Interbridges
site, Emsworth Latest News No. 04/54901/004
Erection
of 14 industrial units (use classes B1 (b) and (c) and B2) together with
ancillary accommodation (refuse and cycle storage), parking provision
(including a 24 space commuter car park), landscaping, a footpath link from New
Brighton Road to Seagull Lane footpath to the east and new vehicular access
onto, and signalised junction, at New Brighton Road.
Applicant:
Chalklane Land Ltd, Somerset
Owner:
Viv Williams of Hollybank House
Objections
by: numerous local residents, ERA, Brian Fellows (chairman of Brook Meadow
Conservation Group) concerning the site’s wildlife value, petition (with 120
signatures) organised by Peter Norvall.
Comments
to be received by: 15 September 2004
The
site is 1 hectare in size and roughly triangular in shape with New Brighton
Road marking the western boundary, the A27 the northern boundary, the railway
the southern boundary and the public footpath from the end of Seagull Lane
towards Westbourne the eastern boundary.
The
proposal is to erect 14 two-storey industrial units for small-scale businesses
plus 70 car parking spaces, 46 for the proposed development and 24 for
customers of Emsworth Railway Station and covered space for 20 bicycles. Access
to the site would be from an entrance in New Brighton Road and controlled by
traffic signals.
Two
notices subsequently went up in New Brighton Road and in Seagull Lane which in
addition to a brief description about the planning application contained the
following announcement:
Reason
for the notice is that the proposal is:
-
a departure from the Local Development Plan
-
considered to be a major development as defined by the GDPO 1995.
N.B.
GDPO 1995 is the General Development Procedure Order which contains provisions
relating to permitted development e.g. specific operational development or
certain changes from one use class to another.
For
information on the wildlife value of the site, see:
1)
Brook Meadow Conservation Group website: http://www.hants.org.uk/brook-meadow/
2)
Ralph Hollins’ website: http://www.havnn.net/Diary.htm
The
first planning application (No. 54901/000) for the Interbridges site was
put in by Mr Basil Williams (owner of the site) in 1990.
The
planning application was for a bus depot plus maintenance.
This
application was approved.
The
second planning application (No. 54901/001) for bus parking + service
depot and parking was submitted in 1995.
The
applicant/owner was Mr Basil Williams.
This
application was not proceeded with.
The
Interbridges site is included in the First Deposit of the Local Plan
(2001) as Industrial Commitment EC8. It is also in the Revised Deposit
(2002) with the same designation.
The
third planning application (No. 01/54901/002) was for 7 industrial units
to fall within use classes B1(b) and (c) and B2 and provision of commuter car
park.
This
application was put in by: Glider and Blue Services in 2001.
The site was visited by the Site Viewing Working Party and their findings reported on 28 June 2001.
See
(no. 53 on list): http://www.havant.gov.uk/orion1/minutes/comms/svwp/20010628.pdf
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At
the Development Control Committee meeting of 5 July 2001, the decision was
deferred until a further report on highway safety had been made.
See (no. 37 on list): http://www.havant.gov.uk/orion1/minutes/comms/dcc/20010705.pdf
Outline
consent was refused at the Development Control
Committee meeting of 16 August 2001 for highway safety reasons because “the
proposal conflicts with relevant policies of the development plan, in
particular Policy T5 of the Hampshire County Structure Plan 1996-2011 (Review),
Policies T1 and GDD1 (relates to General Development Control Policy) of the
Havant Borough Local Plan 1994, and Policy T14 of the First Deposit Havant
Borough District-Wide Local Plan 1996-2011 ”.
David
Gillett addressed the meeting.
See
(no. 85 in list): http://www.havant.gov.uk/orion1/minutes/comms/dcc/20010816.pdf
For
a full report of HBC’s decision to give outline planning permission see: http://www.havant.gov.uk/orion1/reports/comms/dcc/20010816085.pdf
However,
the October 2001 issue of The Ems reported that this application was withdrawn.
The Customer Services Desk at HBC also gave me the same information.
The
fourth planning application (No. 02/54901/003) was for 7 industrial
units and a commuter car park.
This
application was also made by Glider and Blue Services in 2002.
The
report of the Site Viewing Working Party on 18 April 2002 can be seen at (no.
33 in list):
http://www.havant.gov.uk/orion1/minutes/comms/svwp/20020418.pdf
Planning approval was given on 25 April subject to conditions.
These
conditions included the applicant/landowner entering into a planning obligation
under S106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to secure:
·
a
traffic controlled junction at the site access with New Brighton Road
·
a
footpath between footpaths nos. 72 and 73 (Seagull Lane) and New Brighton Road
·
removal
of existing guard railing and replacement with improved pedestrian guard
railing
·
provision
of a 24 space commuter car park
Other
conditions stipulated that no development would take place until the details of
the finished levels and profiles of the proposed access onto New Brighton Road
had been submitted and approved.
