Agenda item

Provision of a GRP (glass reinforced plastic) control kiosk enclosure to protect pumping station control equipment, low level vent with carbon filter and associated works.

RECOMMENDATION: grant permission subject to conditions

The Committee considered a report on the application to grant planning permission for the land adjacent to 72 Langdon Park Road and the Public Triangle on Milton Park N6 for the provision of a glass reinforced plastic (GRP) control kiosk enclosure and low level carbon filter ventilation stack. The report set out details of the proposal, the site and surroundings, planning history, relevant planning policy, consultation and responses, analysis, equalities and human rights implications and recommended to grant permission subject to conditions.

The Planning Officer gave a short presentation highlighting the key aspects of the report. The specified external equipment was required in order to protect wider pumping station control equipment to be installed underground. A pumping station was needed in the area to improve drainage conditions and mitigate flooding caused by storm events to a number of properties in Langdon Park Road.

The officer advised the Committee of a proposed amendment to the wording of condition 10 relating to landscaping in recognition that the applicant had submitted a landscaping plan in advance of determination of the application as opposed to submitting to the Council for approval at a later date as stated in the original wording. 

The officer advised of an error in the committee report. The last two sentences of Paragraph 9.5.9 should read as follows: ‘Although the concentrations could be slightly higher closer to the vent than at the receptor 5m from the vent, it would still be unlikely to be detectable to the public. As such, it is highly unlikely that any malodorous odours could be detected in the vicinity of the low level vent stack from the adjoining properties or parking spaces.’

A number of objectors addressed the Committee and raised the following points, supported by a supplementary document circulated with the permission of the Chair:

• The Committee’s attention was drawn to reported evidence of the failure level of pumping stations across the UK and details of the impact of subsequent ecological damage and nuisance caused to local people.
• The specified external equipment would be out of keeping with existing street furniture in the local Conservation Area, with the kiosk in particular a considerable size and significantly larger than standard electric or telecom kiosks.
• Concerns were raised over the risk of odour emissions from the short vent stack proposed.
• The siting of the equipment was out of line with DEFRA guidance, particularly the proximity to nearby properties.
• It was considered that the applicant had not given sufficient consideration to alternative, more permanent solutions to mitigate the flooding issues in the area, with the current solution appearing to constitute a temporary fix.

Officers clarified that the application solely covered installation of the GRP control kiosk enclosure and low level vent, with the underground pumping station equipment constructed under permitted development rights. Therefore the functionality of the wider pumping station equipment which was not subject to planning permission was outside of the scope of consideration for the application. 

A representative for the applicant, Thames Water, addressed the Committee and made the following points:

• The equipment installation proposed under the application, in conjunction with the underground pumping station, would constitute a permanent solution to the serious flooding issues affecting a number of properties in the area. 
• Expert reports had been commissioned on potential odour and noise issues associated with the equipment and which identified that any impact would be within acceptable thresholds.
• The applicant had agreed to six monthly maintenance checks of the carbon filtered ventilation stack.
• In response to the concerns raised by the objectors regarding the failure rate of pumping station equipment, the backup safety features to the underground equipment were outlined including warning system, secondary pump, overflow capacity etc.
• As part of the application, the Milton Road triangle would be improved through a new planting scheme.
• In response to a question, confirmation was provided that Thames Water had considered alternative options through a feasibility study to address the flooding issues in the area. The option contained within the report including the location selected for the equipment siting, had been considered to be the most appropriate technically and in terms of value for money considerations. 

A resident addressed the Committee in support of the application and raised the following points;

• The resident lived in one of the properties on Langdon Park Road at risk from the flooding problems in the area and explained the impact of previous flooding events involving raw sewage flooding into the ground floor of the property, causing a significant health hazard and requiring an extensive clean up operation. The risk of future flooding events was a subject of considerable ongoing stress for residents affected.
• The current solution proposed by Thames Water appeared to be reasonable and appropriate to remedy the flooding problem in the area.
• The assurances provided in terms of negligible odour and noise impact from the kiosk and vent stack were accepted.

In response to a question regarding the size of the proposed kiosk, with some variance apparent between the mock ups provided by the objectors and the applicant, the applicant’s representative confirmed that those provided within the report had been professionally drawn to scale to be an accurate reflection.

The Committee requested that the condition requiring six monthly maintenance checks of the carbon filtered ventilation stack and subsequent reporting to the Council be extended to impose the same maintenance requirements on any future operator of the equipment should ownership be transferred from Thames Water at any point.

It was also requested that an informative be added for the applicant to consult local residents in the choice of paint colour selected for the GRP control kiosk enclosure and ventilation stack.

The Chair moved the recommendation of the report including the amended conditions covering maintenance checks and landscaping and additional informative above and it was

RESOLVED

• That planning application HGY/2013/0662 be approved subject to conditions:

1.    The development hereby authorised must be begun not later than the expiration of 3 years from the date of this permission, failing which the permission shall be of no effect.

Reason: This condition is imposed by virtue of Section 91 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 and to prevent the accumulation of unimplemented planning permissions.

2.    The development hereby authorised shall be carried out in accordance with the plans and specifications submitted to, and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

Reason: In order to avoid doubt and in the interests of good planning.

