Agenda item

Ward: Rudgwick

Applicant: Dr Adrian Worrall

The Head of Development reported that this application sought retrospective permission for an access track which had been laid into an area of woodland to provide vehicular access to Oakesfield Plantation and Firtree Plantation.  The main track was almost 600 metres long with an adjoining 120 metre track.  Most of the track had been laid with crushed hardcore over a geo-textile membrane.  To form part of the track, hardcore had been placed on approximately 245 metres of a public right of way.

The application site was in the countryside approximately three and a half kilometres northwest of Broadbridge Heath and two kilometres north of Slinfold.  The small settlement of Rowhook lay to the northwest. The site was part of an area known as Roman Woods which was in both Rudgwick and Slinfold parishes. 

Details of relevant government and council policies and relevant planning history, as contained within the report, were noted by the Committee.  The responses from statutory internal and external consultees, as contained within the report, were considered by the Committee.

Rudgwick Parish Council raised no objections, though some concerns had been raised.  The Local Member confirmed that Slinfold Parish Council objected to the application.  Sixteen objections from 13 households had been received.  Since publication of the report two further objections had been received and an addendum to the report advised Members of details of the objections and officer comments.  Three members of the public, including the Chairman of the Rowhook and Chelmsfold Amenity Society, spoke in objection to the application.

Members considered the officer’s planning assessment which indicated that the key issues for consideration in determining the proposal were:  the principle of the development and whether it served a forestry purpose; impact on the rural character of the area; and the further impact that removal of the track would have on ecology and biodiversity.

Officers confirmed that the tracks did not fall within ancient woodland and that the structures on site were for forestry purposes and not for residential use. Members discussed the quality of the track surface, in particular in relation to the public footpath, and noted concerns raised by the Arboricultural Officer that removing the hardcore surface could cause further damage to tree roots. 

Members noted that the track laid on the public footpath included unsatisfactory material as outlined in the report, and were concerned that the timescales indicated in the conditions requiring an approved Method Statement followed by the laying of the wearing course in an appropriate manner were too slow.  It was therefore agreed that these would be amended so that all works should be completed within six months instead of eight months. 

RESOLVED

That planning application DC/18/0205 be granted subject to the conditions as reported, with the timescale of ‘four months’ referred to in conditions 2 and 3 to be revised to ‘three months’ as follows:

Condition 2:  Within three months of the date of this permission, a Method Statement detailing a suitable wearing course for the length of track that forms part of the Public Right of Way shall have been submitted and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The wearing course shall have a minimum depth of 100mm of Type 1 material with plenty of fines and shall be laid in two courses, each having a minimum depth of 50mm. Each layer shall be compacted well between the courses and a geo-textile membrane added to prevent fines getting in to the sub-base.  Within three months of the date of the written approval by the Local Planning Authority of the Method Statement, the wearing course shall have been laid strictly in accordance with the approved Method Statement and be retained as such thereafter.

Condition 3: Within three months of the date of this permission, an Ecological Construction Methodology Plan (ECMP) shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The ECMP shall incorporate all measures proposed within the Preliminary Ecological Appraisal and shall include details of habitat protection for adjacent habitats, avoidance measures with regards to protected and notable species and enhancement measures for biodiversity. The measures outlined in Section 4.11 of the Preliminary Ecological Appraisal by The Ecology Co-op dated 26^th April 2018 should be adhered to, to prevent impacts to protected species and damage to adjacent habitats.  The approved provisions shall be implemented before the works to lay the wearing course commences and shall thereafter be retained and maintained in accordance with the approved details unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.