Committee Environmental Day MONDAY Sub-Committee PLANNING Date 5 JANUARY 1998 Place of Meeting County Hall, Oxford Time 2.00 pm A G E N D A Please address any general enquiries on this agenda to Graham Warrington, County Hall, Oxford OX1 1ND (Tel: Oxford 815321). Press enquiries should be directed to the Media Manager on Oxford 815266. NOTE:Site visits are required for items PL6 (C29/97 Thornbury House, Kidlington), PL7, PL11 and PL12. A detailed itinerary will follow as soon as possible. Members are reminded of the obligation to declare any interest relevant to business to be conducted at this meeting, and of the convention as to withdrawal from the meeting for the relevant item unless the interest is not one which debars the member from speaking thereon (see page G2 of the Council's Manual). 1. Election to Chair - (Conservative Group) 2. Apologies for Absence and Temporary Appointments 3. Minutes Minutes of the meeting held on 17 November 1997 (PL3). 4. Matters arising from the Minutes 5. Petitions and Public Address OPERATIONAL ITEMS 6. COUNTY COUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATIONS Report by Director of Environmental Services (PL6). The following current applications for County Council development, made under Regulation 3 of the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992, are detailed in the schedules appended to the report:- Application No. C.29/97 (detailed). Construction of extensions to Secure Unit, including security fencing, recreation areas, car park and landscaping, Thornbury House, The Moors, Kidlington. Application No. S.27/97 (detailed) . Erection of two prefabricated double classroom buildings for a temporary period of 5 years, Didcot Girls School, Sherwood Road, Didcot. Application No. W.11/97 (detailed) Construction of footbridge across River Windrush, crossing of River Windrush 200 metres N.W. of Newbridge, Standlake. It is RECOMMENDED that subject to consideration of any further representations received by the date of the meeting, the applications be determined as recommended in the schedule appended to the report, subject to the detailed wording of the recommended conditions being agreed by the Chief Planning Officer. 7.* EXTRACTION FOR FULLER'S EARTH AT MOOR MILL FARM, UFFINGTON (APPLICATION NO UFF/14511-CM) Report by Director of Environmental Services (PL7). The report describes an application by Laporte Absorbents (Baulking) Ltd for the extraction of 250,000 tonnes of fullers earth at Moor Mill Farm. The proposal has been assessed in the light of the development plan. Key areas of concern relate to the impact of the proposal on the acquatic Page 1 environment, the national need for the mineral and the transport of the mineral from the site to the processing plant at Baulking. The applicants have satisfied the County Council and consultees that the proposal will not have a detrimental impact upon the aquatic environment, in particular the Fernham Meadows SSSI, the River Ock and Uffington Brook. The national need for the mineral has been justified by the applicant and supported by the Department of Trade & Industry. The applicants favour transporting the mineral along the public highway and do not consider any off road options to be practicable. There has been considerable local opposition to the transport of the mineral along the public highway. It is RECOMMENDED that application UFF/145H-CM be advertised as a departure from the development plan and subject to the Secretary of State confirming that he does not intend to call in the application for his own determination planning permission be granted for the proposed development subject to:- (a) prior completion of appropriate legal agreements to the satisfaction of the Director of Environmental Services and Assistant Chief Executive & Solicitor to the Council to secure: (i) funding of long term maintenance of the lake area; (ii) necessary and reasonable highways improvements, which include the following: (2) Station Road - Carriageway edge strengthening - Carriageway resurfacing/reconstruction - Provision of 3 passing bays - Improved signing to the two bridges (3) Baulking Road - Carriageway edge strengthening - Protective kerbing to Baulking Bridge and resurfacing of carriageway - Carriageway strengthening east of Laporte's existing plant entrance - A417 - Priority signing to Baulking Bridge (4) Station Road/ - Visibility improvements requiring Baulking Road Junction carriageway widening. (iii) monitoring of the water levels in the River Ock, dewatering of the quarry and groundwater levels; (iv) a railway track levelling survey to be undertaken prior to the dewatering operations on the site; (v) routeing of all HGVs ingressing and egressing the site; (b) conditions to be determined by the Director of Environmental Services to include: (1) end date of 31 December 2008, including removal of all buildings and structures and restoration. (2) complete compliance with plans and particulars. (3) phasing of mineral extraction area. (4) standard hours with no lorry movements during schoolchildren's arrival and departure times. (5) mitigation of any adverse changes to groundwater levels. (6) details of works for storm or surface water run-off. (7) details of the diversion relating to Uffington Brook. (8) dedicated loading pad for the mineral. (9) noise and dust prevention measures. Page 2 (10) maintenance of planting. (11) archaeological mitigation measures. (12) aftercare. 