Land to South of A259 Bognor Road Oving Chichester West Sussex PO20 1NW
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Parish: Ward: Oving North Mundham O/15/02343/FUL Proposal Crop research, technology and multiplication centre, encompassing approximately 2.83 hectares of varietal trial plots, DEFRA official seed testing station, laboratory, ancillary offices, pack house and parking and associated landscaping, incorporating 1,591 cubic metres balancing pond. Site Land To South Of A259 Bognor Road Oving Chichester West Sussex PO20 1NW Map Ref (E) 489262 (N) 103587 Applicant Mr Tim Gleeson Bartholomew’s (Holdings) Limited RECOMMENDATION TO REFUSE Note: Do not scale from map. For information only. Reproduced NOT TO from the Ordnance Survey Mapping with the permission of the SCALE controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Crown Copyright. License No. 100018803 1.0 Reason for Committee Referral Red Card: Cllr Plowman - Information/opinion to raise in debate. 2.0 The Site and Surroundings 2.1 The application site comprises a parcel of Grade 1 and 2 agricultural land located within the designated Runcton Horticultural Development Area (HDA). The site area extends to 5.58 ha with a level change of 1.5 metres across the site. The surrounding part of the HDA is known as the Chichester Food Park (CFP). The Food Park is accessed from the A259 via the Merston roundabout, with access to the strategic road network (A27) one mile to the west. 2.2 The site consists of an arable field located to the west of the A259, which is bounded on its southern side by the main access into the Food Park. To the north are a number of residential properties accessible via Green Lane, a residential cul-de-sac, which also provides access to a public bridleway and public right of way. The north field boundary contains deciduous trees and hedging, and the eastern boundary contains mature hedging. The south west boundary is defined by a drainage ditch with mixed species hedgerow. The National Cycle Network runs parallel with the eastern boundary of the site. A public right of way runs along the north west boundary of the site (2792/1) and a second public right of way (274) is located to the north of the A259 up to Drayton Lane. 2.3 A number of horticultural pack houses and distribution facilities are sited to the south and west of the application site within the Food Park. To the south of these buildings, is an extensive range of glasshouses. Members will be aware that permission was granted in 2013 for a grain store, located on the western side of the food park, with two bays now built and operational (13/02608/FUL). There is an extant permission for a further horticultural glasshouse, packhouse, offices and reservoir, to the south west of the application site, on the opposite side of the access into the food park (14/01721/FUL) in addition to a further packhouse currently under construction further to the west of the application site (14/02600/FUL). 3.0 The Proposal 3.1 Permission is sought to erect a crop research and DEFRA seed testing station at the site, including varietal crop beds. The purpose of the facility is to allow the expansion and growth of the current crop research and packaging facility at Bartholomew's on Bognor Road through relocation to a larger, purpose built site that will include crop trials and breeding. The new site will therefore be a fully operational seed testing station, approved by DEFRA. A trials programme is to be run from the site, working with the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (which approves and registers new varieties of crops). 3.2 The north and centre of the site will be retained as varietal trial plots, where new strains and varieties of seeds will be grown, subject to testing and the multiplication process, before being brought to the commercial market. This area of the site would extend to 2.83 ha coverage. 3.3 The built element of the proposal will be located at the southern and eastern end of the site. The building would contain a seed testing station, packhouse, laboratory, education facility and ancillary offices. The building would have a gross internal floor area of 7,750 sq metres and would measure 156 x 51 metres, at a height of 21.5 metres to the ridge, reducing to 17.2 metres at the southern edge of the site, and 19.9 metres at the northern edge. The external treatment of the building will comprise concrete panels to ground level with profiled metal dark green sheeting above, roller shutter doors on the north elevation in contrasting green. The pitch roof would be a mid-grey, profiled metal roof with rooflights and solar panels on the south roof elevation. The south east elevation of the building at the entrance to the facility would have brown profiled metal sheet cladding. 