See
(no. 87 in list): http://www.havant.gov.uk/orion1/minutes/comms/dcc/20020425.pdf
The
Latest Version of HBDW Local Plan (September 2003) lists the
Interbridges site (EC8) as one of the 7 generally available employment sites
within the borough.
The
Inspector’s Report (June 2004) states with respect to the
Interbridges site (EC8),
“Both
these sites (NB ‘Both’ refers to EC4 (outside Emsworth) and EC8) benefit from
extant approvals for employment use. …. Objectors are concerned about highways/access
matters. However, the site now has approval for 7 industrial units falling in
B1(b) and (c) Use class and the provision of a commuter car park with a
signalised junction on New Brighton Road. It is apparent that the Council had
regard to access matters when making their decision. ……… As they fall outside
the remit of the Local Plan Inquiry, which is primarily assessing new land use
proposals, having regard to commitments, no further action is necessary or
appropriate.”
See
12.1.3 and 12.1.6: http://www.havant.gov.uk/docs/12EMP.doc
Nothing
more was heard until the fifth and current planning application (no.
04/54901/004) was submitted in August 2004. An important change here is that
the application is for 14 units and parking for 70 cars.
It
is a strange coincidence that following planning approval being given for the
Interbridges site, the Inspector’s Report also recommends that
the site between the ‘A27(T) and the Railway’ on the other side of New
Brighton Road be reinstated as Employment Land Allocation.
This
piece of land was included in the First Deposit (2001) as
Employment Land Allocation 1.15, then removed from the Revised Deposit
(2002) because creating access links would be too expensive and put back again
in the Inspector’s Report (2004).
See
under no. 12.11: http://www.havant.gov.uk/docs/12EMP.doc
Hbic
(Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre) carried out a wildlife
survey of the site in the week beginning 27 September 2004.
Report by Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre
(Hbic)
Interbridges Site, Emsworth
Havant Borough Council
30/09/2004
Joel Miller
The site is two fields squeezed between the A27 and a
railway line, situated on the outskirts of Emsworth. The fields are rough and
scrubby but have a fair diversity of species, including 3 grassland indicator
species; Hoary Ragwort, Stone Parsley and Meadow Barley.
The western field has extensive Bramble and Hawthorn scrub
along with locally abundant Michaelmas Daisy and Canadian Goldenrod. The sward
is improved to semi-improved. The main
grasses are Ryegrass, Cock’s Foot, False Oat-grass and Bents. Herb presence is fair with Fleabane,
Ragworts, Plantains, Black Knapweed and Clovers. Stone Parsley was locally abundant in places.
The eastern field has much less scrub and tall-herb
invasion. The sward is similar to the western field, with more abundant False
Oat-grass and some areas of low diversity.
However, all three indicator species were present with Stone Parsley
locally frequent.
The
following is a copy of the letter accompanying the report by Hbic sent to HBC.
The letter was written by Nicky Court, Hbic Centre Manager.
"I
have now had a verbal reply and a short summary from our surveyor (enclosed).
The written summary doesn't give the grassland 'type' which over the phone Joel
gave as MG6->MG1 i.e. semi-improved to improved grassland and grassland
dominated by false oat grass. So although the meadows support 3 indicators (our
notional threshold for SINC meadows) I would not propose them as SINCs as they
are too borderline. One of the indicators, Stone Parsley, in particular,
occasionally turns up on disturbed ground as well as old pasture and I think on
the basis of all the data we have collected over the past 20 years it may be
time to review the indicator list. If MG6->MG5 (semi-improved to unimproved)
grassland had been found (as on the Land West of Emsworth Recreation Ground)
then we might have had a case for proposing the site as a SINC. Of course, such
meadows, particularly where there is a gradation from grassland through to
scrub, are likely to support a range of invertebrates some of which may be
notable. An early summer botanical & invertebrate survey may have revealed
more.
I would
imagine Policy NC5 (OTHER FEATURES OF NATURE CONSERVATION INTEREST) would apply
here? A more detailed survey might identify
some of the more species rich areas that could be safeguarded?"
Nicky
Court MIEEM
Centre
Manager
Hampshire
Biodiversity Information Centre
Ashburton
Court West
The
Castle, Winchester
Hampshire,
SO23 8UE
Tel: 01962
846741 Fax: 01962 846776
E-mail :
nicky.court.hbic@hants.gov.uk
Web
address : www.hants.gov.uk/biodiversity/hbic