Minor and Other Application Cttee: 13/01/2010 Item No. 01 Application no: BDB/71053 For Details and Plans Click here Site Address Tile Barn Farm, Little Dean Lane, South Warnborough, Basingstoke, RG25 2RS Proposal Erection of a pig shed, hardstanding, bund, associated landscaping and access track (Part retrospective) Registered: 10/09/2009 Expiry Date: 05/11/2009 Type of Full planning Case Officer: Bethan Bramley Application: permission 01256 845441 Applicant: Mr R Janaway Agent: Pearsons Ward: Upton Grey and The Ward Member(s): Cllr M Ruffell Candovers Parish: Upton Grey OS Grid Reference: 471030,147844 Recommendation: Refuse and Enforce This application was deferred from the previous Development Control Committee to allow for the re-consultation of interested parties following the submission of amended plans. A copy of the original Committee report follows below, along with an update for this Committee. General Comments This application has been brought to the Development Control Committee at the request of Cllr Ruffell for the following reason: 'I would like it dealt with by the Committee. There are a number of other difficulties at the farm and it would be better for Officers if the committee took these decisions, especially as the committee took one of the original decisions in relation to the house. Furthermore, as I understand it there is no problem with the shed only the bund which is apparently screening it?' Description of Site The application site is located to the north of Tile Barn Farm, separated from the main farm complex by Little Dean Lane. The site comprises a fallow field that is situated in an elevated position above the village of Upton Grey, which lies to the west. The site itself is predominantly flat, with land sloping away from its western boundary. The field to the west appears to be used for rearing pigs, with a number of pig sheds on this hillside. The site is bound to the east of by a belt of woodland and to the north by a narrower belt of trees that becomes narrower to its western end (and thus has the appearance of an overgrown hedgerow with hedgerow trees, rather than a woodland belt). The nearest building is a pig fattening shed to the south east, located along Little Dean Lane. 1 of 71 The site is located within a wider landscape of gently rolling agricultural fields with scattered villages and hamlets served by occasional narrow windy lanes. Land use in the area comprises arable and pastoral agricultural use interspersed with blocks of woodland, connected by a network of native hedgerows with hedgerow trees. The nearest public rights of way are numbers 10 to the north east, 7 to the south west and 12 to the west. There is a bund running along the western boundary of the application field, which sits on the ridge of the hillside. It is a total of 400m long, varying in height to approximately 5m high adjacent to the site of the proposed building. The bund is constructed from earth and other material, along with topsoil that has been removed from the site. At the time of the officer's site visit a large hole had been excavated and the resultant chalk spread across part of the remaining field. The bund and other earthworks do not benefit from planning permission and are therefore unauthorised. Proposal The application seeks permission for the erection of a pig shed, hardstanding, bund, associated landscaping and access track. The building would have a rectangular footprint with a floorspace of approximately 1000m². It would have a pitched roof with a ridge height of 5.8m and would be constructed from a steel frame with grey concrete panels for the walls and cement sheeting for the roof. The supporting information for the application states that the pig-rearing shed would be used for the existing pig breeding business at Tile Barn Farm, which currently keeps pig outdoors. It goes on to state that the housing of pregnant sows inside will halve the current amount of land being used for pig farming. The applicant has confirmed that the shed would house approximately 250-300 sows and is to be isolated from other buildings in order to prevent the spread of disease. The proposed building would be accessed via an existing unmade farm track off the north side of Little Dean Lane, which would be extended through the existing tree belt towards an area of concrete hardstanding directly adjacent to the proposed building. The bund as proposed would run along the south western boundary over a length of 400m and width of 4m. It would have a height of 2.5m with an additional 2 - 2.5m height of planting atop the bund. Although this element of the proposal is retrospective, it must be noted that the bund as constructed does not accord with the submitted plans, but is larger in its width and height. Relevant Planning History BDB 20421 Erection of agricultural building Granted 07/07/86 BDB 36298 Erection of agricultural building for seed Granted drying 13/07/94 BDB 51180 Erection of a telecommunications column Withdrawn tower with six antennae and two dishes 20/08/01 and installation of an equipment cabin 2 of 71 BDB 52982 Erection of steel portal frame, open sided Granted straw barn 04/07/02 BDB 53503 Erection of open sided lambing shed Granted 28/08/02 BDB 54112 Erection of a pig fattening shed Granted 12/12/02 BDB 61432 Erection of a cattle shed Granted 21/09/05 BDB 66948 Erection of a detached dwelling and Withdrawn creation of new access 31/10/07 BDB 68628 Erection of a detached dwelling with Granted agricultural restriction 21/11/08 BDB 70685 Erection of a pig shed Withdrawn 17/07/09 Consultations Parish Council: Objection 'Visual intrusion in a Conservation Area. Light pollution in a village with no street lighting. Screening may be inadequate for such a large structure and take many years to be effective. Smell, noise. Mud on road (a public highway) already a problem and certain to get worse. Increased volume of traffic.' Local Highway Authority: No objection 'The access is existing, the likely associated use is ancillary to existing farm activities.' Landscape Officer: Objection Recommend refusal for the following reasons: The proposals in their current form would constitute an adverse impact on both landscape character and visual amenity, which is not consistent with Policy E6 of the Local Plan. The above issues could be overcome with the following amendments: Removal of the bund, as it is inconsistent with local landscape character and would have an adverse effect on visual amenity Extension of the existing woodland belt to north of site around and along the western boundary (that is currently demarcated by the bund) to provide appropriate screening for the pig shed. This should be of a similar width and contain similar species type as the northern woodland belt. External materials of a recessive colour (brown or dark green) should be used for the roof and walls of the proposed shed, to reduce the visual impact of the building from public right of way (PROW) 12 and nearby roads. 3 of 71 Existing Landscape Character This section describes the character of the site and local area, it comprises all of the elements that make up the landscape (such as land use, land form, vegetation etc). Landscape character is separate to visual amenity as these impacts will not necessarily be visible but an application may have an impact on the fundamental nature of these and therefore the landscape character of the area. The site is located within the Tunworth and Upton Grey Down Landscape Character Area as described in the Borough Landscape Character Assessment (June 2001). The following characteristics and key issues of this area are particularly relevant to the site;- undulating landform More open arable landscape with infrequent, small woodland blocks to the north-east of the area around Upton Grey; generally high intervisibility to the north-east of the area It is evident that the area in which the site is located reflects the character of the wider area and intervisibility is of key importance. Existing Visual Amenity This section describes what can be seen of the application site from locations where the site can be seen such as roads, public rights of way, dwellings etc. This element is separate from landscape character. The area from which the site is currently visible is extensive to the west, within an area that extends to approximately 1.2km from the site. The site is not visible from any public viewpoints to the north, east or south due to intervening woodland blocks, farm buildings and landform. Open views are possible from the following locations: From the north eastern end of Public right of way (PROW) 7, where it emerges onto the road; From the western end (between Upton Grey and Little Dean Lane) of the road between Upton Grey and South Warnborough; from approx a 200m section of PROW 12 to the west of the site. The most significant views are from PROW 12 due to its elevated position, which gives clear views of the site and views of the full length of the existing (unauthorised) bund. Glimpsed views are possible from Bidden Road between vegetation and dwellings along this road. There are also glimpsed views between vegetation along PROW 12 for a distance of approx 300m before these views become open as described above. Impact on Landscape Character This section describes the impact of the application on all of the elements that make up the landscape (such as land use, land form, vegetation) - these impacts will not necessarily be visible but the development will have an impact on the fundamental nature of these and therefore the landscape character of the area.