Agenda and minutes

None were received.

None were received.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 2 November 2020, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

(Councillor Mrs P Cooper arrived in the meeting during discussion of this item)

The Committee received a report in connection with an objection to proposed waiting restrictions at Cold Harbour Lane, Grantham.

The report detailed the objection received and the comments of officers.

On a motion by Councillor N H Pepper, seconded by Councillor Mrs A M Newton, it was –

RESOLVED (unanimous with the exception of Councillor Mrs P Cooper who did not vote because she arrived in the meeting during the discussion of this item)

That the objection be overruled and that the public advertisement of the Order, as detailed in the report, be approved.

The Committee received a report in connection with the outcome of a pedestrian crossing survey carried out in response to a request for a crossing facility in Stickney on the A16 at the location shown at Appendix A, in the report.

The report detailed the outcome of a survey and the need to seek the approval of this Committee to advance from a Zebra crossing to a Puffin on the basis of site constraints.

Members supported the proposals stating that there had been a need for a crossing in this vicinity for a number of years.

In response to an enquiry from a Member, officers explained the criteria for approving a Puffin Crossing instead of a Zebra Crossing and added that the volume of traffic at the proposed location precluded the installation of a Zebra crossing.

A Member stated that the proposals were welcomed by Councillor Mrs W Bowkett, the local Member, who had not been able to attend today's meeting due to other commitments.

On a motion by Councillor R A Renshaw, seconded by Councillor T A Ashton, it was -

RESOLVED (unanimous)

That the submission of a funding bid for a feasibility study and design for the installation of a Puffin Crossing in Stickney, on the A16, at the location detailed on Appendix A of the report, be supported.

The Committee received a report in connection with an objection to a proposal for a Traffic Regulation Order to amend waiting restrictions at Roman Bank, Skegness.

The report detailed the proposal, the objection received and the comments of officers on the objection.

On a motion by Councillor I G Fleetwood, seconded by Councillor D Brailsford, it was –

RESOLVED (unanimous)

That the objection be overruled and the Order as advertised be introduced.

(Note: Councillors D Brailsford and Mrs M J Overton MBE, left the meeting during consideration of this item).

The Committee received a report in connection with a request for the reduction of the existing 40mph speed limit to 30mph on Walesby Road, Market Rasen, as detailed on Appendix B of the report. Investigations had indicated that this site was a 'Borderline Case', as defined within the Council's Speed Limit Policy.

On a motion by Councillor I G Fleetwood, seconded by Councillor T A Ashton, it was –

RESOLVED (unanimous)

That the reduction in the speed limit on Walesby Road, Market Rasen, as detailed on Appendix B of the report, to enable the necessary consultation process to bring this into effect may be pursued, be approved.

The Committee received a report in connection with objections received to a proposal for a Bus Stop Clearway to apply between the hours of 6am to 9pm daily, at Old Main Road, Fleet Hargate.

The report detailed the objections received and the comments of officers on the objections.

On a motion by Councillor H N Pepper, seconded by Councillor T A Ashton, it was –

RESOLVED (unanimous)

That the objections be overruled and the Bus Stop Clearway, as advertised, be introduced.

Lewis Smith, representing the applicant, commented as follows:-

·         Oldershaws was a well-established, modern and progressive farming company that continued to promote sustainable farming practices whilst meeting the demands of the customer.

·         The company provided 25% of the UK’s onion consumption and the existing operation off Thompson’s Lane made use of the waste onions and dry outer leaves, or shale, by composting them to create an onion compost which was then applied back to the applicant’s farmland.

·         The application would see the current arrangement improved through the addition of a larger concrete pad which would enable efficient windrow composting. In addition, a new covered lagoon would capture of the run-off, which would also be used as a liquid fertiliser on the applicant’s farmland.

·         Inorganic fertiliser was costly to produce and transport and so the reuse of organic arisings from the production of onions represented a logical and highly sustainable way of applying nutrients back to the soil and improving soil structure.

·         The application of the onion compost to the land was that it was a scientifically proven way of breaking the cycle of Onion White Rot, a plant disease and the onion farmer’s worst enemy.

·       Waste onions were brought to the site using agricultural tractors and trailers and put in large piles, as had been the case for over 20 years. With a new concrete area, it was now proposed to tip the onions into long, 2m high windrows which were turned each week until the material was ready to be applied to the land. By increasing the area of concrete available for the composting, the compost dried more quickly which reduced the production of odour and fruit flies, which could occur during the summer months.

·         The site currently accommodated up to 10,000 tonnes of onions each year and the proposal would not see this increased, but simply dealt with in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way.

·         A detailed Odour impact Assessment and Management Plan which sets out how the operations would be managed and in the event that planning permission was granted, the composting regime would also need an Environmental Permit by the Environment Agency.

·         This was not an entirely new proposal, but one which represented a series of measures to improve the existing process on site at Thompson’s Lane, Fosdyke. This represented an improvement for the local environment.

Questions from Members to the applicant included:-

·         Would the percentage of onions processed each year as detailed by the applicant increase disproportionately and cause problems for the local area? Lewis Smith stated that the site was able to produce up to 10,000 tons of compost but did not envisage any increase above this figure which was detailed in the application.

·         Was there a band of silt running under the site as reservoirs should not be built on a site which had silt running underneath it? Lewis Smith stated that he was unable to answer this question as he was not a geologist. He added that a lagoon already existed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54.

The Chairman stated that this was Steve Blagg's last meeting of this Committee before he retired from the Council. On behalf of Members, he thanked Steve for the service he had provided to the Committee and wished him health and happiness in his retirement. Steve Blagg stated that it had been a pleasure to serve the Committee and support Members.