PLANNING STATEMENT XDP Express Units 4-6 Fairview Industrial Estate Kingsbury Road Curdworth Sutton Coldfield B76 9EE Planning Statement 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 This Planning Statement has been prepared to accompany a planning application submitted to Lichfield District Council on behalf of XDP Express. The application seeks consent for the erection of 2 no. canopies to cover the existing external loading areas. 1.2 Prior to the submission of the application, the principle of the proposed development was discussed with Mr C Nash, the Area Planning Officer in a series of emails between 26 November and 11 December 2012. This exchange of e-mails is produced at Appendix 1. Planning History 1.3 There is no relevant planning history. The Application Site and its Surroundings 1.4 The application site is located within the Fairview Industrial Estate which is located on the northern side of Kingsbury Road at Curdworth. The industrial estate comprises an estate of units in a range of B1 light industrial, B2 general industrial and B8 storage and distribution uses. The estate is of late 20th Century construction. Residential development lies to the south of Kingsbury Road, the Fazeley Canal lies along the northern boundary of the Estate. The Application Proposals 1.5 XDP Express was formed in 1996. It is a privately owned parcel carrier. The company has a team of over 500 staff. At the premises in Curdworth, XDP Express operate a manual sortation system whereby freight is taken in each day from various sources XDP Express 2 Units 4-6 Fairview Industrial Estate Kingsbury Road Curdworth Sutton Coldfield B76 9EE Planning Statement and redistributed for delivery to customers. The manual sortation system is seen as being a unique selling point of XDP Express since they are able to boast greater flexibility in the type of freight it carries and this ensures a much lower incidence of damage occurrence when compared to automated systems that are operated by its rivals. 1.6 At Curdworth much of the manual sortation of freight and the loading and unloading of vehicles takes place on the existing concrete yard areas. This raises a number of health and safety issues, particularly when weather is inclement, having regard to the fact that much of the loading and unloading takes place during the evening. 1.7 XDP Express propose to cover the external loading and unloading area with 2 no. portal framed canopies. These canopies are shown on the application drawings and described in more detail in the submitted Design and Access Statement. XDP Express 3 Units 4-6 Fairview Industrial Estate Kingsbury Road Curdworth Sutton Coldfield B76 9EE Planning Statement 2.0 PLANNING POLICY 2.1 Fairview Industrial Estate is identified on the Curdworth Inset to the North Warwickshire Local Plan as an existing employment area. Local Plan Policy ECON1 indicates that within existing industrial estates Class B1(B) and Class B1(C) uses together with Class B2 – general industrial and Class B8 – storage and distribution uses will be permitted on the identified industrial estate. XDP Express 4 Units 4-6 Fairview Industrial Estate Kingsbury Road Curdworth Sutton Coldfield B76 9EE Planning Statement 3.0 PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS 3.1 This application is seen as ensuring that XDP Express can continue to operate successfully at its existing premises at Curdworth. XDP Express is a significant employer employing some 500 people of which some 110 are based at Curdworth. 3.2 As described in the introduction, the manual sortation system that is operated by XDP Express takes place principally in the open air upon the existing hardstandings. This raises particular health and safety issues particularly when the weather is inclement and having regard to the fact that much of the loading and unloading takes place during the evening. The proposed canopies are intended to provide a cover across the external loading and unloading areas. 3.3 When consulted on the application Mr Nash, the Area Planning Officer stated (see Appendix 1) “In short this [is] likely to be acceptable given it is with[in] a settlement boundary and within an identified industrial zone”. (Words in square brackets inserted by CT Planning for clarity). 3.4 The proposed canopies will be open sided so as to have a limited impact upon existing access arrangements but will provide a cover providing for improved protection for the staff and parcels during the loading and unloading process. The height of the proposed canopies are such that it will enable HGVs to pass or to operate beneath the canopy. 3.5 The proposed canopies are to be constructed immediately alongside the existing range of buildings, they are a similar height to the existing buildings. As a consequence the proposed canopies are unlikely to be viewed from outside the existing industrial estate. 3.6 The proposed canopies will simply provide cover for activities that presently take place in the open, twenty four hours a day, seven days per week. As a consequence there will be no additional activity and no additional noise. It is submitted that the proposed development would not have any significant impact upon those living conditions. XDP Express 5 Units 4-6 Fairview Industrial Estate Kingsbury Road Curdworth Sutton Coldfield B76 9EE Planning Statement 3.7 The proposed canopies will enable the existing operation of XDP Express to continue to prosper at the site thus maintaining the significant amount of employment it supports. The proposed development will enable XDP Express to provide improved conditions for its staff, protect the parcels it receives thus enabling the company to continue to compete with rival companies. This will assist in the retention of employment at the site. 3.8 Insofar as the proposed covers are related to an existing employment use, the proposed development is considered to be entirely consistent with Local Plan Policy ECON1. Conclusions 3.9 This application relates to an existing operator within an existing Industrial Estate within the Curdworth Settlement Boundary. The proposed canopies will simply provide a cover across an existing external loading and unloading area. This will provide improved conditions for employees and enable XDP Express to continue to compete with rival operators. In turn the proposed development will help to secure existing employment at the site. The proposed development is considered to be entirely consistent with Local Plan Policy ECON1 and in these circumstances planning permission should be granted. CET/BT/CMF/3998 14 March 2013 XDP Express 6 Units 4-6 Fairview Industrial Estate Kingsbury Road Curdworth Sutton Coldfield B76 9EE Planning Statement 4.0 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Exchange of email correspondence with Mr C Nash, the Area Planning Officer at North Warwickshire Borough Council between 26 November and 11 December 2012 XDP Express 7 Units 4-6 Fairview Industrial Estate Kingsbury Road Curdworth Sutton Coldfield B76 9EE Planning Statement A P P Exchange of email correspondence with Mr C Nash, the Area Planning Officer E at North Warwickshire Borough Council between 26 November and 11 December 2012 N D I X 1 XDP Express 8 Units 4-6 Fairview Industrial Estate Kingsbury Road Curdworth Sutton Coldfield B76 9EE PLANNING STATEMENT XDP Express Units 4-6 Fairview Industrial Estate Kingsbury Road Curdworth Sutton Coldfield B76 9EE Our Reference: CET/BT/CMF/3998 Date: 14 March 2013 CT Planning Limited Trafalgar House 20a Market Street Lichfield Staffordshire WS13 6LH Tel: 01543 418779 Fax: 01543 418115 Email: [email protected].