Planning Statement Marshalls plc Meetings Industrial Estate Yieldshields Road, Carluke, ML8 4QG 25th February 2021 INDEX 1. INTRODUCTION 2. THE SITE 3. THE APPLICANT 4. THE PROPOSAL 5. PLANNING POLICY 6. PLANNING ASSESSMENT 7. CONCLUSION 1. INTRODUCTION This Planning Statement has been prepared by DM Hall chartered surveyors to accompany two Detailed Planning Applications for “Ground remodelling and creation of hardstanding for use for outside storage and distribution and related surface water drainage” on behalf of Marshalls plc at their plant at Carluke. As explained further below, it is one of two Applications being submitted simultaneously, and with the same descriptions of development. This approach has been discussed with Mr Ian Hamilton Planning Officer (Clydesdale Area) as part of a pre-application consultation (ref: ML8 Marshalls, Carluke). The remainder of the pre-application consultation with Mr Hamilton focused on the technical documents that should be submitted with the Application. Each Planning Application is accompanied by the following drawings and documents: Location Plan; Landscape General Arrangement; Landscape Detailed Proposals; (this) Planning Statement; Transport Statement; Preliminary Geo-Environmental Desk Study; Flood Risk & Drainage Assessment; Noise Impact Assessment; and Ecological Appraisal. In total, the two Applications will extend the hardstanding by 0.97 hectares (Application 1) and 1.15 hectares (Application 2). Application 1 involves the creation of an area of hardstanding on the north east side of the existing Carluke plant, and includes ground remodelling and the creation of a bund that will be landscaped. The hardstanding itself will be formed of an imported base level that will be finished with porous paviors manufactured by Marshalls plc. This Application also includes the surface water drainage proposals for the site comprising of a new swale. The first Application has a total site area of 1.99 hectares thus rendering it a Local development. Application 2 involves the creation of an area of hardstanding on the North West side of the existing Carluke plant, and includes ground remodelling and the creation of a bund that will be landscaped. It will also involve a connection to the surface water drainage proposals included in Application 1. The second Application has a total site area of 1.99 hectares thus rendering it a Local development. 2. THE SITE The Marshalls Carluke plant is located on the south east edge of Carluke, just to the north of the A721. Accesses to the site, of which there are two, are from the B7056 Yieldshields Road. The plant covers an area of c. 6.2 hectares. It currently comprises offices, productions buildings for the manufacture of paviors, and hardstanding areas for parking, servicing and the storage of materials and finished product. 2 The nearest neighbours to the plant are other commercial and industrial uses that occupy premises on Yieldshields Road, with the nearest residential properties being houses on General Roy Way, Boghall Road and that front the A721. The nearest of these is c. 230 metres from the nearest point of the proposed new hardstanding proposed by the first Application, and about 100 metres for the second Application. The existing plant is well screened from the A721 at its western end by trees, although is a little more visible as you approach the junction with Yieldshields Road where there are only occasional trees. This part of the site is more open because it used to be a display area for product, although it is no longer used for that purpose. The site can also be seen from further to the north from Yieldshields, and from Stonedyke Road between Yieldshields and Carluke where is it seen at a lower level framed against housing to the rear off Boghall Road. From Yieldshields Road, you can see the plant, although much of the view is screened by a long office building that fronts the road. The accesses into the main part of the plant lie immediately south and north of the office building. The plant itself has 8 main buildings, with the main manufacturing buildings sitting in a line towards the rear of the plant. 3. THE APPLICANT Marshalls is the UK's leading hard landscaping manufacturer, and has been supplying products to the construction, home improvement and landscape markets since the 1890s. The company has owned the plant at Carluke following its acquisition of Paver Systems (Carluke) Limited and Jamestown Stone and Concrete Company Limited in November 2005. The Carluke plant has the ability to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and principally manufactures paviors that are used for a multitude of purposes across the construction sector, with Carluke being the principle plant that serves Scotland. At present, the products it manufactures are part distributed directly from the plant, but are mainly then transported to Marshalls site at Dollar Industrial Estate, Falkirk, where they are then delivered out to wholesales and construction sites. It is this part of the business that will soon be transferring to Carluke, and for which the extended hardstanding is required, as the Falkirk site will soon be closing, with Carluke becoming both the manufacturing and distribution hub for Marshall’s business in Scotland. At present, there are 45 staff employed at Carluke, with the intention that this will grow to 63 as the plant expands. This will include new employees and relocated staff from Falkirk. 