Agenda item

(1)       Mr M J Angell informed the Committee that he had a close relative who lived in proximity to Forest Farm with whom he had not discussed the application. Mr C Simkins informed the Committee that he was acquainted with the applicant.  This was not a close personal association and he had not discussed the application with him.  They were both able to consider the application with a fresh mind.

(2)       Mr Kent Barker (Chairman of Benenden PC Planning Committee), Mr Andrew Errington and Mrs Judith Norris addressed the Committee in respect of the application. Mr Arthur Reynolds replied on behalf of the applicant.

(3)      Following discussion, the Head of Planning Applications offered to amend her recommendation by inserting a condition specifying that the importation of feedstock to the AD plant via the public highway would only be by tractor and trailer.  This was agreed.

(4)       On being put to the vote, the recommendations of the Head of Planning Applications Group as amended in (3) above were agreed by 14 votes to 0 with 1 abstention.

(5)       RESOLVEDthat permission be granted to the application subject to conditions, including conditions covering implementationof thepermissionwithin3 yearsof thedateof thepermission; thedevelopmentbeingcarriedout inaccordancewiththeapproveddetailsand drawingsset outin theapplication; the submissionand approval ofan OdourManagementPlan; noiselevelsfromthefacilityat thenearestsensitivereceptorsbeing below 30dBLAeq,15min,freefield  from1900 to0700 onMondaystoSundays,below 50dBLAeq,1h,freefieldfrom0700 to1900 onMondaystoSaturdaysand below45dB LAeq,15min,freefieldfrom0700 to1900 onSundays; constructionworksbeing limitedto0700 to1900 on MondaystoFridaysand from0700 to1300 onSaturdaysonly; constructionnoiselevelsat thenearest sensitive receptorsbeing below65dB LAeq,1h,freefield; an Archaeological WatchingBrief; detailsof the final buildingdesign,earthworksand landscaping; feedstockonlybeing permittedfromthesourcesoutlinedintheapplication documents; a precautionaryecologicalmitigationstrategyand theincorporationof ecological enhancementsinto thedevelopment; nofurtherdevelopment being carried outif,duringdevelopment,contaminationnot previously identifiedisfound tobe presentat thesiteuntil the developer hassubmitteda remediationstrategy for written approval by the local planning authority detailing howthisunsuspectedcontaminationis to be dealtwith (unlessotherwiseagreedin writingwith thelocal planningauthority). This remediationstrategy to be implementedas approved; thedevelopmentnot commencinguntil such timeas a scheme todisposeof foul andsurfacewaterhas beensubmitted to,and approvedinwritingby,thelocal planningauthority. Thisschemeto be implementedas approved; the detaileddesignof thesurfacewaterdrainagescheme; and the importation of feedstock to the Anaerobic Digester plant via the public highway to only be by tractor and trailer.

NB:The lettering LAeq,15min,freefield   gives effect to both the noise levels themselves and the duration over which such noise levels should apply (without obstruction between the noise source and receptor site) in order to reflect the sensitivity of the noise environment, making a distinction between daytime and night time levels.