8. AN APPLICATION BY WYATT BROS (OXFORD) LTD FOR CLAY EXTRACTION AT WATERSTOCK GOLF COURSE, WHEATLEY (APPLICATION NO P97/NO612/CM) WITHOUT COMPLYING WITH CONDITION 15 OF PLANNING PERMISSION P93/NO476/CM Report by Director of Environmental Services (PL8). An application has been made by Wyatt Bros (Oxford) Ltd for clay extraction at Waterstock Golf Course, Wheatley (Application No P97/NO612/CM). The application is to continue extraction of clay at Waterstock Golf Course for a further year. The clay has been extracted to create two irrigation lakes. Enforcement action has been taken against the unauthorised deposit of waste to create landscape mounds. Some of the imported material has been deposited in the lake. An application for an additional revised 9 hole course layout and landscape scheme has been submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC). The application was refused by SODC Planning committee but has been reconsidered by the full District Council meeting on 18 December 1997. This council has objected to this application as significant amounts of additional material would be brought onto the site. The applicants in a second affidavit submitted as part of an application for judicial review claimed there was no need for an irrigation lake if the application for the 9 hole layout is refused. Policy SD5 of the Minerals and Waste Local Plan identifies the area where clay extraction will normally be permitted. Waterstock Golf course is not one of these areas. It is RECOMMENDED that subject to South Oxfordshire District Council confirming the refusal of the application for the 9 hole revised layout, planning permission be refused in respect of application no. P97/NO612/CM for the extraction of clay without complying with condition No (end date of 1 November 1997) of planning permission P93/NO476 on the grounds that the proposal is contrary to the Minerals and Waste Local Plan policy SD5 in that it is not within a recognised area for clay extraction and the applicant acknowledges that in the absence of permission for a further 9 holes of golf there is no need for an irrigation lake. (8a) AN APPLICATION BY THE TRUSTEES OF THE PHILLIMORE SETTLED ESTATE FOR LANDRAISING OF FIELD NG NO. 5353 WITH INERT WASTE TRANSFERRED FROM FIELD NG NO. 0200 AT HAMPSTEAD BOTTOM, SHIPLAKE - APPLICATION NO. P96/SO706/CM Report by the Director of Environmental Services 9. AN APPLICATION BY THE DOWNS STONE COMPANY LTD FOR THE EXTENSION OF A STONE QUARRY AT CASTLE BARN QUARRY, SARSDEN (APPLICATION W97/1530) Report by Director of Environmental Services (PL9). The Downs Stone Company Ltd. have applied for planning permission to extend the limestone quarrying operations at Castle Barn Quarry, Sarsden to produce dimension and walling stone. The quarry lies within the Cotswold AONB. The existing quarry has become choked with spoil and the working methods have become irregular and uneconomic. The proposal accords with Minerals & Waste plan policy SD3 and is not considered to have a detrimental impact upon the Cotswold AONB as the site is well screened and the nearest residential property lies more than 300m south west of the extension area. Before the extended area can be quarried 8000 m3 of waste rock would need to be crushed and exported. This would be controlled by condition and a routeing agreement. The routeing agreement would also extend to the trailers transporting stone from the quarry to the Lower Buildings. Once the quarrying has been completed the site would be restored to woodland, agriculture and a geological feature would remain. The applicants have agreed to provide long term funding for the site. It is RECOMMENDED that planning permission be granted for Application No W97/1530 Page 3 subject to: (a) prior completion of an appropriate legal agreement to the satisfaction of the Director of Environmental Services and Assistant Chief Executive & Solicitor to the Council to secure: (i) a routeing agreement for vehicles accessing and egressing the site; (ii)funding of long term management and maintenance of the site; (iii)revocation of permission DAR/SAH/1218/92; (b) conditions to be determined by the Director of Environmental Services to include: (1) end date of December 31 2009, including removal of buildings or structures and restoration; (2) complete compliance with plans and particulars; (3) standard hours of working; (4) strict limits on the crushing and export of stone; (5) implementation and maintenance of planting; (6) submission of an aftercare scheme; (7) noise and dust prevention measures. 10. APPLICATION BY MR T LUDLOW FOR THE CHANGE OF USE OF AN AGRICULTURAL BUILDING TO A WASTE TRANSFER AND RECYCLING FACILITY AT FIELD FARM, NORTH WESTON, THAME (APPLICATION NO.