Agenda item

(1)       Mr C Simkins informed the Committee that he was the Local Member for this application.  He had not given his views on the application and was able to approach its determination with a fresh mind.

(2)       Mr I S Chittenden informed the Committee that he had formerly been an employee of the applicants, Tarmac Ltd.  This employment had ceased 10 years earlier. He did not have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or An Other Significant Interest and was able to approach the determination of the application with a fresh mind.

(3)       Mrs Christine Drury (Chairman of Westwell PC) addressed the Committee in respect of the application. Ms Sian Holden (Matthews and Son LLP) spoke in reply on behalf of the applicants.

(4)       On being put to the vote, the recommendations of the Head of Planning Applications Group were carried by 13 votes to 3 with 1 abstention.

(5)       RESOLVED that:-

(a)                    permission be granted to the application subject to conditions, including conditions covering the public highway between the site access and the A20 being resurfaced and the drainage work described in the publichighwaybetweenthesite accessand theA20 being resurfacedand the drainageworkdescribedwithin the applicationdocumentsbeing completed prior to the implementation of the permission; Out of Hoursworking being restrictedtoa maximumof180 occasionsper year;  no morethana total of 25 HGVsleavingthesitebetween1800 and0600 hours and/orinany 8hour additionalworkingperiod unlessotherwiseagreed in writing bytheMineral PlanningAuthority; the implementationoftheupdatedLandscapeand Ecological ManagementPlan; the installationoftheproposedacousticcladdingonthehighestpartoftheplant, with the colourcoatingmatchtheexistingplant; thelightingschemebeing maintained; the re-imposition of all conditions included in Permissions AS/90/608and AS/12/844; theasphaltplant beingmaintainedas approved; the hardsurfacingand surfacewaterdrainagesystem beingmaintained; controlson permitteddevelopmentrights; normaloperationalhours being restricted to between0500 and1800hours on MondaystoFridays, 0500to1300 hourson Saturdays, with noHGVsleavingthesitebefore0600 hours on MondaystoSaturdays;  operationoftheasphaltplantceasing intheeventthatmineralsareno longer importedtositebyrail; the plant beingmaintained tominimisedust and other emissions; theTerms of  this  permission  being  made  known  to  any  person  given responsibilityforoperationson site; noise from‘outofhours’operationson sitebeingrestrictedto thespecificlimits previouslypermitted; no articulatedHGVs beingused between1800 and0600 hours; no morethan10 HGVsleavingthesiteper hourbetween1800 and0000 hoursand nomorethan6 HGVsleavingthesiteper hourbetween0000 and 0600hours; theadditionalworkingperiodsnot beingusedinconjunctionwithnormal workinghourstooperatethesitecontinuously formore thantenconsecutive days;  a  record  of  additional  ‘out  of  hours’  working  periods  undertaken  being maintainedand madeavailable toKCC onrequest; thevoluntarycode ofpractice forHGVdriversincludedwithintheapplication being adheredtoand madeknown toall drivers attending the site, including the voluntary 20mph speed limit between the site and the A20; and

(b)          the applicants be advised by Informative that:-

(i)           they need to secure all necessary highway approvals and consents prior to commencement of the development, including a separate Section 278 Agreement for any work within the public highway;           

(ii)          they are  encouraged  to  re-establish  a  formal  local  liaison  group (committee) for the sitewithinvitees toinclude representativesofthelocal community(forexampleresidentsof WateryLane, WestwellParishCouncil, AshfordBoroughCouncil(Environmental Health),thelocal KCC Member,Kent County Council (Highwaysand Transportation)and (Planning)and to holdregular liaisonmeetingsor facilitateothersuitablearrangements fordiscussion,such as notificationoflocalresidentsprovidingdetailsofwhenand how to raiseany concerns;

(iii)            they are askedtoregularlyemphasisetoallHGVdriversattending thesite of the importanceof the CodeofPracticefor HGVsusingWateryLane; and

(iv)             they are encouragedtoliaisewiththeLocalHighwayAuthorityand other local land ownersconcerning the regularmaintenanceofthehighwayverges between  the  works  and  the  A20  in order to  minimise  encroachment  into  the  public highway.