I wrote in August this year that composting is nominally a “good thing”, all things being equal.
Unfortunately, there is a new application (13/01916/WCM) at Mopes Lane (technically at Parkgate Farm) to increase the composting tonnage to 50,000 tonnes per year. This comes at a cost. These extra tonnages are coming from the proposed tyre-shredding operation that never happened, and it is also carrying over the additional Heavy Goods Vehicle movements from that proposal. This relentless increase in HGV movements is battering the local road feeding Mopes Lane, and carving up the verges.
It is long overdue to call time on this heavily-abused access and look at alternatives for access by HGVs. Although the Ps and Qs comprehensive Transforming Purton Parish Foresight & Resilience 2013 and the Purton Parish Plan made it clear that the people of the parish are not happy with the state of the roads and verges between Cricklade and Purton due to heavy vehicle traffic, the parish council chose not to object to the application. Fortunately, Wiltshire Council is unconvinced, particularly with the application’s request to make the permission permanent rather than temporary. Consequently, they have been pondering how to deal with the application and the applicant (Hills Waste Solutions Limited) has become impatient and asked for it to be heard by a planning inspector. This bypasses the democratic process.
Interestingly, the planning inspector for the Wiltshire and Swindon Waste Site Allocations Plan considered that “… the problematic nature of the links to the primary route network and that the sites [at Mopes Lane] are not ideally located for strategic scale development“.
The UK National Planning Policy Framework clearly states [para 187] that “… decision-takers at every level should seek to approve applications for sustainable development where possible“.
Given that the intention is to truck green waste in from many different parts of Wiltshire there can be no doubt that this NOT sustainable. The transportation necessary to deliver the green waste to Mopes Lane rather than deal with it local to the sources will have associated emissions of greenhouse gases which (1) adds to the problem of global warming and (2) works counter to the Council’s own Carbon Reduction Commitment.
There will be no public hearing. So anyone who believes that the HGV traffic through Mopes Lane is already too much should write to:
Jennifer Saunders: teamp16@pins.gsi.gov.uk stating Planning Reference No: 13/01916/WCM and the Planning Inspectorate Ref: APP/Y3940/A/13/2210484/NWF by 28 January 2014.
Just a note: The application is due to be discussed at the Wiltshire Council Strategic Planning Committee meeting on the 27th January 2014 though from what I understand, the appeal will continue unless withdrawn by the appellant. So do write to Ms Jennifer Saunders.
