Request for site for consideration in the Milton Keynes Minerals Local Plan

Transcription

1 Request for site for consideration in the Milton Keynes Minerals Local Plan Site information Name of site / location Location details (address and OS map reference) Is this adjacent to an existing site Minerals type Manor Farm and Lavendon Mill Land south of Sewage Treatment Works, Lavendon. GPP/GH/LAV/14/01 Site Location Plan No Sand and Gravel Information about the minerals resource For example: estimated total yield / saleable aggregate, annual extraction rate, estimated operational life (years), geological evidence to support the reserve (bore hole / drilling surveys), etc. 480,000 tonnes in total. Assuming 5% loss (silt) = 456,000 saleable minerals Volume calculated from borehole survey (documentation evidence attached) Annual extraction rate of 70-80,000 tonnes Estimated life of the reserve 6-7 years. Your name GP Planning for GFX Hartigan Properties Ltd Are you the landowner / agent / potential operator / other? Agent for company with arrangements with the two landowners. If you are not currently the landowner please provide information to support deliverability. For example,

2 is there an agreement / lease to use the land, etc? Contact address The Stables, Long Lane, East Haddon, Northants NN6 8DU Contact phone number Contact address gill@gpplanning.co.uk Has this site previously been put forward for inclusion in previous plans or as a planning application? Yes, in 1956, when it was refused and subsequently through Milton Keynes Minerals Local Plan stages. Not brought forward due to lack of need for additional minerals. Please provide details (e.g. year, was the site allocated, if it was an allocation why was it not brought forward for extraction / development, if it was not allocated what were the reasons for rejection, if it was subject to a planning application that was not granted what were the reason given for refusal?) Any other information to support this sites inclusion? See attached Statement Ordnance survey plan of the site boundary and local area GPP/GH/LAV/14/01 Site Location Plan

3 Reproduction from the Ordnance Survey Map with sanction of the Controller of Her Majesty s Stationery Office Crown Copyright, Licence number For Identification purposes only GP PLANNING LTD All Rights Reserved DRAWN BY: KD DRAWING NO.: GPP/GH/LAV/14/01 SCALE: A4 CHECKED BY: GP REV NO.: 1 Minerals at Lavendon, Milton Keynes GFX HARTIGAN PROPERTIES SITE LOCATION PLAN Grid Reference X Y Postcode (nearest) MK46 4DF DATE: 14/01/14

4 PLANNING APPRAISAL REPRESENTATION TO MILTON KEYNES MINERALS LOCAL PLAN: ISSUES AND OPTIONS CALL FOR SITES LAND SOUTH OF LAVENDON SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS GFX HARTIGAN PROPERTIES January 2014 Version 1 Mrs Gill Pawson BSc MA MRTPI MCIWM Ms Lucy Booth BSc MA CMLI Mr Christian Smith MRTPI GP Planning Ltd Registered in England Number Registered Office Mill House, Long Lane, East Haddon, Northamptonshire, NN6 8DU

5 PLANNING APPRAISAL 1 INTRODUCTION The review of Milton Keynes Minerals Local Plan is at the Issues and Options stage. The Local Planning Authority has requested that further sites be put forward for consideration during the Local Plan process, to ensure that there will be sufficient allocated minerals to meet the agreed tonnage throughout the Plan Period. GFX Hartigan Properties retains an interest in the minerals that exist in the land south of the Lavendon Sewage Treatment Works. The land is shown on Drawing GPP/GFXH/LAV/14/01 Site Location Plan and the extent of the known minerals is shown on Drawing GPP/GFHX/LAV/14/02 Site Plan. Detailed site investigations were carried out in 1990, when 21 boreholes were dug. Calculations carried out based on the data, show a total of 634,500 tonnes over an area of approximately 15 hectares. However, following archaeological investigations, this figure was reduced to 480,000 tonnes, as three areas within the site were omitted due to their archaeological interest. It is assumed that the mineral would be worked at an annual rate of between 70,000 and 80,000 tonnes, giving an operational life of 6-7 years. The reserve is proposed for consideration for working during the second half of the Local Plan period, after The mineral reserve is within the area of the known sand and gravel deposits, as shown on the Milton Keynes Minerals Local Plan Proposals Map 2006 as Area of Search policy MLP2. 2 PLANS Attached are a number of plans, as follows: the extent of the mineral reserve with mineral depths, the location of the boreholes, the areas of archaeological interest, the depths of overburden and proposed restoration, which also shows the suggested location of the processing plant. 3 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Flood Plain All of the mineral reserve lies within the 1 in 100 year flood plain, as identified on the Environment Agency s website. Agricultural Land All of the land is in agricultural use, although most of the area is only low quality grazing. Some of the land in the northern part of the reserve area is in arable use, as this area floods less frequently and thus can support arable crops. H PA / GP 1 14/01/14

