Sedgefield District
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Sedgefield District: Proposed change of use of existing building and curtilage at Green Lane Industrial Estate, Spennymoor, to a waste transfer facility for recovery and recycling of waste materials, for Foreman Recycling Limited Background 1 In July 2002 the Planning Committee granted planning permission for the use of an existing industrial building for recycling and waste transfer, formerly part of the Electrolux factory complex on the Merrington Lane Industrial Estate. The operator has identified that a larger building is now required to handle increased volumes of recyclable waste, contributing to meeting Government targets and providing a service to the commercial and industrial sector. The applicant intends to relocate the business, vacating the previously permitted premises. 2 The current application area comprises the former Black and Decker building and immediate surroundings on the north side of the Green Lane Industrial Estate, altogether approximately 3.75 ha. The building floorspace is approximately 21,000 m 2 and the external area, mostly tarmac, 16,000 m 2. The proposal 3 The proposal is for the change of use of the existing factory to a waste transfer facility for recovery for re-use of waste materials; involving the sorting, bulking and onward movement of recyclable and non-recyclable material. 4 The proposed facility would accept mixed and sorted dry, potentially recyclable waste that would otherwise go to landfill. Non-recyclable waste would be separated then go to landfill. The types of material to be accepted at the site are cardboard, paper, plastic, polythene, glass, cans, metals, textiles, wood and pallets, and domestic appliances (for dismantling), with storage of fridges and freezers. Should planning permission be granted then the waste types would be controlled through planning condition and a Waste Management Licence. It is intended to provide for the collection of televisions, computers and other electrical equipment under the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Directive (WEEE) when it comes into force in 2005. 5 Waste equipment and materials brought to the site would be sourced from local authorities and local firms (commercial and industrial), mostly from within County Durham, but also from Teesside, North Yorkshire and Northumberland. Waste accepted from outside County Durham (e.g. cardboard) is always pre-sorted. 6 Incoming sorted and unsorted material would be deposited in designated areas inside the existing building which is divided into three areas: production sorting area, WEEE sort area, and a storage/warehousing 20 area. Unsorted materials would be separated and bulked by both manual and mechanical means, according to type. The sorted wastes would be despatched in bulk as required. Pre-sorted waste would be bailed and despatched to reprocessors. Given the distribution of waste re-processing facilities, much of the waste handled at Spennymoor must be transported out of the region after sorting. Any waste which cannot be recycled would be bulked and taken as required to a local licensed landfill for disposal. 7 It is estimated that 40 to 45 tonnes of waste per hour could be processed at the facility at an annual throughput of 150,000 tonnes, though the potential capacity of the site is 250,000 tonnes. Until the WEEE Directive comes into force the only waste electrical equipment brought to the site would be fridges and freezers (approximately 20 per day). Following the introduction of the Directive it is estimated that 10,000 tonnes per year of WEEE would be processed. Fridges, freezers, televisions and computers would be stored for bulking into a lorry load. Sorted waste is to be sent out to reprocessors each day for recycling. Small quantities of sorted, non-recycable and non-sorted may be stored within the building for more than one day. A weighbridge and diesel tanks would be externally located but no unloading, sorting, bulking or storage would take place outside the existing building. A waste management licence, being considered by the Environment Agency, is required to operate the facility. 8 Operations would not take place outside the hours 07:00 and 18:30 Monday to Friday and 07:00 and 15:30 on Saturdays. Working overnight or on Sundays and Public Holidays is not proposed. The applicant currently employs 50 full time staff at the existing Merrington Lane site, who would relocate with the service. It is anticipated that a further 20 jobs would be created in the first twelve months of the opening of the new facility and a further 40 are anticipated by 2007/8. Planning policies 9 Relevant policies to this proposal are contained in the adopted County Durham Structure Plan (March 1999) [CSP], the County Durham Waste Local Plan: Revised Deposit Draft, as modified (September 2004) [WLP] and the Sedgefield Borough Local Plan (October 1996) [SBLP]. The CSP contains waste policies reflecting current Government policy and sets the strategic planning framework for the more detailed WLP. CSP Policy 83 adopts the waste hierarchy, which encourages schemes for waste reduction, re-use and recovery of waste as a resource, before consideration is given to disposal as landfill. CSP Policy 84 provides guidance on the provision of facilities for waste treatment and disposal and their environmental impact. The relevant policies are appended to this report. 