Agenda Item 5.1 Regulatory and Other Committee Open Report on behalf of Andy Gutherson Executive Director for Place Report to: Planning and Regulation Committee Date: 3 February 2020 Subject: County Matter Application - 18/0714/CCC Summary: Planning permission is sought by Lincoln Proteins Ltd (Agent: JHWalter LLP) for the erection of an animal by-products processing facility to include two processing buildings for Category 1 (and Category 2) and Category 3 material, associated ducting, ancillary boiler houses, covered filtration beds with flues, 35 metre high composite stack, water treatment plant, internal roadways, employee welfare buildings, stores, weighbridge, weighbridge kiosk, trailer park, visitor and staff car park, attenuation lagoons, clean water pond, landscaping, new vehicular access to Folly Lane, upgraded second access, 2.4 metre paladin fencing, change of use and alterations to the two existing dwellings to form ancillary offices and demolition of all other existing buildings at Villa Farm, Folly Lane, Norton Disney. Recommendation: Following consideration of the relevant development plan policies and the comments received through consultation and publicity it is recommended that planning permission be refused. The Application 1. Planning permission is sought for the erection of an animal by-products processing facility to include two processing buildings for Category 1 (and Category 2) and Category 3 material, associated ducting, ancillary boiler houses, covered filtration beds with flues, 35 metre high composite stack, water treatment plant, internal roadways, employee welfare buildings, stores, weighbridge, weighbridge kiosk, trailer park, visitor and staff car park, attenuation lagoons, clean water pond, landscaping, new vehicular access to Folly Lane, upgraded second access, 2.4 metre paladin fencing, change of use and alterations to the two existing dwellings to form ancillary offices and demolition of all other existing buildings at Villa Farm, Folly Lane, Norton Disney. Page 13 Description of Rendering 2. The processing of animal by-products is known as rendering. Within the United Kingdom (and the European Union) animal by-products cannot be sent to landfill and so animal material is rendered. Rendering uses heat and pressure to sterilise and stabilise the animal material. Sterilisation eliminates the risk of disease and stabilisation prevents further decomposition and enables the material to be stored and reprocessed for other uses. 3. The rendering process is formed of a number of stages. Firstly, the raw material is initially screw augured to crushes to reduce the size of the material. The material is then transferred to the cookers in the relevant buildings. The temperature of the material within the cooker is increased by the use of indirect steam. Moisture is then driven off as vapour which is collected and directed to thermal oxidisers. The remaining material is discharged from the cooker on a continuous basis. This remaining material is known as “greaves” and is a mixture of fat and protein. The greaves are directed to high pressure extruder presses which separate the tallow (oil) from the protein (meat and bone meal). The tallow is then screened and centrifuged to remove solids prior to its storage and dispatch. The meat and bone meal is processed to a powder consistency and then cooled for storage and dispatch. 4. The raw material animal by-products used in the rendering process are classified into three distinct categories, based on the risks they pose, as follows: Category 1 - these are classed as the highest risk animal by-products and include carcasses and all body parts of animal suspected of being infected with transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE); carcasses of wild animals suspected of being infected with a disease that humans or animal could contract; carcasses of animals used in experiments; carcasses and body parts from zoo and circus animal or pets; parts of animals that are contaminated due to illegal treatments; international catering waste; and specified risk material. Category 2 - these are classed as high risk animal by-products and include animals rejected from abattoirs due to having infectious diseases; carcasses containing residues from authorised treatments; unhatched poultry that has died in its shell; carcasses of animals killed for disease control purposes; carcasses of dead livestock; manure; and digestive tract content. Category 3 - these are classed as low risk animal by-products and include carcasses or body parts passed fit for human consumption at a slaughterhouse; products or food of animal origin originally meant for human consumption but withdrawn for commercial reasons (not because it is unfit to eat); domestic catering waste; shells from shellfish with soft tissue; eggs, egg by-products, hatchery