Slade Farm January 2018 Update

 

Many local residents will have received notification of a change to the planning application for a proposed gravel pit at Slade Farm.

 

This change is a positive one i.e. removal of the planned concrete batching plant as this is disallowed on green belt sites such as Slade Farm. It should reduce the number of trucks per day but at the same time there is now an application from the motorway services for a lorry park at the top end of Hedgerley Lane, so this will not help us with regards the Services roundabout. We have objected to this too.

 

We have instructed Aecom, our planning consultants to look at all of the above and help us write a letter to Bucks County Council in relation to this change including what it will do to traffic volumes.

 

Although this is good news there are still other elements also disallowed under the National Planning Framework for proposed sites like Slade Farm and we will continue to fight these.

 

At the same time Slade Farm is also included in the Draft Minerals and Waste Local Plan and we await the next consultation so we can see whether our requested changes have been made.

 

We will keep you updated on all of this as it proceeds.

 

In the meantime, many have asked what you can do and the answer is;

 

·         If you have written an objection letter, great. If not please write one and ask all friends and family to write one too. The more objection letters we have  sent the better

·         If you have other points to raise, like the lorry park causing more congestion, please write another letter

 

Some key points would be as follows;

 

·Requirement – nothing has changed since the last application and even though Slade Farm is included in the draft Bucks MWLP, this should not carry any weight at all until all public consultations are concluded and it is approved by the Planning Inspectorate.

·Transport – Hedgerley Lane is not suitable for HGVs both in terms of road surface and also danger to other regular road users. There is now a planning application from the Motorway Services for a lorry park at the services end of Hedgerley Lane and this will make the exit from Hedgerley Lane onto the Services roundabout more crowded, difficult for residents and potentially dangerous due to the sharp bend off theroundabout.

Furthermore the plans show that certain percentages of their loads will take certain routes and this data is unsubstantiated. DK Symes note that 10% will head towards Farnham Common on the A355.  The Farnham Common High Street is already a “bottleneck” and cannot cope with further disruption.

 

·Noise or disturbance – the village already suffers from the noise of the motorway and disturbance from the motorway services; further impact on Hedgerley is unacceptable and a significant reason for refusal.

·Unacceptable use in the Green Belt – Hedgerley is in a rural Green Belt location and an “area of attractive landscape”. A gravel pit and associated plant machinery is incompatible and an unacceptable use for the land. Although the concrete batching plant has been removed from the application, other unnecessary facilities have not.

·Impact on the local community –the proximity and impact of the proposed gravel pit will have significant adverse effects on our community and make it less attractive to visitors and those wishing to live in what is a rural location.

Slade Farm - update 

  

At present we are waiting for the next stage of both the 2nd application for Slade Farm from DK Symes/RJD and also the feedback from the consultation on the draft BSS Minerals and Waste Local Plan (MWLP). 

  

Regarding the 2nd application, this should not “technically” be approved as it is not in the current MWLP and the new plan is only in draft form. We need to wait and see and when the committee meeting will be held to discuss this, HPC will attend and comment directly to the committee. 

  

Re the draft MWLP it has 2 more stages to go through, a second consultation with changes and then a final hearing at the Planning Inspectorate at Government level. We will comment, with the help of Aecom at each stage and keep everyone aware of dates or letters to be completed. We do not have dates yet, but this is likely to be 2018. 

  

We have a great new Bucks Councillor, Barbara Gibbs, who working with our South Bucks Councillor, Marlena Lewis, will keep up the pressure at the council. We have raised the issue that if the MWLP is agreed (likely), then Slade Farm will get the green light, however this should not include a Concrete Batching Plant as these should be excluded as they are an industrial process which is not allowed in Green Belt (i.e. Slade Farm). Barbara is going to check on this with BCC. We have mentioned it to BCC at every stage with all of our submissions on both the applications and MWLP. 

  

Thanks to everyone for their involvement so far; we will continue to keep you informed and ask for your help and support as needed. At present, this is a waiting game before we can do more. 

 

Cllr. Marcus Orchard 

SLADE FARM, HEDGERLEY

TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT (AS AMENDED)

CONSULTATION ON PLANNING APPLICATION 

REF: CM/57/17

 

Proposal:

The extraction and processing of sand and gravel with restoration to agriculture using imported inert materials, the installation and use of mineral processing plant, a concrete batching plant and soil treatment plant, access onto Hedgerley Lane and ancillary buildings including a weighbridge, office, workshop and welfare facilities.

 

Applicant:

RJD Limited

The above application which is  to be determined by the County Council. Please forward  your observations by 23 August 2017. 

To view the application and provide your response to this consultation please visit  http://publicaccess.buckscc.gov.uk/online-applications/ 

or posting it to Strategic Planning Team, Buckinghamshire County Council, County Hall, Walton Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire  HP20 IUY.

 

TO MAKE THINGS EASIER, YOU MAY SEND THE SAME RESPONSE FOR BOTH CONSULTATIONS 

 

Hedgerley Parish Council

The Draft Bucks Minerals and Waste Local Plan

2016-2036 Preferred Options Consultation

SLADE FARM, HEDGERLEY

 

The Draft Plan is now available electronically via the County Council’s minerals and waste planning policy web.  The Draft Plan will also be made available to view in hard copy format at the main reception areas of the County Council (County Hall and the main libraries around the County), as well as the main receptions of the district councils in the county during normal business hours.

BCC officers will be engaging members of the public during the consultation period by holding five exhibitions across the county. The most convenient for Hedgerley residents is below -

Thursday 17th August at the Memorial Centre, 8 East Common, Gerrards Cross SL9 7AD at 14.00 – 20.00 or there will be an exhibition identifying the proposed Slade Farm site. 

 

This will seriously affect Hedgerley should it be approved, so we urge you to visit the exhibition and hopefully take the time to complete the consultation document. To view the application and provide your response to this consultation please visit  http://publicaccess.buckscc.gov.uk/online-applications/

 

This form should be returned by 5pm on Wednesday 27th September  Using our downloadable form and emailing it to mineralswastepolicy@buckscc.gov.uk or posting  it to Strategic Planning Team, Buckinghamshire County Council, County Hall, Walton Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire  HP20 IUY

 

We will be writing to residents again after the 17/8 exhibition with key points to raise on the MWLP

Hedgerley Parish Council