Agenda and minutes

Members and officers must declare any pecuniary or personalinterest in any business on the agenda. They should also make declarations at any stage such an interest becomes apparent during the meeting. Consideration should be given to leaving the meeting if the nature of the interest warrants it. If in doubt, contact Democratic Services before the meeting.

12.1   There were no declarations of interest made.

12.2   All members present stated that they had not been lobbied on either of the two applications to be considered at the meeting.

The Committee is asked to confirm the minutes of the meeting held on
9 July 2024 (cream paper).

13.1   The Committee resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 9 July 2024be approved and that they be signed by the Chairman.

Items not on the agenda that the Chairman of the Committee is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency by reason of special circumstances.

14.1   There were no urgent matters.

Report by the Head of Planning Services.

The Committee is asked to consider and determine the following application:

WSCC/007/24 - Installation of Integrated Constructed Wetland (ICW) and associated infrastructure at land adjacent to Staplefield Wastewater Treatment Works at Staplefield Wastewater Treatment Works, Cuckfield Road, Staplefield, West Sussex, RH17 6ES.

WSCC/007/24 - Installation of Integrated Constructed Wetland (ICW) and associated infrastructure at land adjacent to Staplefield Wastewater Treatment Works at Staplefield Wastewater Treatment Works, Cuckfield Road, Staplefield, West Sussex,
RH17 6ES

15.1   The Committee considered a report by the Head of Planning Services (copy appended to the signed minutes).  The report was introduced by Edward Anderson, Planner, who outlined the details of the proposals, responses to consultation and the key considerations.  Additionally, the following matters were raised:

·        Paragraph 9.61 of the Committee report mentions 984 vehicle movements per week.  This is an error and should read as the total number of vehicle movements for the construction phase of the development.

·        Ansty and Staplefield Parish Council gave qualified support for the application subject to the removal of the proposed new road (track) within the site and the car parking area.  Subsequently, the car parking area was removed by the applicant from the application.  The track remains because it is required for access for maintenance of the application site and to allow the landowner access to his neighbouring fields.

·        Condition 11 ‘Lighting’ only seeks to control any additional lighting over and above that already allowed under permitted development.  The Committee was asked to approve the removal of the two occurrences of the word “additional” from the condition.

15.2   Mr Guy Lord, local resident, spoke in objection to the application.  Levels of phosphates going into water sources should be reduced, but the need for the development in an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is not met with the proposed design.  The Government’s July 2022 White Paper outlines two proven methods to reduce phosphate levels, which are chemical dosing and biological nutrient removal, not highly engineered wetlands.  In a shift from their initial statement that there was no other option, Southern Water has announced upgrades to the site to allow for chemical dosing, as used in nearly all 7,000 water treatment plants of this type.  So why is a wetland still needed?  Commodity prices for aluminium salt used in chemical dosing are likely to remain very stable or to reduce due to its common use in water treatment and various other industries, further production facilities and recycling.  The proposed wetland, with its2 metre high highly engineered cells will change the AONB and will be alien to the patchwork of fields and the rural setting.  It will destroy existing habitats, including those of endangered species such as the Great Crested Newts that are 20 metres from the site.  It will adversely affect historic and archaeological buildings and features.  There will be nearly 1,000 vehicle movements required in the construction phase.  The proposal will cost £4.3m for 210 Staplefield residents, of whom 25% are not on mains drainage.  It will increase water bills that are already set for a 77% increase, the highest increase in the UK.  Southern Water has been fined for releasing sewerage into rivers and for the death of fish.  Sewerage released into the River Ouse in Staplefield increased last  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

Report by Assistant Director (Highways Transport and Planning).

The Committee is asked to note the following report:

West Sussex County Council Public Rights of Way Service Annual Report 2023-24

16.1   The Chairman proposed that the Committee defer the consideration of the Public Rights of Way Annual Report 2023/24 because the lead officer was unavailable.

16.2   It was commented that the report should be brought to a Committee meeting as soon as possible after the end of the reporting period.  The Chairman pointed out that the report would not have been ready before July 2024 at the earliest.

