Planning Services COMMITTEE REPORT APPLICATION DETAILS APPLICATION NO: 2/2012/0151/FUL Change of use of Blackdene Wood to paintballing FULL APPLICATION (Sui Generis), including operational development DESCRIPTION : of sundry structures NAME OF APPLICANT : Mr M Nicolson Blackdene Wood, Mill Lane, Plawsworth, ADDRESS : Chester-le-Street, Durham. ELECTORAL DIVISION : Sacriston Ann Rawlinson Senior Planning Officer CASE OFFICER : 0191 387 2002 [email protected] DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE AND PROPOSALS The Site 1. The application site is located within a central area of Blackdene Woods to the south east of Plawsworth Village and directly to the northern side of Mill Lane which is accessed off the A167 between Chester-le-Street and Durham City. The East Coast mainline bisects the middle of the site on a north-south axis on a viaduct high above the valley floor. The woods is linear in shape and the whole woods are approximately 13 hectares in size. 2. Blackdene Woods itself is classified as ancient woodland and lies in a steep sided wooded valley straddling the Blackdene Burn. The site is part of a Durham County geological site known as the Sacriston sub glacial channel and the eastern part of the site (to the eastern side of the viaduct) is designated as part of an area of high landscape value. The woodland is predominantly native trees ranging from young mature trees to veteran trees. There are some dead/dying trees and woodland clearing and planting has taken place. There are occasional clearings. 3. The former residential property known as ‘Mill Cottage’ is located to the south eastern side of the site, just outside of the wood. It appears as though this has been used by the previous paintball operators utilising the site, to provide storage and toilet facilities. An informal path leads down into the woods from the rear of this property. 4. To the eastern side of the property is a gravelled car park area which is separated from the adjacent agricultural field to the south east by large mature screen hedging. This was implemented as a requirement of the previous temporary planning permission for paintballing on the site. There is also an informal access to the site to the western side of the woods, from Mill Lane. 5. Abutting the northern boundary of the site is Southill Hall, a Grade II listed building, owned by The Court Service (Ministry of Justice) and used by high court judges as a secure lodge house whilst serving on the north east circuit. There is accommodation available for four judges and their clerks, with the property normally occupied between Sunday and Friday evenings on a weekly basis. 6. Directly to the west of Southill Hall, also abutting the northern boundary of the site is Garden Cottage, a residential property. Mill House and Watermill Cottage situated on Mill Lane to the south west of the site are the next closest residential properties to the site. 7. The application is being reported to planning committee because it constitutes major development due to the size of the application site and the permanent nature of the proposed structures constitutes operational development. The Proposal 8. Planning permission is sought for the permanent use of the woods as a paintballing facility, including associated structures and ancillary development. At the present time the proposed operator would be Delta Force, a nationwide operating company. 9. A large operational site, of approximately 2 hectares, within the central area of the wider wood would be defined for paintballing activities. Outside of this area there would be a permanent exclusion zone. The proposed site layout plan defines six different individual ‘battle zones’, straddling across the Burn extending in a linear layout. It is within each of the areas that the proposed paintball games sessions would take place. Within each ‘battle zone’ rustic timber structures provide various different contexts for play. A summarised list of the game zones and their intended structures is set out for ease below; • Tank zone- tank, timber fence structures and two timber footbridges over burn with camouflage netting. • Speedball zone- moveable drums, no fixed structures. • Crypt zone- timber crypt, coffin and grave headstone structures (2.4m by 21.m maximum size) • Village zone- timber fence structures and hut structures with camouflage net cover (2.6m by 3.8m). Footbridge. • Castle zone-timber play castle of 22m in length and 5m in height (at longest and highest point) and two small timber huts. Two timber footbridges over burn. • Watchtower zone-4m high watch tower surrounded by fencing and four timber huts of varying size, maximum 4m in height and 4.8m in length • Base camp area-Two ex-military tents to be used as shelters. The largest being 14.6m in length, 5.6m in width and 3m in height. One to be used as a gun rack. A small timber framed building to be used as a score board. A black shipping container, 6m in length and 2.6m in height to be used for the sale of drinks and confectionary and additional paintball pellets. 10. Each paintball zone perimeter as well as the approaching footpath into the site would be delineated by 3m high black mesh fencing. Exclusion zones outside of the battle zone area would be marked by timber posts (1.1m high) and high visibility rope. Participants would stay within the demarcated areas and would only fire guns within the meshed fencing areas of the game zones. Bark paths would link between the base camp and individual zones. Terram fabric would be used underneath the chippings in well used areas. 11. The applicant has advised that Delta Force paintball sites generally operate on a Saturday and Sunday between February and November, some weekends in December and January and an average of one additional day per week throughout the year. This additional day in reality is likely to be cumulatively during summer months and school holidays in particular. Participants attend in groups for the whole day, between 10am and 4pm with staff in attendance from 8:30-5.30m to prepare and clear-up. This would include safety briefings and brakes to include the delivery of pizzas for lunch (if required). 12. The applicants agent has advised that it would be intended that the maximum number of people on site would be 150. The use of the battle zones would be rotated to allow the woodland floor to recover. Therefore the maximum capacity of the site at any one time would be 30 people (15 people in each team) in 5 zones. 13. All the game zones would be rested for a period of at least 3 months at a time to encourage ground flora regeneration. Dead wood and fallen trees would be retained within the woodland. 14. The operators originally advised that they would be happy to limit paintballing activities to a maximum of 150 days a year, approximately every Saturday and Sunday and one day per week). Subsequently the applicant, in response to concerns raised by officers would accept a further restriction of limiting activities to up to 75 days a year. 15. Access to the site is from the existing access into the car park at Mill Cottage. Mill Cottage would be re-furbished in order to provide storage, toilet facilities and a registration office as well as incorporation of a registration counter area. A small timber extension would be rebuilt and extended as well as the opening up of blocked up windows. Participants would then walk down a path adjacent the house into the woods to the base camp. 16. The applicants agent advises that in the winter months, a limited amount of external lighting would be required at the base camp at the end of the day to enable staff to clear up. The applicants agents advise that the paintball pellets are non-toxic and biodegradable. A regular litter pick up is proposed. The operator would also arrange for a refuse disposal company to empty commercial bins housed adjacent the property/car park area to be picked up once a week, in line with procedures already carried out at other Delta Force sites 17. The existing car park would be extended in an easterly direction into the adjacent field and be enclosed by a new hawthorn, holly and beech hedge. This would be the only entrance into the site by participants. An existing entrance at the western side of the wood would provide for woodland maintenance. 18. The proposal relates to the use of the site for paintballing activities and there would not be any use of motorised vehicles on the site, such as quad bikes or buggies. 19. The applicants agent originally advised that the proposals would provide 10 part-time jobs. Very recently the applicants agent has now advised that 2 full-time and 20 part-time jobs would be created. Although it is unclear whether all these would be new. PLANNING HISTORY 20. A previous operator applied for planning permission to operate paintballing at the site in 2002.Temporary planning permission for a period of 5 years was granted in March 2006 for the change of use from woodland/agriculture for paintballing activities for a maximum of 75 days per annum including ancillary car parking adjacent to Mill Cottage. 21. It is understood that the operator who gained this temporary planning permission in 2006 operated limited use of the site from between 2000 and 2006 under their permitted development rights which allows such activities to take place for up to 28 days a year without the requirement for planning permission. 22. This temporary permission expired in March 2011.