AGRICULTURAL BUILDING WITH PHOTOVOLTARIC SOLAR PANELS TO SOUTH FACING ROOF

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1 DC/2015/00494 AGRICULTURAL BUILDING WITH PHOTOVOLTARIC SOLAR PANELS TO SOUTH FACING ROOF LAND AT ONEN, ADJACENT TO B4233, NP25 5EN. RECOMMENDATION: APPROVE Case Officer: Elizabeth Bennett Date Registered: 13/05/ APPLICATION DETAILS 1.1 The application site relates to land adjacent to the B4233 which runs from Monmouth through Onen. The application land forms part of a 27 acre parcel of land in Onen which the applicant purchased in the autumn 2014, to accompany and extend his farming acreage. It is proposed to construct an agricultural building for the storage of fodder, machinery and livestock handling with the addition of photovoltaric solar panels to the south facing roof of the building. It is proposed to use the existing access into the field where it is intended to put double gates at the access point, set back from the road, together with some compacted stone to ease access and make turning in and egress as safe as possible. It is not intended to lay a track to the agricultural building but to travel across the field adjacent to the hedgeline. The proposed building is to measure 20.10m wide and 36.20m long and has been designed to take advantage of the southerly aspect with a maximum height to eaves of the North elevation of 7m and to the eaves of the South elevation of 4m, the ridge height to be 9.5m. The building will be set into the bank where a cut and fill exercise will be required. It is planned to level the ground and sit the building into the bank by some 4 meters giving the ridge height above ground level of 5 meters. This will bring the ridge to be approximately the same height as the current hedgeline. The applicant is willing to allow the hedge to continue to grow higher if required. The proposed building is to be situated toward the northern point of the 27 acres with a thick tree lined deciduous hedge running from north to the south towards the Trothy River. The external materials comprise 1.5m concrete blockwork with single Yorkshire boarding over with a heritage green box profile roof and matching heritage green steel sheet clad door to either end of the building. It is proposed to have a stoned finish around the building which will allow for surface water drainage. 1.2 The applicant has provided additional information to justify the use of the building with regards to the design and access statement. The applicant has 130 acres in four separate parcels with his main farm residenca being approx. 2.7 miles away from the site, currently all machinery is outside and therefore deteriorating more than if needs to - probably 50k worth of machinery. The building is a similar size and colour to other agricultural buildings in the surrounding area the only addition being the additional overhang to the south side which has been designed to take to maximism the photovoltaric array.

2 1.3 The majority of the site sits in the flood plain of the River Trothy, therefore the siting of the shed has had to be carefully thought through. Adjacent to the field entrance is an old Dutch Barn, but this deos sit in the flood plain and surrounding the barn it is evidenced by lush reeds growing to the rear of the remaining shed. The applicant has intensions of removing the remains of the barn. 2. RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY DC/2009/00175 Provide new A framed trusses for stone barn Approved 04/08/2010 DC/2014/01266 Steel Franed Agricultural Building Approved 22/10/2014 DC/2014/00276 Change of use of redundant Chruch Hall into Dwelling Approved 30/03/ LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN POLICIES Strategic Policies S10 Rural Enterprise S12 Efficient Resource Use and Flood Risk S13 Landscape, Green Infrastructure and Natural Environment S17 Place Making and Design Development Management Policies RE4 New Agricultural and Forestry Buildings SD1 Renewable Energy LC1 New Built Development in the Open Countryside LC5 Protection and Enhancement of Landscape Character DES1 - General Design Considerations EP1 Amenity and Environmental Protection 4. REPRESENTATIONS 4.1 Consultation Replies Llantilio Crosseney Community Council Our council is concerened that this proposed agricultural building is not in proportion to the needs of the land, and the land regularly floods. There is little detail in the application which seems to have a design which is intended to maximise the Solar PV System which will be installed on the roof. Having considered the views expressed by local people we would recommend refusal of the application and that a full committee considers the matter before a decision is made. Councillor Ruth Edwards Has not responded to date

3 Landscape and Countryside Officer I have looked through the revised Design and Access Statement and I am satisfied that this proposal will not have a detrimental effect upon the adjacent hedgerow. An Arboricultural Method Statement is therefore not considered necessary. Biodiversity Officer There will be no issues with nesting birds. Public Rights of Way Officer There are no public rights of way recorded on the definitive Map of Public Rights of Way or Statement at the site of the proposed development. 4.2 Neighbour Notifications 8 Local Neighbour Addresses have recorded Objection Comments to date - If the shed is not intended for the storage of items pertaining to the use of the field, and it is in fact a power station then the application should reflect this. If this development is principally a solar generation project without the economic benefit to the local community, the degradation of the landscape is not justified in terms of trade off. - I am concerned that the proposed structure is very large and obtrusive when viewed from the southerly aspect. - Whilst the basic building materials may be sympathetic to the area, such a large roof covered in PV solar panels will be highly visible and intrusive. - The visual impact on the neighbourhood from such a large structure will be quite dominating. We re not sure why such a large agricultural building is required for this parcel of land. - Many properties will be partially shielded from viewing the building directly by the un-laid hedge that runs on the eastern side of the proposed building. If this were to remain un-laid it would provide some protection of the rural views enjoyed by many and offer continued bat corridors to local bat populations. - There are access issues to consider, there should be a full environment and visual impact assessment done, there has been no ecology reports. - This application appears to be a solar farm by the back door. - The site is also very visible to 11 dwellings to the south of the river Trothy and will dominate the immediate area due to the elevated position and will ba an incongruous feature in the landscape. - It is close to the Offa s Dyke path and such a huge building would be a blot on the landscape. - It seems illogical to construct such a large building to service a relatively small plot of lad with the inherent problems of flooding and security. With the history of theft from farm buildings no one would realistically store expansive land maintenance machinery in an isolated shed away from their main holding.

