Consultation by Devon County Council (Waste Planning Authority)
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CONSULTATION BY DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL (WASTE PLANNING AUTHORITY) Grid Ref: SX737655 District/Borough: Teignbridge Officer: Dave Kenyon Parish: Buckfastleigh Proposal: Construction and Operation of Materials Recovery Facility for Inert Construction and Demolition Waste and Construction and Operation of Incinerator Bottom Ash Processing Facility together with associated Site Engineering and Infrastructure. Location: Whitecleave Quarry, Buckfastleigh Recommendation: That SHDC in its role as a neighbouring Local Planning Authority raises no objections in terms of impact on the District of South Hams relating to traffic generation, impact on watercourses and landscape/visual considerations but raises a holding objection relating to habitats and protected species, subject to further comments made by Natural England. Introduction This proposal has been placed before the Development Management Committee at the request of Cllr Smerdon (Eastmoor Ward Member), Cllrs Gorman and Vint (Totnes Town Ward Members), and Cllr Pennington (County Cllr), such Members having been approached directly by third parties residing within the South Hams. The Committee is advised that SHDC is not the determining Planning Authority for this proposal, nor does the site lie within South Hams. Rather, the views of the Committee will be forwarded to Devon County Council for due consideration during its determination of the application. The proposal site is Whitecleave Quarry, Buckfastleigh which lies within the administrative boundary of Teignbridge District Council but adjoining the National Park and in close proximity to the administrative boundary of South Hams District Council. The application is being determined by Devon County Council, as the Waste Planning Authority. The proposal is subject to Environmental Impact Assessment and an Environmental Statement has been submitted. The application comprises the following: • Materials Reclamation Facility (MRF). The MRF to the north of the site will receive and process construction and demolition waste from the operator’s main business. This will take place in a Sorting Unit where inert waste arriving at the site is fed via excavator to a conveyor and hand sorted into appropriate bays. Material suitable for mixing as an aggregate product will be crushed within the quarry void area where it will then be stockpiled. • Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) processing facility. This facility will process the residual IBA from the proposed Energy from Waste Combined Heat and Power Plant at Devonport, Plymouth into a useable product. Material will arrive where it is kept in storage bays for 3-6 weeks, during this time it is kept wet and forms a crust. After this ‘maturation’ process the material is screened and sized in the IBA Processing Building before being stored in the quarry void. • The removal of a dolerite (rock) spur and infilling of the existing quarry void. It is proposed to remove an area of rock adjacent to the quarry void; this will create a level area for the IBA facility and provide up to 300,000 tonnes of rock. This rock will be used initially to infill the void, and will then be mixed with material from the MRF and IBA facility to provide a marketable aggregate product. In time it is proposed to backfill the quarry void with material from the MRF with a view to eventually relocating the MRF into the main quarry area (subject to a future application). Representations It is understood that DCC has received many objections from third parties within the vicinity of the site. One objection sent to DCC, and copied directly to this Local Planning Authority, raises the following objections which help summarise the main reasons for said objections. 1) The effect of soluble/water leachable toxins from the waste entering the River Dart and affecting: - the natural environment: the Dart flows through an AONB with special regard for the estuarine environment and its ecosystems. There is concern about the impact of the development in both the short and long term. - the quality of drinking water. - long term health issues for people who live by the River Dart and those who use it for business or recreation. 2) Effects on the immediate environment: - the impact on the ecosystem, and future generations. - the impact on health: a Health Impact Assessment, carried out jointly by the NHS and MVV identified 29 negative impacts on health. Buckfastleigh already has an above average asthma rate. - the SSSI, geology, palaeontology (the site has is the home of the largest greater horseshoe roost in western Europe, also peregrines there). - the negative impact on air quality, particularly being so close to Dartmoor National Park. - possible effect on the organic status of nearby land (Riverford). 3) General impact on the local and surrounding area: - it will damage the local economy and tourist industry. - it will damage the environment and is not sustainable. - it will threaten bats, Peregrine falcons, otters and other protected species. - it will create safety risks for cyclists, children and the elderly. - it will create fumes, noise and dust, and leach toxins into local rivers. 