More than 350 lorries a week set to visit countryside wood …
More than 350 lorries a week are set to visit a wood processing plant in the countryside on the outskirts of a Derbyshire town despite concerns over noise, dust and traffic. The plans, from Silva Recycling Limited, would see a wood processing plant set up on land off Mansfield Road in the hamlet of Corbriggs, a few miles south-east of Chesterfield[1], close to a golf course.
Derbyshire County Council[2] planning officials are recommending that the plans are approved at a meeting next week in the face of opposition from North East Derbyshire District Council and more than 20 residents living nearby. If approved, the plant would recycle 75,000 tonnes of waste wood products each year and turn it into wood chips to be used for woodchip panelling, along with other uses.
This would see 50 HGV trips a day to and from the site between 7am and 7pm, with 352 across the week. Two trips – to and from the site – would take place at nighttime, the owners say, which officials say would effectively blend with existing traffic during those times. The plans have already seen the demolition of derelict and structurally unsound industrial buildings on the site, which were said to be attracting anti-social behaviour.
Material processed at the site may previously have been destined for the tip or to simply be used for fuel, though this could include fuel to energy facilities, the county council says. However, one of the primary concerns of the local district council is that the site would be expanding on a current brownfield industrial plot, outside of land set aside for employment uses, and into the countryside.
It says: “This expansion into the countryside would irreversibly alter the character of the site and the surrounding area.” District council officials also say the impact of noise, dust and traffic would have an “unacceptable” impact on residents.
The county council says this expansion would be minor and would not make a significant impact, also indicating that the land which would be absorbed had previously been used as part of the coal mining industry – so already had industrial uses. Cllr Jack Woolley, who represents the Sutton division on the county council, which includes Corbriggs, wrote an extensive statement begrudgingly backing the scheme in the face of previous issues from the former site owners.
He said: “I understand why residents are concerned given the historical issues relating to the site and previous owners and operators. I’m happy to take Silva’s word in good faith and don’t believe they will continue in the same vein as those who’ve operated and mismanaged the site before them.
An aerial view of the proposed site, with the two now demolished industrial units and the patch of grassland which the facility would expand into marked with a red circle (Image: Google)
“The success or failure of this application will come down to whether the site will operate as currently proposed by Silva. I believe they will operate with courtesy toward residents and neighbours.
“I think this site has the potential to work. However this will require honesty and transparency for residents who have sadly not had much of this over recent years. I think the potential for job creation, investment in our area and the cleaning up of a dilapidated brownfield site is positive and shouldn’t be overlooked.”
Cllr Woolley said the company should keep all main operations between 7am and 7pm, moving one hour later to 8am at the weekends, and not carry out works outside of those hours or risk causing “extremely unfair” “great nuisance” for residents. Any other operations, such as deliveries, should be kept to a minimum outside of the core hours, with no unsafe or hazardous materials processed on-site, he said.
Temple Normanton Parish Council has objected to the plans, saying vehicles travelling to and from the site could pose a potential danger and cause more nighttime noise, calling the introduction of more traffic “unnecessary danger”. A total of 21 objection letters have been written by residents who live in homes around the facility, questioning the availability of other sites; HGV traffic making existing issues worse; Mansfield Road being unsuitable for extra HGVs; impact on the enjoyment of their homes; noise from operations including noise and light; air quality and dust concerns; and loss of grassland and trees.
Security fencing has been installed and the buildings have already been demolished (Image: Derby Telegraph)
A council report on the issue details that the applicants had considered other plots in the surrounding area but found the only appropriate ones were privately owned and not available. Officers calculated that the new use of the site would be broadly similar in terms of traffic when compared with its former waste processing use.
They write: “Regarding health and wellbeing, there is no evidence to suggest that the health and wellbeing of nearby residents would be adversely affected. Consideration has also been given to cumulative impacts. The proposed development would reintroduce a waste use on the site for which planning permission was previously approved and remains extant.
“This proposal is for another waste use on the site which processes wood waste only. The existing business uses (heavy industry) have operated in the past with a waste use adjoining or nearby. It is not considered that the cumulative impact of the proposed development on neighbouring businesses and nearby residential amenity would be significant.”
They say the noise from the facility would largely be obscured by the noise of Mansfield Road and current traffic using the nearby A617 dual carriageway. Officers say that there would be “limited harm” to the countryside and this would be “outweighed by the suitability and sustainability of the site and the proposal’s benefits”.
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References
- ^ Chesterfield (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Derbyshire County Council (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Derelict eyesore buildings near Chesterfield could be demolished (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ the main Derbyshire Live newsletter here. (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)