Agenda item 4 Borough Council of Wellingborough Planning Committee Wednesday 29 October 2014 at 7.00 pm Council Chamber, Swanspool House INDEX Application Location Page No. WP/14/00359/FUL Land at Stonebrig Lane Hardwick Road Little Harrowden Site Viewing Group 2 WP/14/00368/FUL Land off (opposite 240) Sywell Road Mears Ashby Site Viewing Group 30 WP/14/00573/OUT Land adjacent 14 Avenue Road Finedon Site Viewing Group 45 WP/14/00385/COU 34 Hatton Avenue Wellingborough 54 WP/14/00445/FUL 4 Gray Close Earls Barton Northampton 68 WP/14/00480/REM Land off the A509 Niort Way and the A510 Northen Way and south of Great Harrowden Wellingborough 72 WP/14/00526/FUL Land adjacent 43 to 65 Chapman Road The Embankment Wellingborough 85 WP/14/00586/VAR Land off the A509 Niort Way and the A510 Northen Way and south of Great Harrowden Wellingborough 94 WP/14/00625/EXT Redwell Infant and Junior School Barnwell Road Wellingborough County Matter 99 WP/2014/0025 Land opposite sports ground Grendon Road Earls Barton For Information 102 Planning Committee 1 of 118 29 October 2014 BOROUGH COUNCIL OF WELLINGBOROUGH Planning Committee 29 October 2014 Site Viewing Group (Date of visit Tuesday 28th October 2014 at 11.20 a.m.) Report of the Head of Planning and Local Development Case Officer Erica Buchanan WP/14/00359/FUL Date received Date valid Overall Expiry Ward Parish 2 June 2014 4 June 2014 3 September 2014 North Little Harrowden Applicant JBM Solutions Limited Agent Mr Simon Chamberlayne Location Land at Stonebrig Lane Hardwick Road Little Harrowden Wellingborough Northamptonshire Proposal Construction of a ground-mounted solar farm with associated works. PLANNING HISTORY: WP/14/00359/FUL Determination pending. Construction of a ground-mounted solar farm with associated works. BW/1987/0200 Refused Erection of general purposed agricultural building an two vehicular accesses WP/2003/0713 05.12.2003 New steel framed open fronted general purpose building NOTE: Application deferred at Planning Committee on the 1st October 2014 for Site Viewing Group to visit. Late letters received - please refer to previous Committee's Late letter list on website. http://www.wellingborough.gov.uk/meetings/committee/19/planning_committee Additional information - WBC has commissioned additional landscape advice as follows - "OPUN Walk and Talk report for the proposed Solar Photovoltaic Farm at Stonebrig Lane, Little Harrowden for Borough Council of Wellingborough. Monday 16th September 2014. Planning Committee 2 of 118 29 October 2014 WP/14/00359/FUL Built Environment © Crown Copyright and database right 2014. Scale: Ordnance Survey 100018694. Legend This map is accurate 1:12,500 Cities Revealed to the scale specified Aerial Photography copyright: when reproduced at A4 WP/14/00359/FUL - Land at Stonebrig Lane, Hardwick Road, Little Harrowden ± GetMapping PLC 1999 In attendance Heather Emery -. OPUN Panel and Chair John deJardin - OPUN Panel OPUN Panel Sally Bassett - OPUN .OPUN. Erica Buchanan - WBC Planning Tearn BCW Felicity Webber - WBC Landscape Officer BCW Simon Chamberlayne - Pegasus Stephen Wadsworth - Pegasus David Cramer - JBM Brendan O'Brien - JBM Ebbe Pia Dinesen - Hardwick Parish Council We write following the Walk and Talk of the proposal Solar Photovoltaic Farm at Stonebrig lane and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for utilising the OPUN Design Support Services. We hope that you have found the process to be constructive. Site Context The site is a field broadly rectangular in shape circa 31.2 hectares. The site is situated with access from Stonebrig Lane a bridle path leading off Hardwick Road. The site has no special land designation, and is set alongside other open fields. The site is close to the villages of Hardwick .8km to the south which is in a conservation area and little Harrowden 1.6km to the north, The site can be seen from Stonebrig lane as well as the footpath which runs from the site to the village of Hardwick. There are oblique views from other footpaths around the site. The site owners have control of the hedgerow running along Hardwick Road which offers the longest view to the site from the layby. The layby is used. mainly by local people who come to walk dogs along the public footpath (Stonebrig Lane) running from the road done to the corner of the proposed site. The hedge has recently been cut and stands about 3m high. Site considerations and concerns Views of the site from several public footpaths are noted as considerations, as are views from the roads surrounding the site. Concern has been raised about the impact the site will have on these views. There is direct line of sight to two dwelling houses' upstairs windows in Hardwick village which has also been raised as being impacted by the site development. Consultation has