Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and to note any substitutions.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Patel (Councillor Rose substitute).

The Chairman, Councillor Mrs Spikings welcomed everyone to the meeting. She advised that the meeting was being recorded and streamed live to You Tube.

She invited the Democratic Services Officer to carry out a roll call to determine attendees.

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting held on          and the Reconvened Meeting held on       .

The minutes of the meetings held on 3 October 2022 and the Reconvened meeting held on 6 October were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman, Councillor Mrs Spikings.

Please indicate if there are any interests which should be declared.  A declaration of an interest should indicate the nature of the interest (if not already declared on the Register of Interests) and the agenda item to which it relates.  If a disclosable pecuniary interest is declared, the Member should withdraw from the room whilst the matter is discussed.

These declarations apply to all Members present, whether the Member is part of the meeting, attending to speak as a local Member on an item or simply observing the meeting from the public seating area.

Councillor appointed representatives on the Internal Drainage Boards are noted.

There were no declarations of interest declared.

To consider any business, which by reason of special circumstances, the Chairman proposes to accept, under Section 100(b)(4)(b) of the Local Government Act, 1972.

The Planning Control Manager suggested that application 9/2(e) should be deferred, to allow for further investigation into the ownership and the future use of the hotel complex.  This was proposed by the Chairman, Councillor Mrs Spikings and agreed by the Committee.

Members wishing to speak pursuant to Standing Order 34 should inform the Chairman of their intention to do so and on what items they wish to be heard before a decision on that item is taken.

The following Councillors attended under Standing Order 34:

Councillor A Kemp      -           Item 8

Cllr M de Whalley       -           Item 8

Cllr R Blunt                  -           Item 8

Cllr S Dark                  -           Item 8

Cllr C Sampson          -           8/2(b)

Cllr S Sandell              -           8/2(c) (her letter would be read out to the Committee)

Cllr J Kirk                    -           8/2(g)

Cllr J Moriarty             -           8/2(h)  

To receive any Chairman’s correspondence.

The Chairman, Councillor Mrs Spikings reported that any correspondence received had been read and passed to the appropriate officer.

To receive the Schedule of Late Correspondence received since the publication of the agenda.

A copy of the late correspondence received after the publication of the agenda, which had been previously circulated, was tabled.  A copy of the agenda would be held for public inspection with a list of background papers.

Plans to develop a new Energy from Waste (EfW) Combined Heat and Power (CHP) facility generating electricity and steam, (and associated grid connections) on land at Algores Way, Wisbech:  Medworth CHP Ltd

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Councillor de Whalley left the meeting and addressed the Committee in accordance with Standing Order 34.

The Committee was reminded that at the Council meeting on 25 February 2021, a motion was passed to OBJECT to the principle of the proposal for an energy from waste facility in Wisbech.  It was explained that the remained in place and was unaffected by this specific technical consultation response.

The Principal Planner explained that this was a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP), so it was considered by the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) and ultimately determined by the Secretary of State.  The applicants were seeking what was known as a Development Consent Order (DCO) which was effectively the equivalent of planning permission.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) had invited the Council to submit a Relevant Representations Response (RR), to the submission of the Medworth EfW, CHP Facility and associated grid connections application.  This was a specific stage in the Development Consent process.

The deadline for comments to PINS is Tuesday 15 November 2022.  In order for comments to be taken into account, those making representations would need to register as an interested party.

PINS would consider comments it received from the RR stage, which would help to inform the topics and questions to be dealt with at the Examination stage.

The Committee was informed that the Borough Council was one of four host authorities, as the plant and infrastructure were sited within each council area.  The other authorities were Fenland District Council (FDC), Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) and Norfolk County Council (NCC).  The main plant and infrastructure was located within FDC and CCC’s area, with the underground cabling connecting to a substation in Walsoken in West Norfolk.

The Committee noted the key issues for consideration as set out in the report.

In accordance with Standing Order 34, the following Councillors attended and outlined their concerns to the application:

Councillor A Kemp stated that incinerators emitted a number of harmful substances such as PCBs and PAHs.  She explained the effect of exposure to PCBs and exposure to small amounts of these could cause developmental and neurological problems in children.  PCBs could also build up in sediment in coastal areas and rivers and the fatty tissue of fish, which could then be transmitted through the food chain.  PAHs were a class of widespread environmental carcinogens and there was no legal limit to the emissions which came out of incinerators from pcbs and pahs however much modelling or monitoring there was.  She added that the dispersion modelling was uncertain.  It did not account for whether the weather was static and whether there was going to be fast and strong winds.  The direction of the winds would be south-west prevailing over West Norfolk.   There had been  ...  view the full minutes text for item PC60:

The Committee is asked to note the Index of Applications.

The Committee noted the Index of Applications.

To consider and determine the attached Schedule of Planning Applications submitted by the Executive Director.

The Committee considered schedules of applications for planning permission submitted by the Executive Director for Planning and Environment (copies of the schedules were published with the agenda).  Any changes to the schedules were recorded in the minutes.

RESOLVED:   That the applications be determined as set out at (i) – (ix) below, where appropriate, to the conditions and reasons or grounds of refusal, set out in the schedules signed by the Chairman.

(i)               22/00704/FM

Sedgeford/Snettisham:  Land at Sedgeford Hall Estate, Fring Road:  Construction and operation of a solar farm comprising an array of ground- mounted solar photovoltaic (“PV”) panels and containerised batteries and associated infrastructure:  Regener8 Power Ltd

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Members were reminded that the application had been deferred from the previous meeting to enable the applicant to investigate comments from the RSPB (informed by the Wash Wader Research Group) relating to curlews recorded on the site.  This issue has now been given full consideration.

Other issues raised in late correspondence had also been covered as well as some amendments sought by the applicant in relation to conditions.

The Senior Planner explained that full planning permission was sought for a 21 megawatt (MW) solar farm with battery storage capacity of 10 MW hours (MWh) comprising approximately 31,800 ground mounted solar photovoltaic panels and associated infrastructure.

The site comprised approximately 44.6ha of Grade 3b agricultural land north of Fring Road within the parishes of Sedgeford and Snettisham.  The site was located approximately 1.2km west of Fring, 1.65 km south of Sedgeford and 2.6km to the east of Snettisham.

The current land-use was mainly crop cultivation whilst the south-western field contained free ranged pigs.

A separate parcel of land within the applicant’s ownership to the west of the northern field was proposed to be field managed for farmland birds.

Access to the site would be taken via a new junction off Fring Road which formed the southern boundary of the site.  Vehicles would approach the site from the south-east from the A148 via Great Bircham.

The site fell within both the parishes of Sedgeford and Snettisham, both of which have Neighbourhood Plans, and incorporated three medium sized fields which were predominantly enclosed by hedges with occasional hedgerow trees.  Agricultural fields surrounded the site on all sides with very few buildings outside of the nearby settlements of Sedgeford, Snettisham, Shernbourne and Fring.

The construction phase of the development would be approximately 6 months, with the lifetime of the development expected to be 40 years from the first export of electricity.

The site was not subject to any landscape designations.  However, the site was located 215m southeast of the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) at its nearest point and 1.1 km northwest of a scheduled monument.

The application had been referred to the Committee for determination as the operational area exceeded 1ha and it had been called in by Councillor Parish.

The Committee noted the key issues for consideration, as set out  ...  view the full minutes text for item PC61:a

To receive the Schedule of Planning Applications determined by the Executive Director.

The Committee received reports relating to the above.

RESOLVED:  That the delegated decision report be noted.