16.3   Resolved:

The Committee agreed to defer the report until the next available opportunity to discuss the item, which is likely to be November 2024.

16.4   The Committee recessed for lunch at 12.03 pm and reconvened at 12.56 pm. During the break Cllr Ali gave his apologies for the afternoon session.

Report by the Head of Planning Services.

The Committee is asked to consider and determine the following application:

WSCC/037/23 - Construction and Operation of an Open Windrow Composting (OWC) Facility at Brookhurst Wood Landfill Site, Langhurstwood Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 4QD.

WSCC/037/23 - Construction and Operation of an Open Windrow Composting (OWC) Facility at Brookhurst Wood Landfill Site, Langhurstwood Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 4QD

17.1 The Committee considered a report by the Head of Planning Services (copy appended to the signed minutes).  The report was introduced by James Neave, Principal Planning Officer, who outlined the details of the proposals, responses to consultation and the key considerations. 

17.2   Cllr Gregg Maxam, representing Warnham Parish Council, spoke in objection to the application.  For years, residents have been plagued by flies, the stench of waste, birds and, in some cases, vermin, and now the stench of stale eggs as the landfill site burns methane.  The site allocation may be intended for the disposal of Gatwick Airport’s waste, which it has not detailed in its proposed two runway operation, if that is achieved.  Brookhurst Wood has a Mechanical Biological Treatment Facility, an industrial waste site, a brickworks and an impending Energy From Waste Facility.  Langhurstwood Road is residential.  It is not ideal for carrying large HGVs and workers’ vehicles, and it has other industrial sites along it.  If approved, there should be an enforcement plan to control odours and health issues because there has been a lack of action in the past to deal with such issues.  There should be restrictions on operating times and the number of daily vehicle movements because, with additional and proposed new housing, the A24 should have been diverted and a new road built to take the volume of peak hours traffic to the Great Daux Roundabout.  No air quality monitoring has ever been offered, but would be welcomed.  There should be HGV parking restrictions and no HGVs or traffic to the site should use Warnham Parish as a cut through access; this is because waste lorries park on the A264 awaiting the site’s opening and they turn round to access the site at the Great Daux Roundabout, causing hazards for other road users.  A carbon plan should be in place to ensure that all vehicles become carbon neutral, and for environmental waste management and reuse.  To stop cross contamination by wildlife, vermin and insects, the site should not be used for human waste, materials used in medicine, food products including uncooked meat, animal carcasses or parts, diseased vegetation or waste products from the processing of foodstuffs, nor packaging sourced from overseas.  Restrictions and enforcement are key, but the application should be refused because it would be one too many waste sites in a single non-sustainable location.

17.3   The clerk to the Committee read out a statement in objection to the application from Mr Brian Johnson on behalf of Langhurstwood Residents Group that has, on many occasions over 15 years, raised concerns in respect of operations at Brookhurst Wood and the level of HGV movements.  A case was made for absorbing the proposed 76 HGV movements into the already held Biffa permission, granted in 2010, for 392 HGV movements per weekday with further allocations on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

The next meeting of the Committee will be held at 10.30 am on Tuesday,
8 October 2024 at County Hall, Chichester. 

Report by the Head of Planning Services, Director of Law and Assurance and Assistant Director (Highways Transport and Planning).

The Committee is invited to ask about planned agenda items and to note the following report:

Current Planning Applications, Current Definitive Map Modification Orders (DMMOs), Town and Village Green Applications (TVGs) and Public Path Orders (PPOs) under investigation.

18.1       The Committee noted that its next scheduled meeting would be held at 10.30 am on 8 October 2024 at County Hall, Chichester.

18.2       Officers advised that applications that may be ready for determination at the 8 October Planning and Rights of Way Committee include planning application WSCC/028/21 Rock Common Quarry, Washington; plus a Town and Village Green application: TVG 31/52 at Nutham Lane, Cedar Drive and Easteds Lane, Southwater.  It should be noted that the scheduling of all applications may be subject to change.