4 5. EVALUATION 5.1 Visual Impact The proposal has been situated close to the boundary with the B4233, whilst this may indeed allow for glimpsed views from the lower part of the highway (heading towards Monmouth), the proposed building has been sited out of the flood plain and nestled into the bank adjacent to the thick tree lined deciduous hedge to the east of the proposed building. It is considered that if it was situated away from the boundary this would lead to the building have a wider visual impact as it would be situated against an open backdrop. The viewpoint seen from the B4233 would be of the west elevation having the entrance doors sited here and a minimal visual siting of the proposed PV solar array would be seen from here. The scale and mass of this building would not be unacceptable in this location and coupled with the form and design of the building which is clearly agricultural in appearance the proposal is considered to work in this setting. Fron site visits conducted only one building is clearly visible from the proposed location, this being a stone disused barn. It is not therefore considered that the proposed agricultural building will not cause any harmful effect upon the countryside. 5.2 Residential Amenity There is only one neighbouring property that is potentially affected by this proposal, this being Tavern Cottage. The property is approximately 250 meters from the proposed site but will only be visible through the thick hedgerow during the winter months (Nov March). There is a significant distance that separates the proposal from the neighbouring property and whilst a view can be obtained of the proposal it is not close enough to have any adverse impact upon the amenity of the neighbouring property. There is no right of a view over someone else s property/land. The neighbour has raised other concerns that are addressed below. 5.3 Other Issues Raised The issue of need has been addressed by several members of the community. The applicant has demonstrated a need for an agricultural building on the land. The fields have been recently cut and bailed with either hay or hayledge, but, have been taken off the ground as there is no current usable storage facility on site. The current old dutch barn on the lowest level of the field is sited within the flood plain therefore replacing the barn in the same area is not recommended and the land here is unsuitable for building on. The issue of the Solar Panels themselves has been raised. In such a case that the potential glint and glare from the panels is a cause for concern it is possible to ensure an anti-reflective coating can be used which reduces glint and glare. The issue of theft from the area has also been a concern from some members of the community. From researching the Police website the reported crime in and around the immediate area are:

5 January Burglary & 1 Theft (employee/blackmail/unpaid for goods) February Burglary, 1 Theft (as above), 1 Criminal Damage & 3 Violent Crimes March Anti-Social Behaviours, 1 Burglary April Theft (as above) & 2 Violent Crimes May Burglaries & 1 Anti-Social Behaviour Whilst the reported crime in the immediate area can be of a cause for concern, it is not within the planning authorities remit to determine an application based on any criminal activity in the area. 5.4 Design Considerations Whilst the buildings mass has been commented on as being designed solely for the purposes of solar gain, the applicant has combined the two elements of the application to make the best use of the land available. Should the applicant have only been interested in the solar gain he could have applied for ground based solar panels to the east side of the hedgeline which would have had a more visual impact upon the local area. The applicant could also have applied for the agricultural building under an agricultural notification and then applied for the solar panels separately under a Lawful Development Certificate. In terms of siting and design the application is considered to be in context with the following strategic policies:- Policy S10 Rural Enterprise Development to enable the diversification of the rural economy will be permitted outside settlement development boundaries where it is of a scale and type compatible with the surrounding area and will cause no unacceptable harm to the surrounding landscape, historic and cultural heritage, biodiversity or local amenity value. Development must re-use or adapt existing buildings where possible. The exceptional circumstances in which new buildings may be permitted outside settlement boundaries to assist in the diversification of the rural economy are set out in Policies RE1, RE3, RE6, T2 and T3. Policy S12 Efficient Resource Use and Flood Risk All new development must: Demonstrate sustainable and efficient resource use this will include energy efficiency/ increasing the supply of renewable energy, sustainable construction materials/ techniques, water conservation/ efficiency and waste reduction; Avoid the siting of inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding. The proposed agricultural building is not considered to result in any significant detrimental neighbour amenity impact. The location of the proposed building is not close to the proximity to any nearby residential properties, and approximately 250m away from the nearest neighbour at Tavern Cottage. The neighbour is not considered to be negatively impacted upon the proposed agricultural building as it is noted there

6 is an existing hedgerow and tree line screening along the boundary adjoining the field. It is also noted that agricultural buildings and their associated uses are typical uses of the rural countryside location and are to be expected, providing they are managed acceptably and there is no reason to make the assumption it will not be, as, acceptable consultation with the applicant and information on the management of the land has been provided. The proposal therefore is considered to be in accordance with policies RE4, SD1, LC1, LC5, DES1 & EP1 of the Local Development Plan. 6. RECOMMENDATION: APPROVE Conditions: - Standard Five Year Limit - Development to be built in accordance to any of the approved plans that are listed on the decision notice.