Issue - meetings

A report by the Case Officer is attached.

The following people spoke against the proposal:

Professor Peter Alberry, a local resident

Mr Steve Izatt, representing Wiltshire Waste Alliance

Mr Lamb, a local resident

Cllr Kate Morley, Vice-Chairman of Calne Without Parish Council  

Cllr Peter Szczesiak, Chairman of Compton Bassett Parish Council

The following person spoke in favour of the proposal:

Mr Michael Hill, Chief Executive of Hills Waste Solutions Ltd, theApplicant.

The Committee received a presentation from the Case Officer which set out the main issues in respect of the application.  She explained that the proposed development was to retain and expand a strategic waste management facility and was recommending that planning permission be granted subject to conditions.

A site inspection had taken place the previous day which had been attended by Cllrs Andrew Davis, Tony Trotman, Glenis Ansell, Trevor Carbin, Stewart Dobson, Charles Howard, David Jenkins, Christopher Newbury, Fred Westmoreland and Alan Hill as the local Member, in which the Case Officer had explained the proposals.

Members of the Committee then had the opportunity to ask technical questions after which the Committee received statements from members of the public as detailed above, expressing their views regarding the planning application.

Members then received a presentation from Cllr Alan Hill, the local Member, in which he explained his objections to the proposal and reasons why he considered the application should be refused.

A debate followed, where a motion was moved and seconded to refuse the application contrary to the officer recommendation. The motion was discussed, during which it was highlighted the proposal was for permanent retention of the facility and concerns raised about site location, traffic levels and air quality in Calne.

Prior to a vote on the motion, the Case Officer and Minerals and Waste Team Leader provided comment on some of the points that had been raised during the discussion. This included a reiteration of the main conclusions drawn from the Officer report.  The Area Development Manager reminded the Committee of the need to identify clear planning reasons for refusal of the application.

After discussion during which the Committee noted the information given in the presentation from the local Member and the legal representations which had been sent to them direct the previous day by Mr Gregory Jones QC, instructed by Wiltshire Waste Alliance,

Resolved:

To refuse planning permission for the following reasons:-

1.    The development proposal conflicts with Core Policy 55 (Air Quality) of the Wiltshire Core Strategy.

2.    The development proposal conflicts with Core Policy 60 (Sustainable Transport), Core Policy 61 (Transport and New Development) and Core Policy 65 (Movement of Goods) of the Wiltshire Core Strategy.

3.    The Environmental Statement accompanying the planning application is flawed in terms of the approach taken to the no-project baseline scenario, the transport assessment and the air quality assessment.