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Page 1 of 12 Land at Bartons Corner, Shalfleet
COMBINED DESIGN, ACCESS AND PLANNING STATEMENT FOR
LAND AT BARTONS CORNER, SHALFLEET FOREWORD This Design and
Access Statement has been prepared by DICKSONS Planning &
Development Consultants. It has been prepared under the guidelines
suggested by the Councils own published Guidance (Development
management Service Design & Access Statements and also in
accordance with Policies SP1, SP4 and DM1 of the Councils Core
Strategy. THE SITE & CONTEXT The site is situated immediately
adjacent to the A 3045, over a short distance to the east, just
before the actual village of Shalfleet. Immediately to the north of
the site lies a Garage with a car sales forecourt (and it was
formerly a petrol filling station). There is also a Farm shop on
the garage site and there are two dwellings in the vicinity of the
site. Otherwise, the site lies adjacent to open countryside. The
existing use of the site is agriculture, and the site area is
approximately 1.2 ha. The site is mainly level in character and at
more or less the same level as that of the adjacent main road.
PROPOSAL There are several purposes behind the submission of this
planning application. The application is being made as it is
understood that the local planning authority (LPA) consider there
to be some unauthorised uses on the site. The other purpose behind
application is to set out how the site is to be used, and what
action is to be taken with regard to the allegedly unauthorised
uses. Thus the main aim of this application is twofold. Firstly,
the application seeks to regularise the uses and existing buildings
on the site (some to be extinguished/removed, and some to be
retained). The second aim is to set out the intended uses for the
site, some of which it is considered do not actually require the
grant of planning permission. The detail of these proposals is set
out in this statement, the application form and in the accompanying
drawings. PLANNING HISTORY & PRE-APPLICATION CONSULTATION
Planning history: Planning permission was granted on 17 August 2009
for a detached agricultural Barn on the property, and the location
shown on the application drawings. This planning permission was
implemented (in 2011) prior to its expiry by the construction of
the foundations and oversite for the proposed Barn, and it is
understood the local planning authority accept this
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position. This application envisages that the approved Barn will
be constructed during the life of the planning permission hereby
applied for. In addition, and as already mentioned above, it is
understood that the local planning authority consider there to be a
number of unauthorised uses and/or activities on the property. To
this end, correspondence and discussions between the applicant and
the LPA have been ongoing during 2014, culminating in an email from
the councils planning officer dated 5 June 2014, which was
subsequently followed by a formal REQUISITION FOR INFORMATION being
sent by the LPA to the applicant, dated 30 September 2014. The
alleged breaches of planning control which the LPA consider to be
relevant or detailed in the LPAs planning officers email of 12 June
2014, a copy of which is attached to this statement as appendix a.
It should be noted that notwithstanding the submission of this
application, the applicant does not necessarily accept that the
alleged breaches of planning control exist. Pre Application
Consultation: Pre Application advice was sought from the local
planning authority, and a meeting was held with the councils
planning officer on the 30th September 2014. At that meeting the
proposals now put forward in this application were discussed with
the councils planning officer and we believe that the planning
officer indicated their support for the application as submitted.
RELEVANT PLANNING POLICY National Planning Policy Framework:
SECTION 3 SUPPORTING A PROSPEROUS RURAL ECONOMY:
28. Planning policies should support economic growth in rural
areas in order to create jobs and prosperity by taking a positive
approach to sustainable new development. To promote a strong rural
economy, local and neighbourhood plans should:
- support the sustainable growth and expansion of all types of
business and enterprise in rural areas, both through conversion of
existing buildings and well designed new buildings:
- promote the development and diversification of agricultural
and other land-based rural businesses;
- support sustainable rural tourism and leisure developments
that benefit businesses in rural areas, communities and visitors,
and which respect the character of the countryside. This should
include supporting the provision and expansion of tourist and
visitor facilities in appropriate locations where identified needs
are not met by existing facilities in rural service centres;
and
- promote the retention and development of local services and
community facilities in villages, such as local shops, meeting
places, sports venues, cultural buildings, public houses and places
of worship.
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Isle of Wight Core Strategy:
POLICY DM8 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
The Council will, in principle and in line with national policy,
support growth in economic development. The Council will support
proposals for:
- 5. Rural economic development opportunities and farm
diversification schemes that contribute to the sustainability of
the wider countryside.
- 7.136 There are a large number of farm, and other rural
buildings, in the countryside which could benefit from re-use and
conversion. In line with PPS4: Planning for Sustainable Economic
Growth, which encourages the conversion and re-use of existing
buildings, this policy seeks to make the best use of existing
buildings in rural areas for economic development. The re-use of
buildings can encourage farm diversification schemes to be
developed and, importantly, reduce the demand for new buildings in
the countryside, reduce the loss of agricultural land and
greenfield sites.
