19 Managing waste

19 Managing waste

19.1 Local Plan (Part One) policy ENV 8 makes provision for sustainable waste management in Cheshire West and Chester. The aim of the policy is to drive waste management up the waste hierarchy and to ensure that sufficient capacity exists to meet the borough’s predicted waste requirements up to 2030. The policy was prepared having regard to the Waste Needs Assessment 2012, which forecast arisings from the main waste streams over the plan period. The 2012 Waste Needs Assessment showed that there was sufficient capacity on operational and consented sites in the borough to meet the identified waste needs.

19.2 As part of the background work on Local Plan (Part Two), an update to the Waste Needs Assessment was undertaken in 2016. The 2016 update confirmed that there is still sufficient capacity to meet forecast needs and therefore it is not necessary to identify additional land to meet the borough's waste management requirements. This situation will continue to be kept under review through the Council's annual monitoring report (AMR) and future updates to the Waste Needs Assessment.

19.3 Local Plan (Part One) policy ENV 8 seeks to retain the existing capacity for waste uses on consented and operational sites, whilst providing for flexibility to allow for new uses in specific circumstances. It also identifies a need to identify sites for replacement Household Waste Recycling Centres. Local Plan (Part Two) policy DM 54 sets out the criteria that must be met where new waste management development is proposed which meets the requirements of Local Plan (Part One) policy ENV 8. Local Plan (Part Two) policy DM 55 provides a framework for guiding the site selection process for replacement household waste recycling sites and assessing any subsequent planning applications.

DM 54 - Waste management facilities

Policy DM 54

Proposals for waste management development will be supported where they meet the principles for sustainable waste management set out in Local Plan (Part One) policy ENV 8 and the following criteria:

  1. proposals for new large scale waste management facilities must be located on the safeguarded sites of Ince Park (Protos), Lostock Works or Kinderton Lodge in accordance with Local Plan (Part One) policy ENV 8;
  2. proposals for new smaller scale waste management facilities must wherever possible be located on or close to existing operational or permitted waste management sites. Where this is not practical or desirable, sites must be located in Stanlow or other industrial areas;
  3. all proposals must demonstrate how they meet the locational criteria set out in the National Planning Policy for Waste (Appendix B) or any revisions to this document;
  4. proposals must be accompanied by a thorough evaluation of potential direct and indirect impacts. Where unacceptable impacts are identified, measures should be proposed to avoid, reduce or mitigate those impacts. Where unacceptable impacts cannot be avoided then the proposal will not be supported;
  5. proposals must demonstrate how they minimise potential adverse impacts on human health, air quality and the ecology of the area. Opportunities to enhance biodiversity and green infrastructure and improve air quality through use of clean technologies, should be considered and included within schemes wherever possible;
  6. proposals should ensure that there is no unacceptable impact on aircraft safety resulting from potential bird strike in accordance with Local Plan (Part Two) policy DM 11;
  7. proposals should demonstrate how they will ensure that hydro-geological, hydrological and soil permeability characteristics are protected;
  8. schemes must have good access to the highway network and must meet the requirements of Local Plan (Part Two) policy T 5. Wherever possible proposals should make use of sustainable modes of transport, including for the importation and exportation of material, in accordance with Local Plan (Part One) policy STRAT 10;
  9. proposals should have regard to the setting and character of the site and its surroundings, taking account of the need to protect distinctive townscapes, natural landscapes and features of historical significance and their settings;
  10. proposals for waste management facilities should provide information on the type and source of the waste being managed, including the distance travelled. In assessing proposals for waste management facilities, the Council will have regard to the desirability of managing waste close to its source;
  11. proposals for waste management facilities will be required to set out arrangements for the management of the facility, including hours of operation. Measures for monitoring of the facility should be set out within the application.

Proposals for biomass plants and other facilities which use waste material to produce heat or combined heat and power should wherever possible be located close to existing or potential users of heat outputs, in accordance with Local Plan (Part Two) policy DM 53.

Farm scale anaerobic digestion plants will be supported, particularly where they allow for sharing of facilities between linked farms. Inputs of material should be derived primarily from farm wastes which arise from the farm unit. Energy and other outputs from the process should also primarily be used on the farm unit. Where additional inputs and outputs of material and energy are required to make the facility viable, they should come from, and be used within, the local area. The location of facilities on farms should avoid high quality agricultural land.