10 National waste management policy is set out in the “National Waste Strategy 2000” issued in May 2000, and in Planning Policy Guidance 21 Note 10: Planning and Waste Management (PPG10), which introduce the concept of a waste hierarchy. This approach is reflected in the WLP, principally through Policies W1 to W4 and Chapters 8, 9 and 10. In the light of the Inspector’s Report on the County Durham Waste Local Plan the County Council placed proposed modifications on deposit for a statutory six-week period commencing on 13 September 2004. The Inspector accepted nearly all of the Council’s proposed waste policies, and proposed modifications are of no relevance to the assessment of the present proposal. Moreover, the Municipal Waste Management Strategy for County Durham acknowledges the role of waste transfer stations and materials recovery facilities and recognises that there is a need for new and improved facilities. 11 The overall aim of sustainable development is fundamental to the WLP, which seeks, amongst its other aims, to find the best, most practicable, and environmentally friendly ways to manage waste. Policy W1 of the WLP reflects the principles of sustainable waste management, the Best Practicable Environmental Option, the Proximity Principle and Regional Self Sufficiency, aiming to target appropriate facilities to the best locations and reduce unnecessary transportation of waste. The proposed Green Lane facility would be a considerable asset for the industry, and result in greater recycling of waste (including household waste), satisfying WLP Policy W1. Given landfill diversion targets and the need to segregate and recycle more waste, there is an undoubted benefit from the development of any new facility to recycle and recover waste, and the present proposal satisfies Policy W2. Planning considerations Location 12 Green Lane Industrial Estate is allocated as a prestige business area in the SBLP (Policy IB2), reflected also in the CSP and the WLP. SBLP Policy IB5 lists the uses normally acceptable in prestige business areas. These uses do not normally include waste facilities. Nevertheless Policy IB5 notes that uses other than industrial will be determined taking account of the purpose of prestige business areas set out under Policy IB1, which states that proposals that assist the regeneration of existing industry and business areas will be encouraged. 13 Paragraphs 9.2 to 9.8 in Chapter 9 of the WLP provide advice on the location of waste recovery facilities. Ideally, preference should be given to general and local industrial estates before prestige industrial estates, but only where the proximity principle would not be compromised and there would be no greater impact upon the environment. Table 9.1 lists the sites that are deemed not to be appropriate for waste management developments, including Green Lane Industrial Estate. 14 The WLP recognises that a waste transfer station allows waste to be stored temporarily prior to transportation in bulk to recycling, 22 reprocessing, treatment or disposal facilities. Furthermore, transfer stations usually require industrial-style buildings and storage areas of a sufficient size to accommodate a large tipping hall to deposit and load materials. In terms of Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF), the WLP recognises that such facilities usually receive pre-sorted waste which is then further separated into recyclable materials. A MRF may also store bulked up materials awaiting re-processing. Reuseable materials are sorted and transferred onwards for re-processing into new products, with non-recoverable materials transferred to final disposal. Policy W32 identifies criteria for suitable locations for waste transfer facilities and MRFs. The Green Lane location would meet the requirements of Policy W32 in terms of location in that it is previously developed land in a convenient and sustainable location. 15 At Green Lane the proposed waste sorting, storage and transfer operations would take place entirely within an existing industrial building, assisting in controlling any impact on neighbouring users and the environment. CSP Policy 84 seeks to ensure that proposals do not detract significantly from the environment, either on their own or cumulatively with other facilities and activities that may or may not be currently taking place in the vicinity. The principle of accommodating waste management facilities in sustainable buildings is set out in WLP Policy W31A. The present proposal satisfies these planning policies. Residential and business amenity 16 The proposed operations would take place within an existing industrial building at the northern side of the existing Green Lane industrial estate. Access to the site is through the Estate from the A688. The building is approximately 90m from the nearest isolated dwelling (Mount Huley Farm) from which it is separated by the A167.