THE PLANNING APPLICATION PROPOSALS As already alluded to above,
this application seeks to regularise the uses and buildings and
structures etc. currently on site. In addition the application sets
out how part of the site will be used for the agricultural business
of Worm Farming in pursuit of Vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is
the process by which worms (the common blue-nose earthworm) are
used to compost organic material into Vermicompost or worm castings
(the nutrient rich compost we are all used to seeing at the end of
a worm burrow). The Vermicompost will be produced for wholesale
sale to the agricultural and gardening industries. In addition part
of the site will be used for the keeping of a small number of
chickens and alpacas, as shown on the application drawings. In the
interests of clarity, this section is set out in three parts, the
first part being the regularisation section, with the second part
being the proposed uses/proposals requiring the grant of planning
permission and the third part is for these element which do not, in
themselves, require the grant of planning permission (please also
refer to the photographs at Appendix B and to the application
drawings in respect of this section). REGULARISATION: This
application seeks permission for the following:
- The removal of two piles of spoil (shown as spoil heaps on the
application drawings).
- The reduction in size of the existing area of hard-standing on
the site, as shown on the application drawings.
- The retention of the existing log store as shown on the
application drawings. - The retention of the existing alpaca
shelter on site, as shown in the application
drawings. The shelter provides essential shelter for the five
breeding alpacas which live on site.
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- The removal of part of the open fronted store area
construction, as shown on the application drawings.
- The removal of the horse trailer/box which is currently stored
at the site, as shown in the application drawings.
- The removal from site of all non-essential vehicles and
equipment which are currently stored on the existing hard-standing,
as shown on the application drawings.
PLANNING PERMISSION: The application hereby submitted seeks
planning permission for the following elements, which go hand in
hand with the regularisation elements set out above:
- The temporary re-siting of three metal containers currently on
the site, to a new location on top of the base for the proposed
(and approved) new Barn.
- The re-use of part of the covered storage area as a hay and
feed store, with that part of the buildings on site being re-clad
in a wavy-edged board to match that of the existing tool shed, as
shown on the application drawings.
- The conversion of the open deck area construction on-site,
into an area for the keeping of chickens.
- The reuse of the lean-to shed as a tool shed, as shown on the
application drawings. - The retention of the reduced-sized
hard-standing area on site, and its use for the
parking of vehicles for persons working on site in connection
with the proposed worm compost farming operation and the keeping of
the chickens and alpacas.
DEVELOPMENT NOT REQUIRING PLANNING PERMISSION: The following
proposed elements do not in themselves require planning permission,
as explained below, but the combined elements set out under
regularisation and planning permission above hand-in-hand with the
elements set out below:
- The construction of 10 no. Worm beds for the purpose of Worm
Farming in pursuit of Vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is the
process by which worms (the common blue-nose earthworm) are used to
compost organic material into Vermicompost or worm castings (the
nutrient rich compost we are all used to seeing at the end of a
worm burrow). The Vermicompost will be produced for wholesale sale
to the agricultural and gardening industries.
- The completion of the Barn, which has planning permission and
which has already been commenced, to house worm propagation units,
a small administrative area and storage area for worm casts and
additional storage for machinery and equipment associated with the
use of the site for the worm composting business, and the keeping
of chickens and alpacas.
- The continued use of the existing access for the purposes of
the Worm Farming/Vermicompost business and the keeping of chickens
and alpacas. It should be noted that the worm compost will be
distributed from the site using relatively small transit van
vehicles and that it is not intended to commence a retail operation
selling any compost to the general public as such.
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JUSTIFICATION As has already been discussed above, there are
various elements to this application. Therefore, this justification
is set out in two sections regularisation and planning permission
and development not requiring permission. The main objectives of
this application are twofold: the first objective is to seek the
agreement of the LPA in regularising the uses and structures on the
site (of most benefits to the LPA) and the second objective is to
assist the applicant in achieving their primary aim of creating the
Worm Farming/Vermicompost business on the site. This application
therefore seeks to strike a balance between these two interests,
for the benefit of all concerned. ACCESS The site already enjoys an
existing access to Main Road in Shalfleet, as shown on the
application drawings. The use of this access for the partially
constructed new barn building was approved as part of the planning
approval for the barn. There is an existing hard-standing on site,
and we understand that previous use of the access, together with
the use generated by the permitted barn would be likely to generate
traffic movements associated with up to 4 vehicles coming and going
to the site, connected with its use as an agricultural unit, with
the permitted barn. The application proposes a maximum of four car
parking spaces, with two people working on the site on a permanent
basis. It is not intended that anything produced on-site will be
sold on a retail basis to the general public, rather the compost
produced by the worm compost operation (which we believe does not
in itself require planning permission) will be delivered from site
on a wholesale basis to forms and garden centres et cetera.
Deliveries will be made using transit van type vehicles. It is
likely that they will be one, perhaps two such vehicles used for
this purpose. It is also likely that at least one of these vehicles
will be the vehicle used by one of the permanent staff. The
proposed traffic generation is therefore low and is certainly no
more than the existing use. We therefore contend that the existing
access is more than sufficient to serve the needs of the site is
proposed, notwithstanding that the worm composting business does
not in itself require planning permission, and there is an existing
access to the site and vehicle movements associated with it.