by-products, eggshells; aquatic animals, aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates; hides and skins from slaughterhouses; animal Page 14 hides, skins, hooves, feathers, wool, horns and hair that had no signs of infectious disease at death; and processed animal proteins. Each category of raw material can produce different end product materials, depending on the original risk category, as set out in the diagram below: Source: EFPRA This proposed facility proposes to process Category 1, 2 and 3 material, with Category 1 and 2 material being processed in the same building. Site Location plan Page 15 Proposed Site Layout plan Category 1 (and Category 2) Processing Building 5. This application proposes to process Category 1 and Category 2 material in the same building, using the same facilities. As such, all of the material would be treated as Category 1 material, that of the highest risk. On the drawings submitted with this application, this building is referred to as a Category 1 building. This building is proposed to be 100 metres long by 30 metres wide. The majority of the building is proposed to have a ridge height of 9.6 metres and a height of the eaves of 7 metres, however, the first 25 metres of the northern end of the building are proposed to have a ridge height of 13.3 metres and an eaves height of 12 metres, although the additional height of this part of the building is limited to half of its width (15 metres). This building is proposed to be raised 0.2 metres above ground level (the dimensions stated above are from this raised level). This building is proposed to have plastic-coated profiled steel sheeting in RAL6009 Fir Green cladding. 6. It is proposed that delivery vehicles would reverse into the reception area of this building. The outer door would be interlocked with the raw material hopper lid so that the hopper lid would only open once the outer door is closed, thus creating an airlock. The area would be maintained under negative pressure with the “room” air being extracted to a bio-filter system. The vehicle would discharge the load into the hopper and the interior of the vehicle would then be washed and disinfected. This wash water would drain into the hopper. The exterior of the vehicle would then be washed and this Page 16 wash water would be discharged to the water treatment plant. Once unloaded and washed, the vehicle would remain in the tipping hall for the period of one air change whilst air is extracted. The vehicle would exit the building in a forward gear, once the hopper lid has been closed. When the airlocks are not in use, all doors and hopper lids would remain closed. The processing building is proposed to contain two 100 tonne capacity hoppers. The raw material then goes through the process described above. Category 1 – General Arrangement plan Category 3 Processing Building 7. The Category 3 processing building would only accept Category 3 raw material. The Category 3 building is also proposed to be 100 metres long by 30 metres wide. The northern-most part of this building is proposed to have a ridge height of 14.6 metres and an eaves height of 12.1 metres, running for 25 metres across the whole width of the building. The remaining 75 metres of the building is proposed to have a ridge height of 9.6 metres and a height to the eaves of 7 metres. This building is proposed to be raised 0.2 metres above ground level (the dimensions stated above are from this raised level). This building is proposed to have plastic-coated profiled steel sheeting in RAL6009 Fir Green cladding. The process described above in relation to the Category 1 building would also take place within the Category 3 building. Page 17 Category 3 – General Arrangement plan Boiler Houses 8. Two boiler houses are proposed to be located between the Category 1 and Category 3 buildings. One is proposed to be 15 metres long by 9 metres wide with a ridge height of 7.1 metres and a height to the eaves of 6.5 metres. The other boiler house is proposed to be 15 metres long by 7 metres wide with a ridge height of 7.1 metres and an eaves height of 6.5 metres. Composite Stack 9. Between the two proposed boiler houses, a composite stack is proposed which would encompass the processing building’s and boiler’s flues. This is proposed to have a diameter of 3.3 metres and a height of 35 metres. Covered Filtration Beds 10. Two covered filtration beds are proposed, one associated with each of the processing buildings. The Category 1 filtration bed is proposed to be located to the north east of the proposed Category 1 building. It is proposed to be 20 metres long by 15 metres wide. It is proposed to have a domed canopy roof to a maximum height of 8 metres and an eaves height of 4 metres. A 15 metre high flue is proposed to be located adjacent to the east elevation of this filtration bed.