Agenda item

Application under Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to vary Condition 8 on planning permission C08A/0209/14/LL (Extension of existing recycling site with erection of new waste transfer building, parking facilities and erection of 5 metre-high perimeter screen) to increase the maximum annual throughput of waste to 125,000 tonnes at a maximum rate of 1,200 tonnes per day and no more than 2,800 tonnes per week

LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Jason W Parry

Link to relevant background documents

·         To approve the application, subject to the following change to Condition 8 on planning permission C08A/0209/14/LL to increase the maximum annual throughput of waste to 125,000 tonnes at a maximum rate of 1,200 tonnes per day and no more than 2,800 tonnes per week to:

With the exception of receiving prior written permission from the waste planning authority, it is not permitted to move more than 125,000 tonnes of dry solid household, commercial and industrial waste through the waste transfer station in any given year at a maximum rate of 1,200 tonnes per day and no more than 2,800 tonnes per week.  It must be ensured that the figures of the site's throughput over any specified period shall be made available to the waste planning authority within 21 days of request.

·         Review of conditions relating to the management and monitoring of noise, dust, odours, litter in accordance with the submitted mitigation details.

Application under Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to vary Condition 8 on planning permission C08A/0209/14/LL (Extension of existing recycling site with erection of new waste transfer building, parking facilities and erection of 5 metre-high perimeter screen) to increase the maximum annual throughput of waste from 75,000 to 125,000 tonnes at a maximum rate of 1,200 tonnes per day and no more than 2,800 tonnes per week.

Attention was drawn to the late observations form.

a)    The Senior Planning Manager – Minerals and Waste expanded on the background of the application, noting that the site had been established on the Industrial Estate in Cibyn for over 20 years which was earmarked on the Local Development Plan's proposals map for B1, B2 and B8 employment use. It was reiterated that Policy GWA 2 (Waste Management on Designated Sites) stated that waste management proposals should be approved on appropriate sites provided that the proposal was in accordance with the waste hierarchy and that there was a clear need for the development which was supported by a Waste Planning Assessment. No further construction or operational changes to the development were proposed.

It was noted that the site provided a commercial waste recycling and transfer service in accordance with the terms of the existing permission. It was explained that the waste received included waste collected in skips namely household waste, commercial and industrial waste and waste from road cleaning work along with some items described as hazardous waste to include car batteries, asbestos sheets bonded with cement and electrical waste. The waste carried to the site would be sorted for recycling or reuse.

It was highlighted that the facility had been operating successfully to the extent that demand from existing customers and potential customers was growing at a rate that would exceed the limit imposed by the planning condition and therefore the applicant was seeking an increase in the permitted throughput of waste. It was reiterated that a recent upgrade to the waste transfer station had led to additional capacity, namely construction and demolition waste and a contract with energy from waste plants in Wales and England meant a supply of material deriving from processing waste from construction, household and commercial sources and it was anticipated that this waste flow would continue. Increased capacity was also needed to provide for an increase in producing and distributing biomass to local biomass operations. It was noted that the site had the capacity to expand and the development proposed here would ensure that the existing facility continued to sort and process materials sustainably and contribute to reaching Welsh Government targets to divert waste from landfill.

In terms of setting targets for managing household, industrial and commercial waste, 'Towards Zero Waste' insisted that at least 70% of such waste should be reused and/or recycled by 2025. It was considered that this application would contribute to how much the area recycled and would reduce the waste sent to landfill. It was reported that, for all types of waste, Edition 11, Planning Policy Wales made it mandatory to identify sites that were suitable for sustainable waste management developments in development plans in addition to setting criteria for determining applications for such developments, recognising that the most appropriate locations would be those with the least detrimental impact on the local population and the environment and with the best potential to contribute towards a wider infrastructure framework.

In the context of transport and access matters it was noted that parking provision had been shown on the submitted plan with the additional details, but also, the company had a holding yard on the far end of the industrial estate where articulated vehicles parked until they were called into the main yard when it was clear. The Transportation Unit did not have any objection to the proposal.

It was considered that the development was acceptable in principle and complied with policies PS5, PS22 and GWA 2 of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Joint Local Development Plan 2011 - 2026. The amount of waste to be handled in a sustainable way must be significantly increased if it was to meet Welsh Government targets; and reduce the percentage of waste that was sent to landfill in Gwynedd. This development would contribute towards providing a network of sustainable waste facilities in the County in accordance with the requirements of Policy GWA 2 of Gwynedd and Anglesey Joint Local Development Plan 2011 - 2026;

b)  It was proposed and seconded to approve the application

c)    During the ensuing discussion, the following observations were made by members:

·         The development was to be welcomed.

·         The new bypass would be beneficial for lorries

·         That the proposal responded to recycling targets.

·         The company was well-established and fulfilled a necessary duty.

In response to the observation of the need to consider concerns relating to bad odours, it was noted that the matter had been resolved and was the outcome of waste being left to stand. It was reiterated that procedures had been updated to avoid this in future. In response to a comment that lorries were queuing along the road, there was reference to one case where this had happened as a result of someone parking across the entrance.

RESOLVED

·           To approve the application, subject to the following change to Condition 8 on planning permission C08A/0209/14/LL to increase the maximum annual throughput of waste to 125,000 tonnes at a maximum rate of 1,200 tonnes per day and no more than 2,800 tonnes per week to:

With the exception of receiving prior written permission from the waste planning authority, it is not permitted to move more than 125,000 tonnes of dry solid household, commercial and industrial waste through the waste transfer station in any given year at a maximum rate of 1,200 tonnes per day and no more than 2,800 tonnes per week.  It must be ensured that the figures of the site's throughput over any specified period shall be made available to the waste planning authority within 21 days of request.

·           To review conditions relating to the management and monitoring of noise, dust, odours, rubbish in accordance with the submitted mitigation details.