide enough for two vehicles to pass, with the grass verges and banks worn down. The lane towards Poulner is also narrow. The parking area around the Mill building is not behind a substantial hedge and the hardstanding is easily visible. 17 8.2 One letter of support: The proposed use would help to regenerate the area without involving greenfield development. There can be few buildings that would readily accommodate this type of enterprise. It would enhance local employment opportunities and would be unlikely to have significant noise or visual impact. 8.3 Applicant's agent writes in support: Notwithstanding the Inspector's decision to prevent commercial use of the building, the building exists and its condition has been maintained. Nobody is denying that the building is not an attractive feature but with no requirement to remove the building, it is likely to remain. While it has some life in it putting it to a beneficial use can only be a good thing. Course participants would benefit the local economy. The use is proposed on a temporary basis as there is no knowing what the take-up of scaffold training would be. No equivalent size of building exists in Hampshire and Dorset. 9. RELEVANT HISTORY: 9.1 Mixed use of agricultural buildings for business (B1), general industrial use (B2) and storage and distribution (B8) (78546) granted 11 August 2003 9.2 Change of use of land to light industrial (B1), general industrial (B2) and storage and distribution (B8) (76356) allowed in part at appeal 29 January 2003 10. ASSESSMENT 10.1 Forest Corner Farm lies in the open countryside of the National Park and within the Western Escarpment Conservation Area. It comprises a number of former farm buildings which are of a generally utilitarian and modern design. Many are in use for workshops, stores and other uses including an animal treatment centre. This follows a partially successful appeal against enforcement action (ref. 76356), a later permission for further buildings to be converted (ref. 78546) and subsequent planning consents. The site is accessed via a C-road - which in practice is a rural lane - from the 'In-Excess' turn-off from the A31. 10.2 The application site comprises the tall, former mill building ("unit 1") at the farm. This lies at the front of the main group of buildings and has a ridge height of 11 metres and footprint of around 390 sq metres. 10.3 Consent is sought to use the building for a scaffolding training centre (Use Class D1). The applicant, SCA Group, which is understood to be based in Wimborne, states that the proposal responds to Health and Safety Executive calls for more rigorous training in the use of scaffolding. The focus of the centre would be two week courses involving 2 staff members and up to 15 course participants. 18 10.4 A key consideration is an enforcement appeal decision from January 2003. The Planning Inspector accepted that the likelihood of agricultural re-use of the Forest Corner Farm buildings in the future was remote and that commercial re- use would generally be appropriate, but in respect of the mill building the Inspector stated: "... I have serious reservations about the use of the mill building... The very large mill building... fronts Hangersley Hill and towers above the adjoining group of former agricultural buildings. The building is steel framed and clad with corrugated asbestos and is reminiscent in size, scale and appearance to an aircraft hangar. It is an ugly structure that dominates the street scene and is completely out of character with these rural surroundings". 10.5 The Inspector went on to conclude that: "In these circumstances I take the view that the re-use of the mill building and the two large modern barns on site for industrial purposes seriously conflicts with local planning policies". 10.6 It is considered that similar conclusions to the above still apply, albeit the proposed use is now a D1 training centre. Firstly, the likelihood of agricultural re-use of the mill building could still be said to be remote. Secondly, the re-use of the building would still conflict with the planning policy approach to the re-use of buildings. 10.7 Policy DP19 requires that buildings to be re-used should be appropriate in scale and appearance to their location (and that they should be structurally sound and capable of reoccupation without re-building). Paragraph 8.35 of the Core Strategy specifically states: ‘The re-use of purposes built or pre-fabricated agricultural buildings, e.g. glasshouses or prefabricated barns, particularly those of a large scale, are unlikely to be considered favourably under this policy, as such buildings are often out of character with the New Forest’. The building, which now lies within the Western Escarpment Conservation Area, is not considered to be appropriate in scale and appearance to its location. 10.8 The applicant acknowledges the above situation but makes certain points in support of the application: that the landowner does not intend to remove the building, that temporary use is sought to see how the business fares, and that the new use would support the local community and economy. 10.9 Policy CP14 does indeed support small-scale employment development that helps the well-being of local communities, and gives particular support to uses that help to maintain the land based economy and cultural heritage of the National Park. However, there is already considerable commercial activity in the former farm buildings at Forest Corner, and it is questioned how much a scaffold training centre would support the well-being of the local community. Most construction activity in Hampshire and Dorset would take place in larger built up areas outside of the National Park. Furthermore, any commercial use of the building - even temporary use - would arguably sustain its presence in the landscape and give the landowner no incentive to remove the building or make its scale and appearance appropriate. 19 10.10 Overall it is concluded that the need and benefits of the proposed use would not outweigh the concerns regarding the appropriateness of the building for retention. 10.11 In terms of potential amenity impacts, particularly from noise generated by the use, the Environmental Health Officer raises no objection on the basis of a one year temporary permission during which any noise problems could be gauged - although the restriction of the use to two unspecified periods of the day would be difficult to condition.