Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest at this point in the meeting.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 8 January 2024 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

A report was received which invited the Committee to consider an objection to waiting restrictions proposed for Croft Drive, Grantham and a minor modification to those restrictions.

The Programme Manager – Traffic introduced the report and shared a presentation which detailed the area under consideration.

Members confirmed they were familiar with the area and could see the reasons for some of the objections.  However, officers were thanked for working with the residents to find a compromise.

On a motion proposed by Councillor I G Fleetwood, and seconded by Councillor P A Skinner, it was

RESOLVED (unanimous)

That the objection be overruled and the minor modification approved, so that the Order, as advertised, may be introduced.

A report was received which invited the Committee to consider objections to the lengths of new 50mph and 40mph speed limits proposed along sections of the A631 as shown at Appendices B and C of the report.

The Programme Manager – Traffic introduced the report and shared a presentation which detailed the areas under consideration.

It was reported that nine objections had been received to these proposals. With concerns including that a reduction in speed would lead to an increase in overtaking manoeuvres resulting more accidents, as well as increasing journey times and congestion.

Analysis of reported injury accidents demonstrated that there had been 260 casualties since 2010, with eight of these resulting in fatalities.

Councillor S Bunney addressed the Committee as the local member for Market Rasen Wolds, and made the following comments:

·       Due to the position of De Ashton School, the speed of traffic on this road had long been a risk for students as they arrived or left school.  Those that lived in the area did get used to it, but visitors were often scared by it.

·       If was difficult to think of many year when there had not been a fatality on this stretch of road, and they were usually in the summer months when there were more visitors to the area.

·       Work had been started with the previous County Councillor, Lewis Strange, and the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership to reduce the speed entering the town.  The town council had also purchased two reduction devices.

·       It was very clear that people in the local area were very concerned about the speed of traffic and anything which could be done to reduce the speed would be of great benefit.

The Committee discussed the report, and some of the points included the following:

·       There was support for the comments made by the local member, in relation to the section of road in Market Rasen (Appendix D of the report).  However, concerns were raised regarding the sections identified in Appendices A, B and C of the report and the potential for risky behaviour such as overtaking if the speed reduction was introduced, and it was queried whether junction improvements may be more beneficial.

·       It was queried whether there was evidence which showed that the accidents were speed related.  Officers advised that the data would have been analysed by the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, and that as this met the criteria for the speed limit policy, this was the data which was passed on.  It was also noted that there were a number of speed cameras which were due to be installed.

·       In relation to concerns that the speed reduction would increase journey times and the potential for congestion, one member commented that from experience of a similar scheme in their division, the slightly lower speed limit reduced congestion and also made it easier for people joining from side roads.

·       It was suggested that if the speed reductions were not as successful as hoped, then maybe other measures could be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 80.

Consideration was given to a report which outlined an application by Cemex UK Operations Ltd for a 1.97ha south-eastern extension to existing sand and gravel extraction operations with restoration to amenity/nature conservation at Cemex West Deeping Quarry, King Street, West Deeping.

The Applications Manager introduced the report and shared a presentation which detailed the areas under consideration.  It was noted that the Committee had recently visited land adjoining this site during a site visit for an application by Breedon Trading Ltd.  The proposed development would allow the removal of approximately 80,000 tonnes of sand and gravel over a 2-3 month period.

Some of the concerns that had been raised by West Deeping Parish Council included planning creep and concerns that the cumulative impacts had not been considered fully.  These concerns were also echoed by Deeping St James Parish Council.  It was noted that no concerns had been raised by Highways, the Environment Agency or Natural England.  In terms of representations, 17 had been received from members of the public, and a summary of the issues raised was included within the report.

In terms of need and justifications for the release of materials, it was noted that this was an extension to an existing site, and the report set out how the application needed to be considered against the local plan.  Due to the size of the site it would not be viable in the future to be worked as a standalone site as it was a contained parcel of land.  The proposed works could be carried efficiently and the land would be restored on plan.  This would be a continuation of an existing operation and would be short term.  Assessments had been carried out and the activities would be compliant with existing conditions.

The cumulative impacts had been considered by officers and these considerations were detailed in paragraph 101 of the report.  In terms of future workings, whilst a site had been allocated to the south of the village, there were no details for the working of that site and there was no planning permission in place.

Mr Graham McGee spoke as an objector and made the following points:

“Do you know when enough is enough?

Enough is enough when people from small Lincolnshire villages arrive here in this great chamber to address you.

We live at the southern most edge  of Lincolnshire

And enough is enough.

I want to say thank you for having had the chance to address you now 3 times 

I myself have now had 9 minutes of your time  

9 minutes out of 70 years of consistent unrelenting open cast mining to our doorstep. 

Planning applications have been coming to you in piecemeal small amounts

You are never presented with them as one big assessment. 

You don’t get them in a total acres, total number of species lost or total numbers of lives blighted.

You have had 7 small applications now in the last 6 years for “just a bit more” land to quarry 

“Just  ...  view the full minutes text for item 82.

Consideration was given to a report which outlined a planning application by Gainsborough Skip Hire and Aggregates for change of use of agricultural land to be used for the storage and process of inert materials as part of an existing waste transfer station at Gainsborough Skip Hire, Laughton Lane, Morton.

The Applications Manager introduced the report and shared a presentation which highlighted the areas under consideration.  It was noted that no significant objections had been received.  Morton Parish Council requested that the proposed screening bund was put in place at an early stage, and also suggested a condition to ensure that traffic was kept to a minimum.  In total, 22 representations were received, of these only two were objections, with 20 in support of the proposal.

It was highlighted that this was an extension to an existing established business.  The Waste Local Plan Policy set out that waste processing facilities should be location in appropriate places and as the site was in close proximity to Gainsborough, it had an existing customer base.

Mr Ian Eccleshare, the applicant and owner of Gainsborough Skip Hire, addressed the Committee and made the following points:

·       We have been providing waste management and skip hire to Gainsborough for around 40 years including household waste and inert waste.

·       In these 40 years we have seen significant increases in volumes in waste streams in Gainsborough and the surrounding areas.

·       Since 1991, Gainsborough alone has increased in population by around 6,000 and this number will again rise with over 3000 homes proposed within the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan, and the new development sites which had started already.

·       With a rising population comes an increase in waste, and with the increase in development comes a need for high quality construction materials. 

·       The site was currently running at capacity meaning that when inert waste came onto site it had to be immediately processed so it could leave the site as soon as possible to make way for more material which came in daily.

·       This is leading to a higher number of vehicles coming through the village at this time.

·       The ideal situation and solution would be to retain the waste for longer on the extension site that was proposed and shown on the committee plan so the yard can operate in a more efficient way and slow down the traffic coming into Gainsborough.

·       The planned extension would provide two big advantages, the first being better organisation of the inert material, and the extension was only for inert material.  The second would be a reduction in the frequency of machinery use on the site as well as vehicle use.

During discussion of the application, members noted the growth of Gainsborough since 1991, and the substantial growth which was expected in the future, and considered that it was sensible to extend an existing site to help the applicant’s site become more efficient than for there be a need to find a new site.

On a motion by Councillor I G Fleetwood, seconded  ...  view the full minutes text for item 83.