KIRBY HILL & DISTRICT PARISH COUNCIL

(Incorporating: Kirby Hill, Milby,Thornton Bridge, Humberton and Ellenthorpe)

 

 

 

 

 

 

MINUTES of a special planning meeting of the Parish Council 17 December 2007 6.45pm in the Coronation Hall prior to the Public meeting called by the council at 7.30pm to enable public discussion of item 4.1 below.

 

1.0    Present

Cllr Smailes (Chairman), Cllrs Helliwell, McKenzie, Merson,  Parr, Renfrew, Widdows, Wilkinson

 

2.0    Apologies for Absence

Cllr Lister

 

3.0   Declarations of interest

 None

 

4.0    Planning

 

4.1  NY/2007/0301/FUL

Commercial/Industrial Waste Transfer/Recycling Operation

Old Station Yard, Milby, Boroughbridge

Cllrs discussed the final draft of the Council’s response to NYCC Minerals and Waste Planning Dept.

Cllr Helliwell proposed that the response now be sent off  and this was seconded by Cllr McKenzie and agreed unanimously by the Council.  Cllr Lister, unable to attend the meeting, had notified the Clerk prior to the meeting that she was in agreement with the final version of the response being dispatched to Northallerton. Response text attached below.

                                                                                         ACTION CLERK

 

 

4.2  6.57.30.D.FUL

Conversion of barn to form 2 flats and associated garages [revised scheme – garages roof]

The council supported this revised application.  Clerk to notify HBC Planning                                                                                 ACTION CLERK

 

 

5.0    Public Meeting

  Cllrs discussed with the clerk and chairman the arrangements for the public   

   meeting about to start in the adjacent room.

 

The meeting ended at 7.10pm   SIGNED……………………………Chairman

 

 

Text of Parish Council Response to Minerals And Waste Planning, Northallerton, regarding Waste Transfer/recycling operation in Old Goods Yard, Milby

 

26 St John’s Walk

Kirby Hill

Boroughbridge

North Yorks

YO51 9DJ

                                                                                                                       

17 December 2007

Mike Convery

Minerals and Waste Planning

Development & Countryside Service

NYCC County Hall

Northallerton

DL7 8AH

 

 

Dear Mr Convery

 

PLANNING APPLICATION ref  NY/2007/0301/FUL 

WASTE TRANSFER & RECYCLING OPERATION OLD STATION YARD MILBY LANE  BOROUGHBRIDGE

 

The Kirby Hill and District Parish Council, in whose area the Milby site subject to this application is situated, has considered the Application and wishes to make the following comments.

 

The Council regards the site as unsuitable for this kind of development which results in so much heavy vehicle movement due to the bulking and onward transfer of waste.

It considers that there are alternative sites that would not impact on residential property and public amenity in the way that would happen at this site, nor cause the traffic and access problems that the Milby site presents.

 

The Council also understands that North Yorkshire Minerals/Waste ‘preferred options’ report considers this site to be suitable for an indicative maximum of 20,000 tonnes throughput per annum. And while the Council has already objected to that lower level it notes that this application is for 100,000 tonnes throughput pa.

 

The Council’s particular comments and objections are as follows:

 

  1. Proximity of a large number of residential dwellings, especially to the West and South West but also the hamlet of Milby to the East

The application mistakenly refers to there being only one singular dwelling to the East whereas the farm has now been converted to two family dwellings and there are 10 further dwellings just east of those.

  1. Proximity of the Village Hall (Coronation Hall). This hall, which serves a much wider community than just the local parishes and is used daily by about 35 different organisations, is situated beside the access to the site.  Its heavy use frequently causes parking congestion at the site entrance. The Hall also houses a thriving pre-school nursery and parents drop off and collect children during working hours – adding to the dangers and parking congestion at this narrow neck  which serves as the site entrance, shared by a number of users.

The Council considers that policy 5/3 of the North Yorkshire Waste Local Plan would not be met in so far as there would be an unacceptable impact on the local amenity which is the Coronation Hall.

  1. The volume of heavy traffic would add to already congested roads in Boroughbridge and would be incompatible with the poor quality of the access to the site. The Council considers that policy 5/3 of the North Yorkshire Waste Local Plan is not met in so far as the highway network would not “satisfactorily accommodate the traffic generated”
  2. There would be environmental harm to the riverside/canalside amenity which is currently being enhanced through projects sponsored by Yorkshire Forward and YoreVision.  One of Boroughbridge’s principal walks for residents and tourists, and being promoted through the Tourist Information Office and a YoreVision project, includes the locks at Milby.  The impact of noise at this location, and the visual impact of a waste handling operation, would be significant. Any waste ‘mountains’ or spoil heaps would be very noticeable from this point, as would high industrial buildings. They would be higher than the tree line.  The Council considers that policy 5/3 of the North Yorkshire Waste Local Plan is not met in so far as there would be an unacceptable impact on the local amenity/environment.
  3. The site is on the edge of the Borougbridge conservation area.  It is also very close to one of the main locations of the battle of Boroughbridge, another feature being promoted through YoreVision projects.  [Where the locks are now situated was the site of both Roman and Medieval river crossings/fordings and here is where much of the battle took place].

The Council considers that policy 4/14 of the North Yorkshire Waste Local Plan will not be met in so far as there would be an unacceptable effect on the setting of the historic battle site and on the setting of the Boroughbridge conservation area.

  1. The impact of noise from waste handling equipment and traffic movements would not only be above British Standard anticipated complaint level for local residents but even greater for people working in other offices and commercial premises actually adjacent to the site.

It is noted that there would be very high levels of noise emanating eastwards from the crushing machinery at the eastern end of the site and that these would be mitigated to some extent by the mounds of waste on the eastern side of the crushing shed.  This is regarded as totally unacceptable. Large mounds of waste cannot be regarded as a fixed feature and even if they were they would be unacceptable from the point of view of visual impact and impact on the open country landscape.

  1. The site has a generally ‘open country’ aspect despite having been used for a variety of light industrial uses for several decades.  This particular application would destroy this characteristic completely.
  2. The council has concerns about dust from the crushing/screening plant and the stockpiles around it and the impact of this on nearby dwellings and other businesses adjacent to the site.
  3. The council has concerns about drainage from the site into the canal or river.
  4. A meat processing and retailing operation (Russell Hume) is in very close proximity to the site.
  5. The Council considers that an Environmental Impact Assessment should be carried out under Schedule 2 of the Town and County Planning Regulations 1999 (EIA Regulations).

 

 

The Parish Council would also like to comment on the credibility/accuracy of some of the documentation accompanying the application.  The number of errors concerning properties close to the site  indicates that the quality of the research generally, and therefore of the findings, is questionable. Errors include the following:

 

Robinson Geo Engineering Report Sec 3 Environmental Setting

            The list of businesses within 250m of the site does not include the Russell 

            Hume Meat Processing factory. A footnote refers to ‘anecdotal evidence’

of a meat processing factory

Transport Assessment

            Page 7 – list of companies sharing same access does not include the

Boroughbridge Brick & Tile Co

Page 8 – Anchor Inn listed as a public house nearby but not the Grantham

Arms which is very much nearer

Noise Assessment

Page 7 – states that there is a singular dwelling 300m to east of site whereas there are two family dwellings here

Page 8 – states that Canal Side is the nearest dwelling on the east side of Milby Lane, whereas Walnut Cottage is in fact nearer

 

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

 

Gerald Smailes

Chairman

 

Martin Rae

Parish Clerk

01423 322886