3.4 A total of 16 full time staff would be employed at the site (plus 4 additional staff during harvesting) to include contractors (planting and harvesting of crops), agronomists (monitoring the disease, nutrition and development of crops), seed technicians (assessing breeding and regulatory issues), crop technicians (assessing crops for their commercial benefits) and packing and logistics staff. The submitted floorplans indicates that the entire ground floor of the building would contain processing and packaging plant and equipment, with a mezzanine containing ancillary offices, laboratories and an education/resource room. 3.5 Deliveries and despatch by HGVs would be from the southern edge of the site via a proposed new access off the service road, at the entrance to the Food Park. The area to the east and south of the building would be retained as car parking for staff and visitors with 42 and 16 spaces respectively, and new access road. A further 32 HGV parking spaces would be located on a hardstanding to the north of the building with refuelling depot and weighbridge. 3.6 The proposal includes a landscape strategy which comprises a 10 metre woodland landscape buffer along the site's southern and eastern boundaries, and reinforced hedgerow planting along the north, east and west site boundaries. Areas of scrub vegetation would be retained in the northwest boundary of the site, incorporating a balancing pond of approximately 1500 metre cubic capacity to form new wetland habitat. A Landscape Masterplan Strategy is submitted and includes detailed planting sections of 1.5 metre high bunds on the north-eastern and south-eastern site boundaries closest to the A259, a detailed soft landscaping scheme, planting plans and schedule, a soft landscape specification, and landscape and ecological management plan. 3.7 The facility is proposed to be relocated from the existing Bartholomews site, off Bogner Road. The key difference between the existing site and the proposed site will be modernisation of the facilities and the addition of varietal trial plots, where new strains and varieties of seeds will be grown on site (referred to as basic seed for multiplication), subject to testing and the multiplication process, before being brought to the commercial market. 3.8 The application is supported by numerous technical reports and statements, including a Design and Access Statement, Transport Statement, Flood Risk Assessment, Ecology Report, Landscaping and Visual Impact Assessment, reports on Noise, Archaeology and Lighting, and Foul and Surface Water Disposal. The Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment and Noise Assessment have been updated during the course of the application, in response to officer and consultee comments, and additional transport modelling undertaken. The applicant has also produced a Travel Plan. 4.0 History 13/02357/FUL PER Pedestrian footpath with lighting. 5.0 Constraints Listed Building NO Conservation Area NO Rural Area YES AONB NO Tree Preservation Order NO South Downs National NO Park EA Flood Zone - Flood Zone 2 NO - Flood Zone 3 NO Historic Parks and NO Gardens 6.0 Representations and Consultations 6.1 Oving Parish Council Support The 21 metre high main building will have a visual impact on the residents of Merston and those using the A259 Bognor Road, as it will part of the Strategic Gap to Chichester. We understand that the building height is required for the processing of seed. It is essential that the proposed bund and screen includes as many native trees as possible, particularly evergreen varieties to mitigate the visual impact as much as possible. We are satisfied that the lighting on the site will not further exacerbate the light pollution from the greenhouses in the area; we receive frequent complaints from residents on this issue. We are concerned about the proposed 120 HGV movements quoted for a typical week. This takes no account of additional vehicle movements, or those associated with other developments in the Food Park. This will add to congestion on the A259 dual carriageway towards the Bognor Road roundabout. It is not possible to determine the impact of these additional vehicle movements until the planned improvements to the A27 Chichester Bypass have been agreed. 6.2 Environment Agency Please confirm the chosen method of foul drainage. The application refers to a septic tank and a cesspit. Information on the chosen method would be useful. More information is needed on the re-fuelling tank. Will it be double skinned or a bunded oil tank? Further comment following revised details: No objection Additional information confirms that the management of foul water is to discharge to a cesspit that will be emptied once a month. This is acceptable. We are pleased that the re- fuelling tank is double skinned. 6.3 Southern Water Services Applicant is advised to contact the EA directly regarding the use of septic tank drainage, which disposes effluent to sub-soil irrigation.