6 Application No C20/0649/44/LL Land near Gelert, Penamser, Porthmadog, LL49 9NX PDF 59 KB
Application for the erection
of an ~5MWe gas fired standby power station and associated infrastructure.
LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Selwyn Griffiths
Link
to relevant background documents
Additional documents:
Decision:
DECISION: TO REFUSE
Reasons
1. Sufficient
evidence has not been submitted regarding the need for the development or its
use of fossil fuel that would undermine Gwynedd Council's climate emergency
statement. To this end, it is considered
that the proposal is contrary to the general aims of the Anglesey and Gwynedd
Joint Local Development Plan 2017, together with policies PS7 and ADN3
specifically that promote the provision of renewable or low carbon energy,
policies PS5, PS6 and PCYFF 5 in terms of alleviating the impact of climate
change and carbon management, and Planning Policy Wales, Edition 11, 2021,
paragraphs 5.7.2, 5.7.6 and 5.7.11.
2. No
specific justification has been submitted as part of the application for the
proposal on this site and therefore it cannot be confirmed that the loss of
employment land is acceptable and the proposal is therefore contrary to the
requirements of policies PS5, PS13, CYF 1, CYF 3 and CYF 5 of the Anglesey and
Gwynedd Joint Local Development Plan 2017 that controls developments on land
designated for employment use.
3. The
proposal falls within the classification of a development that is highly
vulnerable to damage, and insufficient evidence has been submitted to ensure
that the proposal complies with the Council's strategy, therefore the proposal
is unacceptable in terms of flooding and does not comply with the requirements
of policy PS 6 of the Anglesey and Gwynedd Joint Local Development Plan 2017
together with criterion (i) of paragraph 6.2 of Technical Advice Note 15
Development and Flood Risk.
Minutes:
Application to site a ~5MWe
gas fired standby power station with associated infrastructure
Attention was drawn to
the late observations form.
a)
The Development Control Team Leader elaborated on the application's background and
noted that it was a full application to site a 5MWe fast response flexible
electricity generating facility and associated works to include CCTV cameras,
amenity cabins, gas kiosk, tanks, fencing and various structures on land at the
side of the Gelert site, Penamser
Business Park on the outskirts of Porthmadog. It was added that the site was
within a C1 flood zone and was an Employment Protection site as defined in the
Local Development Plan (LDP)
If approved, the
proposal would enable fast generation of electricity should it be required when
the local network cannot generate this. It was explained that the facility
would run (albeit occasionally) on gas, and therefore would be dependent on
fossil fuel. It was recognised that similar applications had been approved by
the Local Planning Authority in other locations on the grounds that they would
form part of the support network that could be used when the renewable supply
was insufficient within the local network. By now, similar proposals had been
refused on appeal due to their dependency on fossil fuel in circumstances where
councils had declared a climate emergency and also where there was a lack of
evidence about the need to generate energy by burning fossil fuel. It was noted that Gwynedd Council had
recognised and declared a climate emergency in March 2019, promoting the
reduction in carbon use as part of their strategy.
In order to
alleviate the effects of climate change, proposals will only be permitted where
it can be demonstrated that they have fully taken account of and responded to
the criteria that includes the energy hierarchy, which includes reducing energy
demand, energy efficiency and using low or zero carbon energy technologies
wherever practical and to take full advantage of the contribution of renewable
energy or low carbon technology to satisfy the requirements of the proposal for
electricity and heating. It was
highlighted that statements had been submitted by the agent, however, there was
no evidence submitted of the specific need for this provision, or that it would
be possible to provide the supply via other low carbon or renewable means. The
proposal before them did not offer employment use, beyond the period of
installation, and although it was recognised that the proposed site was small
and awkward, with vacant units within the business park, there was no specific
justification for the proposal and it could not be confirmed that the loss of
employment land was acceptable in terms of policies PS 13, CYF 1 or CYF 3 of
the LDP.
It was added that the site was located within a C1 flooding zone and the proposal was to provide a gas power station to generate electricity, that according to the definitions included in Technical Advice Note 15: Development and Flooding Risk was a highly vulnerable development. ... view the full minutes text for item 6