4. THE PROPOSAL The proposal has been described above. It involves the import of inert material to allow the formation of a new area of hardstanding that will be at the same level at the existing plant. The imported material will comprise 29 HGV loads per Application phase (or 58 movements per phase) and will come from Abington Quarry, ML12 6SQ. 3 The hardstanding will then be finished with Marshalls paviors, mainly seconds that are deemed not suitable for sale. Some of those seconds are already being stored on site in preparation for their use. Because of the difference in level between the existing site and the adjoining land, all of which is owned by Marshalls, there will be a need to create a new slope and bund to support the hardstanding, which will be landscaped. Further details on the landscaping can be found on the landscaping drawings The first Application also includes the majority of the surface water drainage proposals, comprising a swale feature, which is further detailed in the Flood Risk & Drainage Assessment 5. PLANNING POLICY Section 25 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 as amended requires all applications to be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. In this case, the development plan comprises the approved Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Strategic Development Plan 2017 (GVCSDP), the adopted South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 2015 (SLLDP) and associated Supplementary Guidance. Other material considerations that are relevant include Scottish Planning Policy and the new South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 2 (LDP2), which has been examined and will shortly be adopted. The approved GCVSDP is a high level document that sets out the future development priorities at a strategic level. Its relevance to the current Application is, therefore, limit albeit it supports expansion of existing business and the creation of new jobs. It is thus considered to support the current proposals. The SLLDP was adopted in 29 June 2015 and contains the following policies against which the proposal should be assessed:- • Policy 1: Spatial Strategy • Policy 4: Development management and placemaking • Policy 7: Employment • Policy 16: Travel and Transport • Policy 17 Water Environment and Flooding On 17 August 2020, the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals issued its report of the Examination of the proposed LDP2. For the purposes of determining planning applications, the Council is continuing to assess proposals against the policies contained within the adopted Local Development Plan and those within the proposed South LLDP2 alongside the Reporters recommendations. This will change shortly once LDP2 is adopted In this instance, the following policies are relevant:- • Policy 1 Spatial Strategy • Policy 5 Development Management and Placemaking • Policy 8 Employment • Policy 15 Travel and Transport • Policy 16 Water Environment and Flooding As the policies are largely the same in both Plans, the discussion below concentrates on the adopted policies. 4 In the SLLDP and LDP2, the Carluke plant, and the entirety of the land proposed to be included in the first and second Applications is identified as a Core Industrial and Business Area. In that regard, the proposals already, therefore, accord with Policy 1 Spatial Strategy and Policy 7/8 Employment in both Plans and so no further discussion of these policies are included below. Scottish Planning Policy (SPP), published in 2020, is relevant to these proposals only inasmuch as it sets out the Scottish Government’s desire that the planning system helps meet the needs and opportunities of indigenous firms and inward investors. Also in SPP there is a presumption in favour of development that contributes to sustainable development, with the planning system supporting economically, environmentally and socially sustainable places by enabling development that balances the costs and benefits of a proposal over the longer term. Policies and decisions should give due weight to net economic benefit, respond to economic issues and make efficient use of existing capacities of land, buildings and infrastructure, and also have due regard to the principles of sustainable land use. Policy 4 Development Management and Placemaking is the main policy at issue with these proposals and requires the following: “All development proposals will require to take account of and be integrated with the local context and built form. Development proposals should have no significant adverse impacts on the local community and where appropriate, should include measures to enhance the environment as well as address the six qualities of placemaking (as detailed in Appendix 1 of the DMPDSG).