Proposals for new or alternative waste uses at existing or consented waste sites (including the safeguarded sites) will be permitted where they do not undermine the borough’s capacity to provide a range of waste management facilities (as set out in the most recent Waste Needs Assessment) and where the impacts of the proposed development are acceptable.

Explanation

19.4 This policy sets out the criteria which will be used to determine applications for new or extended waste uses which comply with the provisions of Local Plan (Part One) policy ENV 8. It recognises that waste management facilities have the potential to impact on the setting, character and environment of the site and local area, and may also impact on the amenity and quality of life of local communities. Planning applications for new waste management facilities or alterations to existing facilities will therefore be required to identify potential short, medium and long term direct and indirect impacts on the site and surrounding area. Measures to mitigate and reduce those impacts should be identified as part of the application.

19.5 New large scale waste management development is directed to the safeguarded sites at Ince Park, Lostock and Kinderton Lodge, which are the most appropriate locations for such development. The safeguarded sites have existing consents for large scale development and, whilst proposals for alternative waste management facilities on those sites may be appropriate, they should be of a scale which is commensurate with the existing plot sizes on these sites. The Council does not wish to see the existing plots on Ince Park subdivided into smaller units. Proposals for development at Ince Park (Protos) should have full regard to Local Plan (Part Two) policy EP 6.

19.6 Smaller scale facilities, such as waste transfer stations, are directed to existing waste sites (including those which have not yet been implemented), on previously developed, industrial land wherever possible. The exception to this is anaerobic digestion facilities on farms, which can provide a sustainable means of dealing with farm waste whilst generating power and providing fertiliser.

19.7 The current list of sites with planning permission but not yet operational can be found in the most recent Waste Needs Assessment.

19.8 Clear and robust information should be provided as part of the application relating to the management and monitoring of the site, including in larger schemes, measures to work with local communities to address any concerns throughout the development and implementation of the scheme. Proposals for larger waste management schemes will be encouraged to make arrangements for regular site liaison committees involving members of the local community, which should operate throughout the development, operation and where applicable, decommissioning of the site.

DM 55 - Sites for replacement household waste recycling facilities

Policy DM 55

Proposals for household waste recycling centres will be supported where they meet the following criteria:

  1. a replacement for the Frodsham site will be located on suitable previously developed land within or on the edge of the town.
  2. a replacement for the Tattenhall will be located on or adjacent to an existing employment site or other suitable previously developed land within the wider Tattenhall area.
  3. the site will be capable of being safely accessed by HGVs and other types of vehicles likely to visit the facility, with adequate room for manoeuvring and waiting on site;
  4. it can be ensured that impacts on the amenities of neighbouring properties and land uses are acceptable, in particular noise and odour; 
  5. proposals should demonstrate how they meet the locational criteria set out in the National Planning Policy for Waste (Appendix B) or any revisions to this document;
  6. the site would be managed so as to avoid pollution of watercourses;
  7. the proposal can be appropriately screened and does not have an unacceptable impact on the local landscape.

Explanation

19.9 Local Plan (Part One) policy ENV 8 refers to a need to identify sites for Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) to replace existing facilities in Chester, Tattenhall and Frodsham, none of which meet current standards of best practice. Since the Local Plan (Part One) was adopted, the Council’s contract for managing its HWRCs has been extended and now runs until 2023. The revised contract involves retaining the existing network of seven HWRCs across the borough, with service improvements and changes to opening hours to reflect patterns of usage both during the week and summer/winter.

19.10 The revised contract includes the provision of improved facilities in Chester. Planning permission has been granted for expansion of the current site on Bumpers Lane to incorporate a new ‘pay as you throw’ Trade Waste Recycling Centre. The new site, once operational, will meet the needs of the Chester catchment area and there is no need to identify any additional site for a Chester HWRC through the Local Plan (Part Two).  

19.11 The revised contract makes no provision for the replacement of the Frodsham and Tattenhall sites to 2023, but in light of logistical constraints associated with both sites a site search exercise has been carried out as part of the preparation of the Local Plan (Part Two). This has been informed by responses to consultation on the Local Plan (Part Two) preferred approach in 2016, as well as discussions with the Waste Management Service. The methodology for identifying and assessing sites is set out in the Land Allocations Background Paper.

19.12 No suitable alternative sites have been identified at this time, although there may be sites which become available over the plan period. The Planning and Strategic Transport team will continue to work with Waste Management Service to try and identify alternative sites as required. Any proposals for replacement facilities will be considered in accordance with the above policy.