6 PLANNING APPRAISAL Archaeology A detailed survey by means of magnetic susceptibility, magnetometry and augers was carried out in 1992 and the results show three areas within the mineral reserve with potential for interesting remains. Trial trenching was proposed at the time but not carried out. This work would need to be done prior to the submission of any planning application, to establish the nature of the remains and to inform a decision on whether the remains need to be protected or whether they would be worth investigating to allow the underlying mineral to be worked. Residential Receptors The nearest receptors are as follows: Lavendon Mill, which lies 300m to the west of the site boundary Costerpits Farm, which lies 275m to the south of the site boundary. They lie at distances which mean that they would not be significantly adversely affected by noise and dust; with appropriate mitigation measures the residential amenities could be adequately protected. Landscape Value The site lies within the area identified in the Adopted Minerals Local Plan as an Area of Attractive Landscape. Such a local designation now has little weight in the planning decision process, having been replaced by Landscape Character Areas. The site lies in the Ouse Valley Character Area, the characteristics of which would be used to inform the design of the site restoration. The Inspector, in his report on the Minerals Local Plan states the following (the bold is my emphasis): Para 1.21 of the Second Deposit Version of the MKMLP says that any development within the AAL should not change the special character of the area but enhance important landscape, nature and conservation features and retain and improve access to countryside recreation. It then goes on to assume that this test cannot be met by mineral working in the AAL. However, mineral extraction is a transitory phenomenon, and whilst there may be some harm to the character of the AAL whilst working is in progress, there is no reason, in my opinion, why extraction at a carefully chosen site, with good quality restoration, should not leave even the AAL in as good or better condition after work is complete. Even a limited inspection of the AAL, such as I made during my site visits before, during and after the inquiry, reveals clear differences in character between, for example, the finegrained parkland landscape around Tyringham Hall, where it would clearly be difficult or impossible to accommodate mineral working without serious harm, and rolling, extensive, arable land such as that near Stoke Goldington It was established at the inquiry that on the best present knowledge, there are no prospective sites outside the AAL (with proven reserves and willing landowner), other than Passenham, and possibly some land south of Haversham. If the Council decide, after completing their LCA study, and despite the Local Plan Inspector s recommendation, to keep the AAL, then they will probably have to allow mineral extraction within them to meet their obligations up to At some point they will have to identify those parts where sites can be worked. H PA / GP 2 14/01/14

7 PLANNING APPRAISAL The proposed area falls into the category of rolling, extensive agricultural land. Ecology No survey has been undertaken. Working would affect a number of field boundaries, therefore a detailed survey would be required to establish the presence of protected species and habitats, prior to the submission of any planning application. There are no designated nature conservation sites within the locality. Access and Highway Access to the site would be via the field gateway due east of the access to the Lavendon Sewage Treatment Works, off the B565. The access would require widening and surfacing. The access is 160m due east of the Olney Road, Lavendon junction and 1.4km to the A428 Bedford Road. The traffic would need to be directed east to the A428 and thence to the A422 Newport Pagnell Road, to gain access to Milton Keynes. This would avoid the heavy lorries travelling through Olney. H PA / GP 3 14/01/14

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