Meeting documents

With the aid of a visual presentation, officers described the proposals and planning issues in detail, what these entailed and what they were designed to achieve. The application sought to continue the excavation of the established sand and gravel quarry, extending it westwards by some 15.7 hectares, with approximately 700,000 tonnes of mineral being produced.

Plans and photographs were used to show the characteristics of the site, its location and to describe how the quarrying operations would be progressed. The site’s land form and its context within the surrounding landscape were shown, with views from within and around the site. The activities and operations proposed to be undertaken and how the mineral processing facility was to be retained were described in detail by officers. Arrangements for the way in which the quarrying was to be phased and managed, its progression and the relationship between each phase were also described.

Similarly the restoration process was described, in that imported inert waste would be used to restore the land back to original ground levels and its current agricultural use.

Officers described the type of activities which were to take place on site; their relationship with the current quarrying operations; the site’s setting within the landscape, and in particular the River Stour; the local highway and rights of way network and access arrangements; and the topography and geology of the area. The relationship between the site, neighbouring properties - particularly Dales House (a Grade II Listed Building, comprising 2 residential dwellings) in Dales Lane - and commercial amenities, including Adventure Wonderland and the proximity to Bournemouth International Airport were described.

Officers explained the need for aggregate to be won and worked and the quantities in which this would be excavated. This would help to ensure that a sufficient supply of sand and gravel was available to maintain the  7 year landbank for the Plan period, as required under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), and to assist in providing aggregate for the construction industry, particularly locally, to deliver planned housing and infrastructure development. Accordingly, the Committee acknowledged that such aggregate could only be quarried where it was found.

Objections had been received from a local resident, Hurn Parish Council and, initially, Christchurch Borough Council Planning Team in relation to the development having an adverse effect on local amenity and visual impact and particularly in respect of the proximity of the quarrying to residential dwellings - Dales House in particular - and to the effect this would have on the structural integrity of this Grade 2 listed building. The application for the proposed extension was subsequently amended and was the subject of further consultation, but objections still remained. The Borough Council’s Conservation Officer and Pollution Control officer did not object to the revised scheme and the objection of the Planning Team was reduced to concerns raised about the economic and visual impact of the proposed extension to Adventure Wonderland.

How the bund would be constructed, its appearance and distance from Dales House were all described in detail and the attention of the Committee was drawn to the efforts made to accommodate the issues raised by the objectors and the due weight given by officers to the preservation of the setting of Dales House. Officers considered that alternatives had been considered and mitigation had been robustly demonstrated. To this end, any further mitigation would have a significant adverse effect on the commercial viability of quarrying the site and the public benefits of continued aggregate extraction and the economic contribution of the business to the local economy outweighed any harmful impacts.

The Committee heard from Robbie Flower, Managing Director of New Milton Sand & Ballast Co, on the background and credentials of the company, what they produced and their importance to the local area; and the social, employment and economic benefits the quarry provided.

Steve Haughton who was employed by the company explained that there was a need for the quarry extension to maintain employment and skills for the local area and to boost the economy.

Nick Dunn, Planning Advisor to the company summarised the objections made and what changes had been made to address them; provided a justification for the buffer zones; summarised the consultee responses and planning considerations.

The County Council member for Commons, whilst agreeing in principle with the application and the need for the mineral, asked that the request for a 100 metre buffer zone be acceded to, as had been the case previously in respect of other listed buildings adjacent to the existing quarry. She considered that Dales House potentially could be isolated in an elevated position by the workings without such a provision. She was also concerned that the proximity of the workings to Dales Lane could have an adverse effect on its character and asked if there was flexibility in the length of time the working had to take place and that a more intensive quarry operation could reduce this overall timescale needed.

Officers explained that the 10 year timescale proposed for mineral extraction allowed for flexibility in the vagaries of the construction market due to the in fluences of the previous recession and forthcoming Brexit, but that also allowed for an increased throughput likely as a result of the national need for more housing and infrastructure being reflected in local plans. The way in which the bund was to be constructed would mean that it was gradually sloping away from the affected properties, further reducing its visual impact and was at the optimum location for noise attenuation to allow for the workings to be satisfactorily undertaken in accordance with policy. Vibration threshold levels were not even close to been exceeded and therefore the effect of the quarrying operation on the structural integrity of Dales House was not considered to be a material issue. 

The opportunity was provided for the Committee to ask questions of the officer’s presentation and this opportunity was taken. Members asked whether the buffer between Dales house and the workings could be extended to 100 metres to minimise disturbance at Dales House. Officers explained that the bund was to be located in the optimum position and did not believe that relocating the bund to an arbitrary distance of 100m would reduce impacts

The Committee noted that the quarrying company had previously been exemplary in how they conducted their operations and there was every reason to believe this would be maintained should this permission be granted. Having had an opportunity to discuss the merits of the application and what it was designed to achieve, the Committee recognised the need for the aggregate, the importance of its use and the obligation of the County Council to ensure a readily available supply was satisfactorily maintained. Whilst some members shared the views of the local member, on behalf of the local resident, that there might well be a case for the buffer zone to be increased, the Committee acknowledged the efforts made to address and resolve the concerns objectors had raised and that all these had been achieved, as far as practicable. They considered that the operations would bring benefits for economic growth and local employment opportunities and security and provided for environmental enhancements to be made.

On being put to the vote, the Committee agreed the following resolution,

Resolved

1. That planning permission be granted for the development proposed in application 8/16/2011 subject to consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority and the conditions set out in paragraph 9.2 of the Head of Planning’s report.

2. That planning permission be granted for the development proposed in application 8/16/2010 subject to the conditions set out in paragraph 9.3 of the Head of Planning’s report.

Reasons for Decision

The NPPF provides that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development and that to achieve this, economic, social and environmental gains should be sought jointly and simultaneously (paragraphs 6 and 8).  Planning authorities are advised to approach decision taking in a positive way to foster the delivery of sustainable development (paragraph 186), looking for solutions rather than problems and to approve applications for sustainable development where possible (paragraph 187).  Development proposals that accord with the development plan should be approved without delay (paragraph 14).

For the reasons set out above, the proposed development is considered to be in general accordance with the development plan. There are no material considerations indicating that the application should be determined other than in accordance with the development plan.  Accordingly, planning permission can and should be granted.

The public benefits of continued mineral extraction and mineral processing to economic growth and quality of life have been demonstrated to outweigh any identified harm. The extension and continued operation of the mineral processing facility would deliver a sustainable and reliable supply of sand and gravel that would ensure that Hurn Quarry continued to make a significant contribution to the local economy and to the construction of planned new housing and infrastructure, which would meet the objectives of the County Council’s Corporate Plan focus to enable economic growth and quality of life.