4) Inadequate information: - how toxic is the waste? - inadequacy of river management - any pollution incident would be disastrous for wildlife, shellfish, tourism. - monitoring - 12 tests (on the ash) in the first year, then 4 p.a. - inadequate, test details unknown 5) Sustainability: - concerns about the sustainability of dealing with waste in this way. - incineration will be a disincentive to recycle. - alternatives, either for processing the waste, or other sites, have not been adequately considered. - the negative environmental impact of increased traffic (up to 400 lorries a day). Everyone travelling beyond Totnes will be affected by additional traffic. Material Planning Considerations In terms of impact on the South Hams, it is suggested that there are four main material considerations, namely impact of traffic generation on the road network and amenities of properties within the Lower Dean area; impacts on nearby watercourses; impact on Greater Horseshoe Bats within the nearby SSSI which is within the South Hams Special Area of Conservation; and landscape/visual impact. Traffic Generation The site is accessed via a private road under the A38 from the B3380 (Strode Road/Plymouth Road), shared with a coach storage area. From here access to the A38 is via the Lower Dean junction (1.1km to the south) or the Dart Bridge junction (1.9km to the north). A Transport Assessment accompanying the application indicates that the highest number of trips will occur during the operation, rather than construction of the facility. This is estimated at 63 daily trips (two-way journeys) and constitutes an increase in overall traffic of up to 4.8% during operation (post 2016). Whilst the overall increase in traffic is less than 5%, the increase in HGV movements on the road is assessed as up to a 70% increase in one location on the B3380. In terms of impact on the South Hams, whilst the increase in overall traffic movements is not considered to be significant, there are a number of properties along Plymouth Road that will be affected by additional traffic movements. A clearly perceptible increase in HGV movements is likely to impact upon the amenity of residents of properties close to Strode Road and Plymouth Road. Initially, the Highways Agency was unable to accept the proposals based on the information submitted. Additional information relating to “Junction analysis of A38 off-Slip Roads” and a Supplementary Note on Environmental Impact Assessment of Traffic, both dated February 2012 have been prepared by the applicant’s traffic consultants. In addition, a Road Traffic Noise Assessment, dated February 2012, has been prepared by DCC. The Highways Agency has reviewed this additional information and offers no objections to the proposal. The County Highway Authority is aware of the previous traffic generation when the site operated as a quarry and is of the opinion that the current proposals are an improvement to road safety. The Highway Authority raises no objection to the on site layout. The applicant has offered to provide a wheel washing facility and dust preventative measures on site to stop mud, stones and debris from entering the highway. These will need to be conditioned appropriately by the County Planning Authority. SHDC’s Environmental Health section is aware of this proposal and mindful of possible impact on residential amenities of those properties that lie within South Hams. No objections have been raised in relation to air quality impact on those residential properties because the number of vehicles described in the submitted Transport Assessment falls below the levels at which air quality assessments are recommended, according to appropriate and nationally accepted guidance within the document Development Control : Planning for Air Quality (2010 update), Environmental Protection UK. Impact on Watercourses The application has been made on the basis that the IBA is non-hazardous (but not inert). Both the applicant and the Environment Agency (EA) have advised that if the IBA is a hazardous waste, it will not be brought to this site as it would have to be dealt with at a hazardous waste facility. The Environmental Statement has identified that the proposal may impact upon water quality in the Dean Burn, which is a tributary of the River Dart. Whilst the operation will require an Environmental Permit from the EA, the potential impact of adverse water quality upon the Dart needs to be assessed. Initial concerns, during August 2011, were raised by the EA regarding flood risk and the inadequacy of submitted information for the purposes of demonstrating that potential impacts on controlled waters have been appropriately identified or addressed. The Environmental Statement makes qualitative statements on the likely level of risk to controlled waters that are not supported by either quantitative assessment of data, or proposals to collect and assess such data. The EA therefore objected to the current application on the basis of insufficient information and an unacceptable risk to controlled waters.