yielded response from Hardwick, to which the site faces. Residents object on the grounds of interrupted views. Borough Council of Wellingborough feels that these views are not likely to be disrupted to such an extent as to harm local amenities. No concerns have been raised by residents of Harrowden as the site is not seen from this village. Stonebridge Lane offers good access to the site from Hardwick Road for construction traffic? Archaeological considerations have been raised and trail trenching has been undertaken. Details will not be clear until post determination and results may affect the Planning Committee 3 of 118 29 October 2014 percentage coverage of PV panels on the site. The plans and the site visit Having reviewed the plans the panel members were joined on site by the local authority, JBM, Pegasus and the Parish Council. Time was taken to consider the key viewpoints, the surrounding character of the area and features of the site. As well as key view points from the access road, public footpaths and Hardwick village. The panel noted that they were considering only the views into the site and not views out from the site. Discussion points and panel comments Views to the site from surrounding footpaths and villages. The panel agreed that the solar farm will undoubtedly have an impact on this rural setting and that although there were no long full views some of the viewpoints along footpaths would be affected. However the panel suggested that this impact should not necessarily outweigh the benefits of the solar farm. The panel agreed that with carefully considered modifications the impact of the site on key viewpoints could be reduced. The objections of Hardwick village were understood as was the choice of the site and the panel sought to suggest ways in which the concerns of the residents could be mitigated through design and landscaping. Stonebrig Lane affords the broadest view of the site and panel encouraged the applicants to consider how this boundary could be managed to further mitigate impact of the site on views from the road. The views of the site from the Hardwick footpath were noted but it was suggested that with careful reinforcement of the boundaries this could be mitigated to a large degree. It was also noted that hedgerows may need thickening as much as 3 times to ensure winter visibility was lessened. The panel agreed that the site is likely to be visible from the two houses in Hardwick Village but this would be from second floor windows. The panel suggested that the applicant's plans to reinforce boundaries could be strengthened through a more detailed on and offsite landscape framework containing more details around reinforcing hedgerows. Such a plan could be conditioned at determination. Thought should also be given to species planted, soil preparation, planting pattern and on-going maintenance all of which would demonstrate a more positive approach. Thought must also be given to the establishment of any planting in the first3-5 years and the management of boundaries in the years to come. Long term management and maintenance plans must be in place and well monitored. Layout and design of the site The view most likely to cause concern is that from the east of the site where the mass of PV panels will be located which are not a natural feature and likely to give the site an industrial feel at odds with the rural setting. The panel asked if the percentage coverage of PVs could be reduced and the site still retain viability. With less PV coverage and Planning Committee 4 of 118 29 October 2014 additional landscaping on and off site the potential adverse impact on the surrounding countryside would be reduced. The panel noted that the more distant views seemed less urban than the closer views from the footpaths. The layout of the panels was thought to give a somewhat urban feel to the site. The applicants were asked to consider how they might break up the mass panelling views by being more inventive, perhaps inserting wedges of trees or hedgerow to break the line of the panels when viewed at various points from the distance. During discussion it was suggested that looking at historic maps might give ideas for improving layout or breaking up the lines in the view. A fuller analysis of all viewpoints was recommended and that this might inform the layout of the panels and produce a design solution to break up the overall mass of the site when viewed from round about. Materials, construction and maintenance The colour and height of the CCTV poles were queried by the panel and suggested that black poles are preferable to green ones and more likely to appear recessive. The number of cameras might also be reduced depending on the number of panels installed once archaeological considerations and layouts are determined.