Agenda item

Engineering and associated works to form enclosed area in association with storage use

The Committee received a report of the Senior Planning Officer with regards to an application for engineering and associated works to form enclosed area in association with storage use at Land North Of Emerald Biogas, Preston Road, Aycliffe Business Park, Newton Aycliffe DL5 6AB (for copy see file of minutes).

The Senior Planning Officer reported an update to Condition 5 which was to be amended to reference the removal of three individual trees within the scheme and the following paragraph be inserted into the condition;

These individual trees are T1, T2 and T3 as identified in the hereby approved 'Arboricultural Impact Assessment & Method Statement For Trees On Land Adjacent To Preston Road, Newton Aycliffe' by All About Trees, dated February 2024.

The Senior Planning Officer also advised that Condition 13 be amended to;

No storage containers shall be stored within the site above the height of 3 metres.

The Senior Planning Officer gave a detailed presentation which included a site location plan, aerial photograph, an approved site plan from 2013, the previous proposed site plan considered at the meeting in October, an amended site plan showing the creation of an on-site habitat to the east of the site, and proposed elevations and site photographs from various locations.

Mr Greally addressed the Committee on behalf of the Applicant to confirm that the application had been deferred in October to provide time to address outstanding concerns regarding the priority species, Dingy Skipper.  The Applicant had met with the Ecology team following the meeting to devise an appropriate strategy and amend the proposal.  The amendments would ensure that the area would be retained in its existing state and conditions were agreed to ensure that further details be provided.

The site would deliver significant benefits for storage use which was in accordance with the longstanding site allocation carried forward from the former Sedgefield Local Plan in favour of employment use.  The open space would provide outdoor storage for goods and machinery for new and existing businesses, reducing the potential for business relocation to meet storage needs.

In response to question from Councillor Elmer, the Ecology Manager advised that the Applicant was only required to ensure the protection and management of Dingy Skipper butterfly on site during both construction and operational phases of the development.  After the meeting in October, the Applicant and Ecology Team had met and agreed an appropriate strategy for managing Dingy Skipper.  The proposal had been amended to reduce the area of development so that more land was retained in its existing state and the conditions would ensure that further details were provided for the protection of the existing habitat areas during the construction period.  It also included the creation of new suitable areas.  The scheme would deliver significant benefits and its use was in accordance with the site's employment use allocation.  The site had been previously allocated as a local Wildlife Site , however this had been removed partly in response to the southern half of the site being developed previously.

Councillor Bell advised that it had been a shame to refuse the application in October when it had been so near to an acceptable solution and he moved the recommendation with the amendments to conditions 5) and 13), as outlined by the Senior Planning Officer.

Councillor Atkinson was Local Member and remained in favour of the application.  He seconded the motion to approve the application.

Councillor Elmer advised that he been responsible for surveying the and classifying it as a county Wildlife Site.  He was in support of the application but reminded the Committee that since the original survey twenty years prior, the designation of a county Wildlife Site had been lost.  These were most valuable sites in the county yet for some reason connected with the previous application, an entire site had been lost which was a disappointing aspect of the application.

Councillor Jopling was also concerned about the transfer of a priority species and in response to a question, the Ecology Manager reassured her that the existing Dingy Skipper habitat was to be retained and extended, therefore there was provision should it not be successful to retain what they already had.  The only information required was detail and monitoring.  Councillor Jopling supported the app but advised that the Council must protect designated sites.

Resolved

That the application be APPROVED subject to the conditions outlined in the report and the amendment reported by the Senior Planning Officer.</AI6>

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