3.    The GRP control kiosk enclosure and low level ventilation stack forming part of the development hereby approved shall be painted black and retained thereafter in perpetuity.

Reason: In order to ensure a satisfactory appearance for the proposed development, to safeguard the visual amenity of neighbouring properties and the appearance of the conservation area consistent with Policies 7.5 and 7.8 of the London Plan 2011 and Policies SP11 and SP12 of the Haringey Local Plan: Strategic Policies 2013.

4.    Where noise emitted from any mechanical plant or machinery within the development hereby approved, the ‘A’ weighted sound pressure level from the plant and machinery (including non-emergency auxiliary plant and generators) hereby permitted, when operating at its noisiest, shall not at any time exceed a value of 10 dB below the minimum external background noise, at a point 1 metre outside any window of any residential property, unless and until a fixed maximum noise level is approved by the Local Planning Authority. The background level should be expressed in terms of the lowest LA90, 15 mins during the proposed hours of operation. The plant-specific noise level should be expressed as LAeqTm, and shall be representative of the plant operating at its maximum.

Reason: In order to protect the amenities of nearby residential occupiers and in accordance with Policy 7.15 of the London Plan 2011 and Policies UD3 and ENV6 and ENV7 of Unitary Development Plan (post Local Plan Adoption 2013)

5.    The ‘GRP control kiosk enclosure and Sewerage Pumping System (SPS)’ hereby approved shall not transmit vibration to adjoining or other premises or structures that would cause a vibration dose value of greater than 0.4 m/s (1.75) 16 hour day-time nor 0.23 m/s (1.75) 8 hour night-time as defined by BS 6472 (2008) in any part of a residential property.

Reason: To ensure that the development is designed to prevent structural transmission of noise or vibration and in accordance with Policy 7.15 of the London Plan 2011 and Policies UD3 and ENV6 and ENV7 of Unitary Development Plan (post Local Plan Adoption 2013)

6.    The GRP hereby permitted shall not, when operating at its noisiest, shall not at any time exceed a value of 10 dB below the minimum external background noise, at a point 1 metre outside any window of any residential property, unless and until a fixed maximum noise level is approved by the Local Planning Authority. The background level should be expressed in terms of the lowest LA90, 15 mins during the proposed hours of operation. The GRP noise level should be expressed as LAeqTm, and shall be representative of the GRP operating at its maximum.

Reason: To ensure that the development is designed to prevent structural transmission of noise or vibration and in accordance with Policy 7.15 of the London Plan 2011 and Policies UD3 and ENV6 and ENV7 of Unitary Development Plan (post Local Plan Adoption 2013)

7.    The SPS pumps hereby permitted shall be installed on ‘Anti-Vibration mountings’

Reason: To ensure that the development is designed to prevent structural transmission of noise or vibration and in accordance with Policy 7.15 of the London Plan 2011 and Policies UD3 and ENV6 and ENV7 of Unitary Development Plan (post Local Plan Adoption 2013)

8.    The carbon filter of the low level ventilation stack hereby approved shall be inspected one month after commissioning, and thereafter inspected and maintained every six months.

Reason: In order to protect the amenities of nearby residential occupiers and in accordance with Policy 7.15 of the London Plan 2011 and Policies UD3 and ENV6 and ENV7 of Unitary Development Plan (post Local Plan Adoption 2013).

9.    The applicant is required to provide the Local Planning Authority with written confirmation of the outcome of each six-monthly inspection and maintenance assessment.

Reason: In order to protect the amenities of nearby residential occupiers and in accordance with Policy 7.15 of the London Plan 2011 and Policies UD3 and ENV6 and ENV7 of Unitary Development Plan (post Local Plan Adoption 2013).

10. No development shall take place until full details of soft landscape works have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority and these works shall be carried out as approved.  Soft landscape works shall include (planting plans, written specifications - including cultivation and other operations associated with plant and grass establishment), schedules of plants, noting species, plant sizes and proposed numbers/densities where appropriate, and implementation programme and thereafter retained in perpetuity.

Reason: In order to provide a suitable setting for the proposed development in the interest of visual amenity and the appearance of the conservation area consistent with Policies 7.5 and 7.8 of the London Plan 2011 and Policies SP11 and SP12 of the Haringey Local Plan: Strategic Policies 2013.

Informatives:

A. The applicant is required to provide the Local Planning Authority and local residents with an emergency contact number, for reporting malodorous emissions, giving rise to complaints of nuisance.

B. In dealing with this application, Haringey Council has implemented the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework and of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) (Amendment No.2) Order 2012 to work with the applicant in a positive and proactive manner. As with all applicants, we have made available detailed advice in the form of our statutory policies, and all other Council guidance, as well as offering a full pre-application advice service, so as to ensure the applicant has been given every opportunity to submit an application which is likely to be considered favourably.

Please note that the conditions referred to in the minutes are those as originally proposed in the officer’s report to the Sub-Committee; any amended wording, additional conditions, deletions or informatives agreed by the Sub-Committee and recorded in the minuted resolution, will, in accordance with the Sub-Committee’s decision, be incorporated into the Planning Permission as subsequently issued.