REGULARISATION & PLANNING PERMISSION Obviously the
regularisation elements do not in themselves require any kind of
planning permission. Notwithstanding that the applicant does not
necessarily agree that the breaches of planning control alleged do
exist, from the pre-application meeting there seems to be agreement
between the applicant and the council as to which elements should
be regularised as part of the overall solution for the site
proposed in this application. The elements which require planning
permission (as listed above) are not in themselves major or
significant elements. The resizing of the three metal containers is
for a temporary period only, whilst construction of the Barn is
arranged and takes place. If necessary, the applicant would accept
a time limit condition on this element something in the order of 18
months would suffice.
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The reuse of buildings and construction relates to elements that
already exist on site and the use proposed for them is agricultural
in nature. With regard to the area of hard-standing, this is
significantly reduced in the application and whatever use the site
is ultimately put to it is not unreasonable to expect there to be
some area of hard-standing for the parking of a small number of
attendant vehicles and agricultural equipment, etc. associated with
any activity on the site. It is suggested that the regularisation
quotes elements balance out the elements which require planning
permission. In terms of planning policy, the elements which require
planning permission are clearly supported by the planning policy
contained at section 3, paragraph 23 of the National planning
policy framework and by policy DM8 of the Isle of Wight core
strategy. DEVELOPMENT NOT REQUIRING PERMISSION By definition, these
elements do not in themselves require planning permission. This is
by virtue of either their scale and nature (in the case of the worm
beds) or by virtue of the extant planning permission for the Barn.
With regard to the worm beds, these are agricultural in nature, and
in terms of their physical size they are each 1 m high, 2 m wide
and 25 m in length. A detail drawing of them is shown in the
application drawings, and a photograph of such a typical worm bed
is included at appendix B to this statement. Worm Farming and
Vermicomposting is the process by which worms are used to convert
organic materials into a humus-like material known as Vermicompost
or worm castings. The goal is to create a nutrient and mineral rich
soil amendment. Vermicompost is also suitable for further
processing into liquid plant nutrient products for use on farms,
golf courses, recreation areas, plant nurseries, residential lawns
and gardens, etc. The analysis of worm castings (Vermicompost)
reveals that they are many times richer in major plant nutrients
than even the most fertile soil. The rich castings are water
soluble and slowly release their nutrients to the plants, making
them immediate plant food. Worm castings are usually P.H. neutral,
making them safe for all plants and they will not burn the most
delicate of plants. Worm castings make the finest natural organic
potting compost for multi-purpose use: sowing seeds, potting on,
and for use as a medium for boosting the fertility of exhausted
potting soils. Worm castings can be sprinkled on the surface of the
soil in seed drills and around plants that need a booster and then
watered-in. Fruit and Vegetables not only grow faster, but are also
better tasting and healthier than chemical plants, which can be
very bitter due to the salts that are present in most chemical
fertilizers. Because worm castings are produced from 100% recycled
wastes, you are also contributing to a cleaner, less polluted
environment. This is very much an Eco-Friendly activity, in line
with the ethos of Eco Island. Fertilizing newly planted trees and
shrubs with worm casts promotes sound growth without forcing,
eliminating soft growth, which can easily burn in severe winter
killing a young tree. Because of the better growth of plants
fertilized with worm castings they are less likely to succumb to
pests and diseases.
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And, one should notice a significant improvement in the colours
of flowers due to the high potash content of worm castings. The
high phosphates and potash content of worm castings make it the
perfect product for use as a top dressing for promoting lush
hardwearing turf. Vermicompost will be sold neat in sealed bags to
the gardening and agricultural industries, and distributed using
smaller sized transit van vehicles (maximum of 2). Although
harmless to any growing plant, they are much stronger in nutrients
than required to do the job of a multi-purpose compost, or grow-bag
etc. In terms of traffic generation, there will be up to two full
time employees on site. Combined with the deliveries by Transit
Van, which will generate approximately 6 return trips by van per
day, the use of the existing access to the property will be no
greater than it is at present, or than it would be with any other
permissible use of the site. The construction of the Barn will be
completed in accordance with the extant planning permission. These
elements do go hand-in-hand with the elements of regularisation and
those requiring planning permission as described above. The result
of the entire package of elements proposed in this application
represents what the applicant considers to be a satisfactory and
mutually acceptable solution/resolution for the site, which will
allow the applicant to establish the agricultural/rural worm
composting business in this sustainable location. CONCLUSION We
contend that the proposal complies with both local and national
planning policies (Island Plan and NPPF) as described in this
Statement. The application also proposes a solution/resolution for
the site comprising of a number of different elements as described
above, all of which go together to provide a comprehensive,
balanced, reasonable and hopefully acceptable way forward. We do
not believe that there are not any sufficiently material grounds
for refusal of the Application, which would stand the test of an
Appeal to any refusal. We therefore feel that the Council should
look favourably on this submission. DICKSONS Planning &
Development Consultants.
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APPENDIX A
PLANNING OFFICERS EMAIL OF 5TH JUNE 2014
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APPENDIX B
PHOTOGRAPH OF TYPICAL WORM BED AND ANNOTATED PHOTOGRAPH OF
EXISTING BUILDINGS
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TYPICAL WORM BED
EXISTING BUILDINGS ETC. ON SITE