Agenda item

Wiltshire & Swindon Waste Site Allocations DPD - Proposed Submission Arrangements

Report by Service Director, Economy and Enterprise.

The draft Allocations DPD (pages 29 – 248) is circulated to Cabinet members. It is available with the agenda online or available on request.

Minutes:

Cllr Morland declared a personal interest in this item by virtue of him being a member of Dilton Marsh and Heywood Parish Councils and Westbury Town Council.

Public Participation

Written representations were received from the following members of the public in the form of questions and statements, details of which, together with responses were circulated:

Mrs Virginia Neal, Clerk to Chitterne Parish Council

AdeleMartin,Ludgershall& Campaigner ofNo2Waste

MrMartynHarvey,No2Wastegroup

MrandMrsGreenwood onbehalfof theNO2WasteCampaignGroup

MrsNickyBamford

Mrs Anne Henshaw, NorthWiltshireandSwindon CPRE

Verbal representations were also made at the meeting by:

Mrs Virginia Neal

Mr and Mrs Greenwood

Mrs Anne Henshaw

Mr RJ Parnham

Cllr Fleur de Rhe-Philipe, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Strategic Planning, presented a report on the draft Wiltshire and Swindon Waste Site Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD) which set out:-

· a summary of the plan preparation process to date.

· the key issues that had emerged through the consultation undertaken between June and August 2011.

· the arrangements for submitting the draft DPD.

· the implications of the Examination process.

· the next steps.

Cllr de Rhe Philipe presented the DPD and sought Cabinet approval of it for onward recommendation to Council at its meeting on 7 February 2012 for the purpose of formally submitting it to the Secretary of State.

Cllr de Rhe Philipe explained that the councils (Swindon and Wiltshire, as joint strategic planning authorities for waste) faced a significant challenge in managing year-on-year increases in the amount of waste being generated by our communities and businesses. In preparing the DPD, the aim had been to build a plan that provided a flexible and responsive approach to enable the management of Wiltshire and Swindon’s waste in a sustainable and efficient manner. The DPD also built upon the adopted policy framework set out in the Waste Core Strategy and Development Control Policy DPDs.

Every effort had been made to address issues raised through previous rounds of consultation with the final list of proposed sites having been the subject of rigorous testing and appraisals.

The DPD presented a flexible framework of 35 sites for accommodating a range of potential waste uses all designed to derive value from waste through recycling, recovery, composting and treatment.

The 35 sites presented a real opportunity to manage waste in a modern and efficient manner, thereby aiming to break the reliance on landfill. Once the plan is adopted, these sites would be able to come forward for the waste uses proposed subject to full planning permission being granted.

Cllr de Rhe Philipe proposed a couple of minor amendments which would be incorporated into the DPD in response to the representations received as follows:

In response to Mr and Mrs Greenwood:

· For clarity, additional wording be added to the Water Environment section of the DPD to fully establish the scope of the assessment work required to support any subsequent planning application. The wording would therefore read (7^th sentence):

‘The assessment will need to ensure that foul water discharges from any development can be connected to the public sewer system, where available, subject to a capacity appraisal and agreement upon a point of connection’.

In response to Chitterne Parish Council’s question about the Valley Farm site:

· To correct a drafting error, an amendment was required to reflect the fact that there was a need for any impact assessment on traffic to also consider traffic approaching from the west and not just the east as stated in the site profile.

A number of Councillors addressed Cabinet on the proposed DPD making general points and specific points relating to their respective electoral division areas to which Cllr de Rhe Philipe and the Service Director for Economy and Enterprise responded.

Following debate and hearing contributions from members of the public, it was

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

a) approve the submission draft Wiltshire and Swindon Waste Site Allocations Development Plan Document to be updated to incorporate the two minor amendments mentioned above;

b) recommend to Council that the submission draft DPD be approved for the purpose of formally submitting it to the Secretary of State and

c) delegate to the Service Director for Economy and Enterprise, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Strategic Planning, authorisation to make minor amendments to the draft DPD (as set out in Appendix A to the report presented) in the interests of clarity and accuracy and to make appropriate arrangements for submission of the documents to the Secretary of State and any consequential actions as directed by the Inspector relating to the Examination.

Reason for decision

The need for an up-to-date, long-term plan for future waste management facilities is a statutory priority for both Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council. This draft DPD presents a schedule of proposed site allocations that are considered both environmentally suitable and capable of meeting the long-term needs of the Councils and the waste management industry.

Regulatory and constitutional procedures require that the policy framework of the authority be a shared matter for Cabinet and Council.

Cabinet’s functions set out in the constitution include proposing to Full Council new policies which fall within the Policy Framework as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 3 of the Constitution. In order to secure Council approval, therefore, the draft DPD should first be endorsed by Cabinet.

The resolution of Cabinet will then be presented to Council on 7 February 2012 for final consideration and approval.

Supporting documents: