Hanson Cement at Planning Committee 8th Nov

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The application to install a new mill and rail loading at Hanson Cement will be heard by the planning committee on the 8th November 2017 1:00pm County Hall (second agenda item)

Concerns about the operation of the new mill, use of the existing mills at the same time, operating times, emissions and monitoring appear to have been listened to. The full planning officers report can be read here :

http://committeemeetings.flintshire.gov.uk/documents/s45942/057343%20-%20Full%20Application%20-%20Demolition%20of%20the%20Existing%20Cement%20Storage%20and%20Loading%20Facilities%20and%20the.pdf?LLL=0

The recommendation is to APPROVE the application subject to conditions which include:

1. Commencement
2. In accordance with submitted plans
3. Construction management plan
4. Construction traffic management plan
5. Contaminated land-scheme (reports/remediation/ validation/verification and post-development monitoring)
6. Piling and foundations
7. Surface water drainage (scheme/verification)
8. Foul drainage
9. Dust – construction and commissioning stage
10. Noise – construction and commissioning stage
11. Lighting – no off site glare
12. Hours of working -construction and commissioning stage
13. House of working -operational
14. Biosecurity scheme
15. Statutory protected species reasonable avoidance measures
16. Wildlife management scheme
17. Landscaping/woodland management scheme 18. Tree safeguarding plan

It is the responsibility of Flintshire County Council to grant planning permission and monitor the conditions. It is the responsibility of Natural Resources Wales to grant a permit to operate the new mill. That process is ongoing.

 

Flintshire's Local Development Plan

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Flintshire will be publishing the next stage of the Local Development Plan next Thursday (9th November) and will be inviting feedback.

This consultation sets out how many houses Flintshire believe are needed in the county up until 2030 and how they should be distributed. 

This stage of the consultation will also give the first indication of the assessment of Candidate sites and how they match up with the council's strategy - that doesn't mean anything at this stage though, just an indication.

Confusingly, the Council will also be reopening the call for new candidate sites. 

This is the full wording of the council's announcement today. As soon as the documents are published, we will share them online.

Pre-Deposit Proposals Public Consultation (Preferred Strategy)
Flintshire Local Development Plan 2015 – 2030

I am writing to inform you that Flintshire County Council is consulting on its Preferred Strategy for the Flintshire Local Development Plan (LDP).

The Preferred Strategy document outlines the Plans vision, issues and objectives, preferred level of growth and preferred spatial strategy. It identifies two Strategic Sites and Strategic Policies. The Pre-Deposit Proposals documents are as follows:

  • Preferred Strategy
  • Integrated Impact Assessment – Interim Report (Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) including a Non-Technical Summary)
  • Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) Screening Report

The Preferred Strategy is also accompanied by a range of other documents including a summary leaflet and background papers which are all available online. 

A Background Paper is also available in which the sites on the Candidate Sites Register have been assessed in terms of broad conformity with the Preferred Strategy. It also explains that new or alternative sites may also now be submitted for consideration. This Background Paper will be available on–line and at consultation and exhibition venues.

Copies of the Pre-Deposit Proposals documents are available for public inspection from Thursday 09 November 2017 until Thursday 21 December 2017:

  • On the Council’s website www.flintshire.gov.uk/ldp
  • At County Hall Main Reception during normal opening hours
  • At Flintshire Connects Offices in Buckley, Connah’s Quay, Flint, Holywell and Mold and at all libraries, during normal opening hours
  • At an exhibition in County Hall Main Reception for the 6 week consultation period
  • At the following exhibitions during normal opening hours:

o    Buckley Library, Deeside Library (Leisure Centre), Holywell Library and Mancot Community Library between Thursday 9th November and Wednesday 29th November 

o    Broughton Library, Flint Library and Mold Library between Thursday 30th November and Thursday 21st December

Comments on the Pre-Deposit Proposals documents, the Candidate Sites Assessment and other supporting information, as well as the submission of alternative sites must be made in writing and received by the Council by 5pm on Thursday 21 December 2017. All representations must clearly identify the subject matter, any change sought and the reasoning. Representations can be made by one of the following methods:

  • Using the on-line consultation portal (this will require respondents registering to use the Objective Keystone system on the Council’s website)
  • Using the comments form
  • Using the alternative site submission form
  • By e-mail to developmentplans@flintshire.gov.uk
  • By writing to Andrew Farrow, Chief Officer (Planning and Environment), Flintshire County Council, County Hall, Mold, Flintshire, CH7 6NF

Representations made during this pre-deposit (Preferred Strategy) stage will not be considered by the Inspector appointed to carry out the independent examination.

The next stage of the plan preparation process will be the ‘deposit’ stage when the deposit LDP will be consulted upon and representations sought.

Any queries can be directed to the helpline 01352 703213 or the e-mail address above.

 

Ymgynghoriad Cyhoeddus ar Gynigion Cyn-adneuo (Strategaeth a Ffefrir)
Cynllun Datblygu Lleol Sir y Fflint 2015 – 2030

 Ysgrifennaf atoch i’ch hysbysu bod Cyngor Sir y Fflint yn ymgynghori ar y Strategaeth a Ffefrir ar gyfer Cynllun Datblygu Lleol (CDLl) Cyngor Sir y Fflint.

Mae dogfen y Strategaeth a Ffefrir yn amlinellu gweledigaeth y Cynllun, y materion a’r amcanion, y lefel twf ddewisol a’r strategaeth ofodol ddewisol. Mae’n nodi dau Safle Strategol a Pholisïau Strategol. Dyma ddogfennau'r Cynigion Cyn-adneuo:

  • Y Strategaeth a Ffefrir
  • Asesiad o'r Effaith Integredig – Adroddiad Interim (Arfarniad o Gynaliadwyedd ac Asesiad Amgylcheddol Strategol gan gynnwys Crynodeb Annhechnegol)
  • Adroddiad Sgrinio'r Asesiad Rheoliadau Cynefinoedd

Mae amrediad o ddogfennau eraill hefyd yn cyd-fynd â’r Strategaeth a Ffefrir, gan gynnwys taflen grynodeb a phapurau cefndir, sydd oll ar gael ar lein. 

Hefyd, mae Papur Cefndir ar gael lle mae’r safleoedd sydd ar y Gofrestr Safleoedd Ymgeisiol wedi cael eu hasesu o ran cydymffurfiaeth fras â’r Strategaeth a Ffefrir. Mae hefyd yn egluro y gellir cyflwyno safleoedd newydd neu safleoedd amgen i’w hystyried yn awr. Bydd y Papur Cefndir hwn ar gael ar-lein ac i’w ddarllen yn y lleoliadau arddangos ac ymgynghori.

Mae copïau o ddogfennau’r Cynigion Cyn-adneuo ar gael i’r cyhoedd eu harchwilio o ddydd Iau 9 Tachwedd tan ddydd Iau 21 Rhagfyr 2017:

  • Ar wefan y Cyngor www.siryfflint.gov.uk/cdll
  • Ym Mhrif Dderbynfa Neuadd y Sir yn ystod yr oriau agor arferol
  • Yn Swyddfeydd Sir y Fflint yn Cysylltu ym Mwcle, Cei Connah, Y Fflint, Treffynnon a’r Wyddgrug ac ym mhob llyfrgell, yn ystod yr oriau agor arferol
  • Mewn arddangosfa ym Mhrif Dderbynfa Neuadd y Sir yn ystod y cyfnod ymgynghori o 6 wythnos
  • Yn yr arddangosfeydd canlynol yn ystod yr oriau agor arferol:

o    Llyfrgell Bwcle, Llyfrgell Glannau Dyfrdwy (Canolfan Hamdden), Llyfrgell Treffynnon a Llyfrgell Gymunedol Mancot rhwng dydd Iau 9 Tachwedd a dydd Mercher 29 Tachwedd 

o    Llyfrgell Brychdyn, Llyfrgell y Fflint a Llyfrgell yr Wyddgrug rhwng dydd Iau 30 Tachwedd a dydd Iau 21 Rhagfyr

Rhaid cyflwyno sylwadau am ddogfennau’r Cynigion Cyn-adneuo, yr Asesiad o Safleoedd Ymgeisiol a gwybodaeth ategol arall, yn ogystal â chyflwyno safleoedd amgen, yn ysgrifenedig i’r Cyngor erbyn 5pm ddydd Iau 21 Tachwedd 2017.  Rhaid i’r holl sylwadau nodi’r pwnc, unrhyw newid a geisir a’r rhesymau yn glir. Gellir cyflwyno sylwadau trwy un o’r dulliau canlynol:

  • Defnyddio’r porth ymgynghori ar-lein (bydd angen i ymatebwyr gofrestru i ddefnyddio’r system Objective Keystone ar wefan y Cyngor er mwyn gwneud hyn)
  • Defnyddio’r ffurflen sylwadau
  • Defnyddio’r ffurflen cyflwyno safleoedd amgen
  • Anfon neges e-bost i developmentplans@flintshire.gov.uk
  • Ysgrifennu at Andrew Farrow, Prif Swyddog (Cynllunio a’r Amgylchedd), Cyngor Sir y Fflint, Neuadd y Sir, Yr Wyddgrug, Sir y Fflint, CH7 6NF

Ni fydd sylwadau a wneir yn ystod y cyfnod cyn-adneuo (Strategaeth a Ffefrir) hwn yn cael eu hystyried gan yr Arolygydd a benodir i gynnal yr archwiliad annibynnol.

Cam nesaf y broses o baratoi’r cynllun fydd y cyfnod ‘adneuo’ pan fydd ymgynghoriad yn cael ei gynnal ar y CDLl adneuo a sylwadau yn cael eu ceisio. 

Gellir cyfeirio unrhyw ymholiadau i’r llinell gymorth, sef 01352 703213 neu i'r cyfeiriad e-bost uchod.

 

 

PLANNING UPDATE: LAST CHANCE TO COMMENT?

There is such a lot happening to our village at the moment, here is a quick update on where everything is up to and what you can do:

Chester Road - 186 Houses (Redrow)

There is to be a public inquiry held in our village. Barristers representing Redrow and Flintshire County Council will present the cases to the planning inspector. 

15th / 16th / 17th November 2017 10:00am
Royal British Legion, Penyffordd

Please come along if you can and show how strongly the village feels.

Hawarden Road - 32 Houses

New Reference: APP/A6835/A/17/3182034
The planning inspectorate have decided to continue to work with the original appeal timeline and therefore we only have until the 31st October 2017 to submit any additional comments to the inspector via this link:

PLANNING INSPECTOR

The decision has been taken to hold another public inquiry and the details and dates have not yet been provided.

Hanson Cement - Expansion

Planning reference 057343
This is now closed for comments officially but no date has been set yet for committee and therefore you can comment by writing to the planning officer directly Mr G Nancarrow at Flintshire County Council

Rhos Road - South - 36 Retirement Apartments

Planning reference: 057388
This application is now closed for comments, but because the date of planning committee has not been finalised it is still possible to comment by emailing the planning officer directly: emma.hancock@flintshire.gov.uk
 

Rhos Road - North - 40 Houses

NEW REFERENCE: 057396
NOW CLOSED FOR COMMENTS

Proposal for 40 houses which was granted outline planning permission last August. There is now an application submitted for reserved matters - the next step in getting full approval to start building.

New School

Reference No: 057599

The plans for the new school have now been submitted to planning as they are. You can now view the plans and comment via the planning portal. One significant change from the public meeting and consultations is that they have included Phase 2 expansion plans in the planning permission.

https://digital.flintshire.gov.uk/FCC_Planning/Home/Details?refno=057599

The planning officer will decide what transport measures need to be included. You should let him know if you are concerned David.Glyn.Jones@flintshire.gov.uk

Is there more?

We have heard of reports about surveyors working on land off Vounog Hill, close to Meadowslea, and on Tom Jones farm on Penymynydd roundabout . We need to be vigilant and prepared - above all we need to remain strong and use our collective voice through our Village Place Plan. 

If you haven't signed up to it already please do it now - it only takes a minute!

New School - Planning Application is in

Reference No: 057599

The plans for the new school have now been submitted to planning as they are. You can now view the plans and comment via the planning portal.

https://digital.flintshire.gov.uk/FCC_Planning/Home/Details?refno=057599

Phase 1 - the rear of the school

Phase 1 - the rear of the school

Phase 2 - the extension

The siting of the building, roof pitch, boundary treatment and materials are all as last published - some of these were changed following the public consultation in July. The building design and situation has been agreed with the Penyffordd Community Council as well as the school teachers and Governors.

Phase 1 - the layout of the new school

Phase 2 - layout showing the extension at the rear

This is the first time we have seen the proposed 'extension' of the school to increase capacity to 360 primary children. This is not planned for the initial build. The extension shown in these visuals extends one side of the school to the full height of the pitched roof.

Last week Flintshire County Council published the transport assessment. The council have not made clear their intentions with regard to the current and projected traffic problems, however, among the recommendations included in the report was the extension of the zig-zag markings outside the school and the repainting of traffic calming - these are both included in the application.  There are genuine concerns from residents about the safety of children on the roads around the school at peak times. We will try to find out more.


Colin Everett, Flintshire County Council's Chief Executive has taken a personal interest in the project and attended several meetings in the village, about the school, including meeting with local residents.

If you wish to comment directly you can contact:

Planning Officer, Mr D.G.Jones, email: David.Glyn.Jones@flintshire.gov.uk
Mr Everett, email: chief.executive@flintshire.gov.uk 
The schools team, email: 21stcenturyschools@flintshire.gov.uk

The deadline for comments is 17th November 2017

 

SCHOOL UPDATE - Transport Report

The transport report has now been published. It is 349 pages long, so we have extracted the highlights and put them on the website, but these are the headlines:

- new Pelican crossing on Corwen Road proposed
- proposal to repaint speed bumps
- extend school no parking around the corner

- school to introduce a transport plan
- negotiations underway with Red Lion to use car park
- voluntary one-way system suggested
- people are encouraged to walk or cycle
- everyone in Penyffordd/Penymynydd lives within walking distance

- no further changes planned to the school site
- no increase in parking or dropoff zone at the school site
- no changes to neighbouring roads or junctions
- no new parking restrictions on roads

It was said at the public meeting that we need to be realistic about dealing with the potential traffic problems and that the solution would be a combination of changes to:
- behaviour
- highways (which could include a new crossing and speed limits)
- methods of transport
- school transport plan
- school site drop off / waiting area
- enforcement

What do you think?

http://www.penyfforddcommunity.org/school-transport/

Planning - Your Voice Matters

If you were at the September village meeting then you know what's happening - if you missed it, this is a quick summary along with tips on how you can add your voice to make a difference. It is important that as many people as possible comment on applications because it is the sheer number of people involved in Penyffordd that is making the difference.

A great turnout for the 27th Sept public meeting

A great turnout for the 27th Sept public meeting

What is going on?

In short. The local authority has to make a plan to set out how many houses it needs in a 15 year period (2015-2030) and where it thinks they should be built. When they do that, it sets 'boundaries' around each settlement inside of which development is allowed.

Right now Flintshire don't have their new plan and Welsh Government policy allows developers to speculatively apply for planning permission for developments outside of the existing boundaries.

Because Penyffordd is such a great place to live - and crucially because it is so easy to get to Chester and beyond to work - it is easy to sell new houses here, so developers like it. This problem is likely to remain until the council adopts its new plan, expected in 2019.

Why are so many people objecting?

For reasons too dull to go into, the last plan covering 2000-2015 was only adopted in 2011. Penyffordd was allocated two sites for development in that plan - the Heritage site (White Lion) and the Groves (Wood Lane Farm). There is no problem with these sites themselves, the issue is that they were not expected or intended to be built all at once - they were supposed to represent 15 years of growth, but they were built within 5 years - over 300 homes added to a village of only 1,300 homes. 

There are plans for another 300 more properties in the village.

These are the four current planning applications live right now - all of them are outside of our village boundary:

1. Rhos Road (North) for 40 houses

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This one has already been given outline planning permission. The developer has now submitted the detail and we are asking Flintshire to make sure that the 40 houses proposed are built to fulfil the needs of the village and include a full mixture of houses and the correct proportion of affordable homes. Currently there are only 3 affordable homes shown on the plan - there should be 12, and the majority of houses (23) are 4-bedroom and the balance 3-bedroom.

Object Now on these points:

-Affordable homes should be 30%, of which at least 6 are 2 bedroom, in this development
- Mixture of houses - over 50% 4-bedroom and no 2-bedroom
-No primary school contribution and no school places
-Open space not adequate
-Provision of play space for the site
-No 3-storey houses in the village
-Drainage plan

The principle of development is has been approved on this one, so we can't object on settlement boundary, overdevelopment, prematurity or any of those other objections which apply with the other applications.

Ref: 057396 Deadline is passed but your objections will still be considered.

Write to: Head of Planning, Environment Directorate, County Hall, Mold, Flintshire, CH7 6NF.
Or Email: planningdc@flintshire.gov.uk

2. Rhos Road (South) for 36 retirement apartments

This is a proposed retirement development for over-55s. Residents would pay a monthly management fee to benefit from shared communal facilities. This type of development is a good solution for maintaining social connections for the elderly. However, there are issues with this one. It is specifically not including affordable properties - the implication is that those who can't afford to live here can move elsewhere. There is not enough parking, there are few public transport links, little access to medical care and it is some distance from the village shop and facilities.

Object on these grounds:
- outside of the settlement boundary
- premature
- overdevelopment of the settlement
- No affordable provision
- Social cohesion
- Lack of car parking
- disabled access to train station
- distance from village centre and facilities
- Not on a bus route
- No Healthcare facilities in the village

Ref: 057388 Deadline 6/10/17 - Comment Online:
https://digital.flintshire.gov.uk/FCC_Planning/Home/Details?refno=057388 
Write to: Head of Planning, Environment Directorate, County Hall, Mold, Flintshire, CH7 6NF.
Or Email: planningdc@flintshire.gov.uk

3. Redrow Chester Road for 186 houses

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This application was refused by committee in April and the appeal will be decided after a public inquiry which is happening in November (15th at the Legion). This development is pure profiteering by the developer - no attempt to address the needs of the village or respond to the village concerns - these are executive properties intended for commuters.

Flintshire County Council agree with our position on this application and have put significant resources into fighting the appeal. Feel free to get in touch with us if you would like to know more.

What you can do:
Attend the public inquiry - 15th November at the Legion - more details to follow.
Write to the Welsh Minister to let her know what is happening in Penyffordd and how it is changing: Correspondence.Lesley.Griffiths@gov.wales

4. Hawarden Road for 32 houses

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This application was refused planning permission by the committee in September and has since been appealed. We don't know more yet. Flintshire planner didn't support us on this application (the committee did)  because they viewed it in isolation and considered the size and mix of houses and affordable homes to be acceptable - we agree with that - but the site is outside of the boundary and the facilities in the village can't cope - there are no school places for example.

We are waiting for further updates on the appeal process.

 

Sign up to the Penyffordd Place Plan Now

Our best defence for future applications is to have our voice heard officially. If you haven't already signed the petition to have the Penyffordd Place Plan adopted by Flintshire County Council, please add your name now:

You can access the full Place Plan online here.

What did we learn? New School

We had a public meeting on the 27th Sept, which included presentations from the Flintshire Schools team, Hanson Cement & the Community Group about planning.

It was very well attended - these were the key messages from the schools team:

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The revised design for the school is based on the feedback from the public consultation in July. Changes include adding a pitched roof, the use of more natural appearing materials and softer colours.

The construction company and architects reviewed the site with a view to moving the building away from the boundary but the limitations of the site mean that this is considered the best 'compromise' location. There were clearly residents from neighbouring properties who are not yet satisfied that the building cannot be moved or altered to reduce the impact on them.

The council has committed a traffic survey but the results are not yet in. The plans will not going into the planning process until the traffic survey has been assessed. There was a discussion about the reality that the traffic solution would involve the school site, parking restrictions on surrounding roads, voluntary measures by parents, initiatives from the school, improvements to highways and changes in parent behaviour. We will have to wait for Flintshire's response to the survey.

After the traffic survey results, once Flintshire are happy with the proposal, they will submit it to planning - the public will have the chance to comment on the application - then it goes as a business case to Welsh Government for funding. The hope is to have the new school ready for the 2019 intake. The existing Abbots Lane school will operate as normal during construction.

Keep Updated

Flintshire Schools team are keen to keep people informed on what is happening. If you would like to be added to the list, please let them know via this form:

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/TFQJ9BC

Do you still have Questions?

Time was limited at the public meeting so Colin Everett, CEO of Flintshire County Council, has agreed to publish a 'Frequently Asked Questions' response to answer outstanding questions about the school. If you have any questions you can email to team@penyfforddcommunity or fill in this form:

What did we learn? - Hanson Cement

Hanson Cement

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At the September public meeting, David Quick from Hanson Cement gave a presentation explaining the proposed changes to the site. This is a summary of what is happening:

New Mill
A new modern mill will be installed -  it is being decommissioned from a site in Bilbao, Spain. This will result in there being 5 operational mills. The new one and one other will operate 24-7. The other three will be out of use (mothballed) but will be available if needed, either because of maintenance or failure at this or other Hanson sites.

The new mill is more efficient (using 30% less electricity) and will increase the site capacity to enable it to mill all of the 'clinker' the kiln produces - the excess is currently shipped by road to other Hanson sites.

The overall capacity of the site is such that Hanson do not rule out them milling clinker from other sites, which could mean the use of the additional mill capacity and road traffic to bring in the clinker.

Railhead
The plan is to upgrade the railhead which will enable loading of finished product onto trains for distribution across the UK - up to 30% of production. The rail link exists already and is used for coal deliveries currently but there is no loading facility currently. A new building will be erected from which cement can be loaded onto trains. During loading the train will move to enable each carriage to be filled. The trains will be diesel because the Borderline (Wrexham-Bidston) line is not electrified. The railhead connects to the mainline heading north, so all trains will leave the site to the north and if they are ultimately to be routed to the south, they will turn around at the Shotton turning point and head back past Penyffordd.

Jobs
There are currently 96 employees at Hanson Cement Padeswood and 5 apprentices. That figure was below 50 employees during the 2008 recession. There are no new jobs associated with the proposal and the suggestion is that the expansion will protect jobs. If planning permission is not obtained, then the viability of the site will be reassessed by Hanson.

Appearance and Environment
The new buildings are all consistent in size and colour to existing buildings on the site. The trees planted

Operating Permission
To make the changes to the site, Hanson need planning permission from Flintshire County Council. To operate the site, they need a permit from Natural Resources Wales. 

Dust and Noise
We are reassured that the new mill will be contained within its own building and, because of the technology used, will be quieter than the existing mills. The materials are moved around the site under negative pressure to reduce the emission of dust and that includes while loading at the new railhead. There is an additional stack which will vent air from the mill via a filter. This vent would be monitored by Natural Resources Wales as part of the permit. The train is a potential new source of noise, with 3 trains a week expected - the time of day of the train operations is unknown.

Monitoring and Health
The only monitoring currently undertaken is at the bowling green in Penyffordd and is done voluntarily by Hanson since the planning conditions from the Kiln 4 installation have now lapsed. We are aware of a number of emissions issues which have been reported to Natural Resources Wales or to Hanson directly and they have been followed up by NRW.

There were residents who attended Septembers' public meeting who were expressing specific concerns about the openness of Hanson on health issues - Hanson have extended an invitation to those individuals, or anyone else with concerns, to visit the site and discuss their concerns in detail.

Comment on the Application
You can comment via Flintshire County Council planning portal at Flintshire.gov.uk or directly to Hanson Cement. The planning application number is 57343.