Agenda item

(Director of Planning and Economic Development) To consider the attached report.

The Planning Officer reported that Veolia Environmental Services (UK) Plc had made an application for a Development Consent Order to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, to construct and operate a rail-linked power station at land off Ratty’s Lane in Hoddesdon. Members noted that the proposed power station would have an electrical output capacity in excess of 50 mega watts and therefore fell within the definition of a “nationally significant infrastructure project”.  The Planning Officer reported that such projects were not decided by the Local Planning Authority but by the Secretary of State via the Planning Inspectorate who, after consultation and assessment, would consider whether the development was acceptable and if so would issue a Development Consent Order.

The Committee noted that pre-application had been carried out in two phases of public consultation and the Council had already made comments, particularly in regard to air quality, noise, visual impact and local traffic.  The Committee was advised that local authorities in whose areas applications for national significant infrastructure projects were submitted were invited to produce a Local Impact Report.  The Planning Act 2008 required that the Examination Authority (and Secretary of State) must have regard to local impact reports in determining applications for the Development Consent Orders.  Members were advised that before this was produced there was an opportunity for those interested to make representations direct to the Planning Inspectorate between 17 September and 19 October 2012.

The Planning Officer reported that, although the site was all within the administrative area of Broxbourne Borough Council, it was close to the western boundary of the Epping Forest District and this Council was invited to make comments at this stage.

The Committee considered the proposed development.  Members expressed the following concerns:

(a)        the visual montages have been taken from a low level and do not accurately show the proposed building when viewed from locations in this District; existing uses on the site are in the main undertaken at ground level and cannot be seen from locations in this District unlike the proposed building;

(b)        if Veolia is unsuccessful with its bid for the North London Waste Authority Fuel Use Contract it will be necessary to secure the primary source of solid fuel recovery for the power station from another area which despite current assurances could lead to more than 10% of waste being delivered to the site by road; although there is a weight limit restriction on Dobbs Weir Road this is already regularly abused and the situation is unlikely to be improved by the proposed monitoring; account should also be taken of the increased use of local roads when the M25/A10 are congested/closed;

(c)        the current number of rail movements on the London-Cambridge/Stansted Airport line results in long delays of traffic using the level crossing at Roydon; additional rail movements including the need for trains carrying waste from London to go through Roydon to Harlow and back in order to access the application site will exacerbate this problem;

(d)        the rail line is already heavily used and services are often disrupted due to signal failures, overhead line problems; any additional use of the line is likely to add to these disruptions;

(e)        there will be air pollution resulting from emissions from the site and the planned Trent Developments Sustainable Energy Facility; tests should be undertaken now to establish current levels in the area which can be judged against those taken in the future; there will be increased noise/vibration from the railway which in any event has become more noticeable recently in nearby residential areas as a result of works to the line; there may be rail movements at unsocial hours;

(f)         the proposed involvement of the Environment Agency in the process is too late to have any real meaning;

(g)        figures for current/estimated traffic movements in the area are unclear and need clarification;

(h)        it is suspected that a large amount of natural gas will be used to fuel the facility rather than residual waste and if so this negates some of the arguments for using this site;

(i)         there will be unacceptable congestion and disruption in the area during the build period for the proposed development;

(j)         the future of the current user on the site is unclear; if this use needs to be relocated to another site locally the estimates of a reduction in vehicle movements will be negated.

            RESOLVED:

(1)        That members elaborate on their concerns in e-mails to be sent to the Director of Planning and Economic Development in time for forwarding to the Planning Inspectorate by 19 October 2012;

(2)        That the comments made by members in their emails together with the report of the Director of Planning and Economic Development submitted to this meeting be sent to the Planning Inspectorate;  and

(3)        That a report be made to a future meeting about this Council’s further involvement in the application process.