Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies from Members of the Committee.

Apologies were received from Councillor Caroline Phillips and Councillor Bill Olner.

The Committee wished it to be recorded that they all send their best wishes to Councillor Olner.  It was agreed that Helen Barnsley will ensure that this message gets to Councillor Olner.

Members are required to register their disclosable pecuniary interests within 28 days of their election or appointment to the Council. A member attending a meeting where a matter arises in which they have a disclosable pecuniary interest must (unless they have a dispensation):

• Declare the interest if they have not already registered it

• Not participate in any discussion or vote

• Must leave the meeting room until the matter has been dealt with (Standing Order 39).

• Give written notice of any unregistered interest to the Monitoring Officer within 28 days of the meeting Non-pecuniary interests must still be declared in accordance with the Code of Conduct. These should be declared at the commencement of the meeting.

None

The Committee agreed that the minutes of the Regulatory Committee meeting held on Tuesday, 4 February 2020 be signed by the Chair as a true and accurate record. There were no matters arising.

Members are asked to note the applications dealt with under delegated powers since the last meeting.

The Committee noted the delegated decisions made by officers since the last meeting as presented in the report.

At the start of the meeting the Chair confirmed that the applicants were present in order to answer any questions from the Committee.

Tom Evans, Senior Planner presented the report to the Committee confirming that the application is for a new road sweeping recycling facility within the current landfill site. The application is seeking ten-year consent; it was noted that the original request was for permanent consent.

Members of the Committee were asked to note the following points;

·       The proposed route for HS2 and the Birmingham interchangewere shown to the committee who noted the location in relation to the applicationsite.

·       Following the end of landfill activities on the site, progressive restoration of the wider site has been ongoing for a number of years. The application site itself has recently been restored.

·       Photos were shown to the Committee with the recently completed restoration; any new development, if approved, would mean that some completed areas would need to bere-developed.

·       The application proposes 38 vehicle movements per day. The Committee noted that this would create a visual impact on therural landscape.

·       The application includes the addition of lighting at night which would create light pollution and be visible from surrounding rural areas.  It was noted by the Committee that lights from thenearby M6 would also create light pollution in the area.

·       Planning Policy supports associated waste developments on landfill sites while a site is active. Packington is no longer receiving municipal waste and is therefore not considered to be ‘active’.

Tom Evans advised that as the application is new and not an extension to an existing permission, it is a backward step inthe restoration of the site. Areas on site that have been completed as part of the restoration would have to be redeveloped should the application be grantedapproval.

 The following points were highlighted to the Committee;

·       There have been no complaints or objections raised in relation to this application

·       Alternative sites were identified, but only partially assessed, bythe applicants.

·       The Site is in the West Midlands GreenBelt

·       There is no end date for the final restoration of the wider landfill site specified by condition.

·       The wood shredding and composting operations have permission to operate only until August 2023.

Following questions to the applicant’s representatives from Councillor Adrian Warwick and the Chair, it was confirmed that, if the application was not approved, the applicant had an existing facility at a Severn Trent site in Coleshill that could take the waste material; although there was the option that companies outside Warwickshire could also pick up the business. The contract with Seven Trent has now ended but the applicant is currently in negotiations to extend this contract.  However, an extension may be temporary and thus aged plant at the site would not be replaced.

Councillor Clive Rickhards asked the applicants to confirm their justification for the very special circumstances stated in the application in order to gain approval for development in the Green Belt. It was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Resolved

That members of the public be excluded from the meeting for the items below on the grounds that their presence would involve the disclosure of confidential or exempt information as defined in Paragraph 2, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended.

Resolved

That members of the public be excluded from the meeting for the items below on the grounds that their presence would involve the disclosure of confidential or exempt information as defined in Paragraph 2, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended.