Application Ref: / 3/2016/0006 /
Date Inspected: / 12/01/16
Officer: / RM
DELEGATED ITEM FILE REPORT: / APPROVAL
Development Description: / Proposed demolition of a timber frame building which has fallen into disrepair and subsequent erection of a 18.288 (60ft) x 27.432m (90ft) steel portal frame agricultural building for the housing of sheep and cattle and the change of use of land to form a car parking area.
Site Address/Location: / Duckmire Farm, Chapel Street, Slaidburn
CONSULTATIONS: / Parish/Town Council
No objection to the proposed development.
CONSULTATIONS: / Highways/Water Authority/Other Bodies
LCC Highways: / The proposed development would have a negligible impact on highway safety and the highway capacity.Subsequently there is no highway objection to his proposal.
Environmental Health: / No objection to revised application with the timber boarding lowered.
Environment Agency: / Responded to state that they should not have been consulted on this application, and therefore have no comment to make.
Lead Local Flood Agency: / No representations have been received
Historic England: / No comment to make except that the proposal should be considered in line with national and local policy guidance.
Conservation Officer: / No representations have been received
CONSULTATIONS: / Additional Representations.
One letter of objection has been received from the residents of Huntingdon House to the west of the application site. The letter of objection is summarised below:
- The existing building has been used to house livestock over the winter months and therefore cannot be considered to be “dilapidated” or “fallen into a state of disrepair”.
- The application describes the replacement building as similar size and scale to the existing, however this is not the case as the new building is 60% taller and 92% larger in volume.
- There are no modern buildings of this size and scale within the Slaidburn Conservation Area.
- The west elevation of the building will not be covered in Yorkshire boarding and thus the interior of the building would be visible from Huntingdon House and adjacent properties.
- The application states the building cannot be seen from public roads, footpath, bridleways or public land but this is incorrect as the site can be seen from various locations, including four that are mentioned as areas/items of special interest in the “Slaidburn” Conservation Area Management Guidance.
- The proposed development is to be used for the housing of sheep and cattle and the birthing procedure can happen at any time, requiring farming work to be carried out at day or during the night. The application does not include any details of external lighting or consider the noise impacts of the proposal.
- Whilst the proposed building may be outside the floodzone, an area of the proposed hardcore is within and subsequently a flood risk assessment should have been submitted to consider the risk of the site as a whole.
- The field to the north is lower than the application site and it is unclear how the animals will access the field from this building.
- The building would be harmful to the Conservation Area in terms of the “Urban Grain”, “Scale and Density” and “Height”.
- The increase in size of the building will increase traffic in the Conservation Area, and the biggest threat to the Slaidburn Conservation Area of the SWOT analysis is the traffic.
- The parking area does not include a turning area for vehicles.
- The vehicles parked in the spaces would impinge on privacy for residents of Huntingdon house and would be highly visible from very important views within the conservation area.
- The creation of a hardcore area at the rear would potentially increase the risk of crime and compromise security.
- The car parking spaces impact upon Article 8, European Convention of Human Rights, which provides a right to respect for one’s “private and family life”.
- Duckmire Farm already has access to off road parking and there is ample parking provision within the farm yard.
RELEVANT POLICIES:
Ribble Valley Core Strategy:
Policy EN2 – Landscape
Policy EN5 – Heritage Assets
Policy DMG1 – General Considerations
Policy DMG3 – Transport and Mobility
Policy DME2 – Landscape & Townscape Protection
Policy DME4 – Protecting Heritage Assets
Policy DME6 –Water Management
Slaidburn Conservation Area Appraisal
Slaidburn Conservation Area Management Guidance
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act
ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT:
Description of Proposed Development:
The application seeks consent to demolition an existing timber framed agricultural building and replace it with a larger agricultural building which will be used to house sheep and cattle, and subsequent parturition. The steel framed building would measure 18.3m x 27.4m, with a pitched roof design measuring 3.7m high to the eaves and 6.2m to the eaves, and a total of 24 roof lights would be installed. The east facing elevation would be constructed with 1.2m high concrete panels and Yorkshire boarding above, whereas the west facing elevation would be partially open with low timber boarding, diagonal feed barriers above and some timber boarding at a higher level. The north and south elevations of the building would contain galvanised steel sheeted gates with Yorkshire boarding fitted to the gable elevations of the roof. The roof would be clad with grey fibre cement roof sheets (blue/black colour).In addition, a new strip of hardcore (approx. 3-5m wide) would be laid to the north, south and east of new building for access.
The application also seeks consent to change the use of part of the agricultural land to form a car parking area for two vehicles. The applicant will soon occupy the property at 1 Duckmire Farm, Chapel Street and there is currently no off-street parking for this dwelling. The applicant therefore seeks to create a car parking area to the rear of the storage barn which currently adjoins Duckmire Farm. The car parking area would be accessed through the existing farmyard.
Site Location/Address:
The application relates to Duckmire Farm off Chapel Street in Slaidburn. This working farm currently consists of a number of agricultural buildings located close to the built environment within this otherwise rural settlement. Chapel Street runs through the centre of Slaidbrun, and Duckmire Farm is located directly to the rear (north) of the pavement fronted properties at 1, 3 & 5 Chapel Street.
As mentioned above there are a number of agricultural buildings/barns associated with Duckmire Farm, the majority of which are substantial stone built barns. However this application relates to the concrete block building with timber cladding above to the rear of the properties at 3 & 5 Chapel Street. This existing building is used to house sheep and is in a relatively poor condition, and subsequently the applicant seeks to replace this building with a larger and more suitably building to meet their farming needs.
The application site is located within the Slaidburn Conservation Area, the AONB and there are a number of listed buildings within the vicinity. These include the Duckmire Farmhouse and a number of properties on the opposite side of Chapel Street. Additionally, to the west of the site is the Slaidburn War Memorial, however this is somewhat screened from the application site by Huntingdon House, the barn of Duckmire Farm and a 2m high stone wall fronting Chapel Street,
Relevant Planning History:
None relevant
Principle of Development:
The supporting documentation states that the applicant currently farms in excess of 1,250 hectares over four farms, with 270 cattle and 3,700 sheep. The applicant has stated that the existing building is no longer fit to house the livestock and the replacement building is needed to ensure that livestock is kept to Animal Welfare Standards and in order to comply with Cross Compliance Regulations. The existing stone buildings on the farm do not provide sufficient space for housing livestock, or to calf both cattle and sheep, and therefore a more modern building is required for the applicant to operate from this farm and expand the business. Paragraph 28 of the NPPF encourages LPAs to “promote the development and diversification of agricultural and other land-based rural businesses” and in view of this, the principle of the replacement agricultural building is acceptable subject to its compliance with other policies in the Core Strategy.
With regard to the change of use of land to provide car parking for the applicant’s dwelling, the principle of laying a hardcore surface is not in itself contrary to any planning policy, however as with the above there are other policies which must also be considered.
Impact Upon Residential Amenity:
The nearest neighbouring properties to the existing agricultural building are 3 and 5 Chapel Street, and the rear elevations of these properties are currently located 26m from the southern elevation of the existing building. The replacement building would be sited slightly further to the north and thus this distance would increase to 30m, however the replacement building would be 500mm higher to the eaves and 2.3m higher to the ridge in comparison to the existing building and hence the visual impact upon the occupiers of these properties would be greater than the current building. It is considered that this increase in height is somewhat off-set by the positioning further away, and notwithstanding this it is not considered that a building measuring 6.2m high to the ridge, at a distance of 30m, would have a detrimental impact upon residential amenity through overshadowing, overbearing impact and loss of outlook. For example, a two storey dwelling (average height 8-8.5m) would only need to be sited 14m from these rear elevations in order to achieve a satisfactory separation distance, and consequently the proposed building being lower than the height of a two storey dwelling, and 30m away, is shares an acceptable relationship with these houses.
To the west is the property at Huntingdon House and the side elevation of the replacement building would be sited over 40m from the rear elevation of this dwelling and as similar to the above this distance is sufficient to ensure that there is no loss of outlook, overbearing impact or overshadowing. I am mindful that the objector from Huntingdon House has objected on the ground that the west facing elevation of the replacement building would not contain any Yorkshire boarding, and thus the objector would look directly into the building. The applicant has provided an amended plan showing more Yorkshire boarding on this elevation, but in any case it is not considered that with a separation distance of over 40m the view from Huntingdon House towards the application building is a sustainable reason to refuse the application.
In respect of noise nuisance and disturbance, the Council’s Environmental Health Officer raised an initial concern with regard to the replacement building having three sides open, and the impact this could have through noise disturbance in relation to neighbouring residential properties. The EH Officer has therefore been in discussion with the applicant in order to secure a more acceptable scheme and as a result of these discussions the amount of timber boarding has been increased on the south and west facing elevations to reduce noise levels. These elevations would still be partially open, however this is to provide ventilation for the animals, and in view of the alterations the Environmental Health Officer has no objection to the revised application on the grounds of noise nuisance/disturbance.
The application states that the applicant will reside at 1 Chapel Street, for which there is no off-street parking provision, and the applicant is concerned that this is dangerous, particularly as they have young children. The application therefore includes the provision of two car parking spaces at the rear of the barn associated with Duckmire Farm, and these spaces will be used in conjunction with the dwelling at 1 Chapel Street (Duckmire Farm). The objector has commented that the car parking spaces would be located close their dwelling and would result in an invasion of their privacy and impact upon Article 8, European Convention of Human Rights. In response to this it is extremely common for car parking spaces to be sited adjacent to neighbouring residential dwellings and I do not agree that siting two car parking spaces, on privately owned land and for personal use, to the rear of residential properties, is an invasion of privacy or breach of human rights.
Visual Amenity/External Appearance/Impact Upon Conservation Area and listed Buildings:
Section 66 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Area) Act 1990 places a duty on the local planning authority in considering whether to grant planning permission for development that affects a listed building or its setting, to have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest. Section 72 places a similar duty on the local planning authority to pay special attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of conservation areas.
The application site is located within the Slaidburn Conservation Area and reasonably close to a number of listed buildings. These buildings collectively contribute to the significance of the conservation area and it is therefore essential that the proposal respects the character and quality of the area. One of the 12 core planning principles of the NPPF is to conserve heritage assets in a manner appropriate to their significance, so that they can be enjoyed for their contribution to the quality of life of this and future generations.
Similarly, Policy DME4 of the Ribble Valley Core Strategy requires development proposals to “conserve” or “enhance” the character and appearance of Conservation Areas, and does not support development that would cause harm to the setting of Listed Buildings.
The replacement agricultural building would be well screened when approaching from the south along Chapel Street by the pavement fronted properties (Duckmire Farm, 3 & 5 Chapel Street), as well as the various stone buildings within the grounds of Duckmire Farm which are set back from the highway. When viewed from the northern part of Chapel Lane, a section of the replacement building would be visible above the 2m high stone wall situated between Huntingdon House and Duckmire Farm, however part of the existing building can be seen through this gap and above this wall, and just because a building can be seen does not mean that it is harmful to the Conservation Area or the AONB.
Clearer views of the replacement building would be obtained from Slaidburn car park to the east, and the old bridge/Skaithe to the west, however these will be views looking across the applicant’s fields and the replacement building would be viewed in conjunction with the other agricultural buildings at the farm. It is not uncommon to see agricultural buildings across fields in this way and the existing building on the site can currently be seen from these vantage points.
The submitted application states that the “replacement building will make a positive contribution to the village of Slaidburn as the existing building is of no historic importance and has become dilapidated, therefore a new building will improve the appearance of Duckmire Farm.” In response to this, I agree that the existing building is of no historic importance and is in a poor condition, and hence it does not currently make positive contribution to the Conservation Area. The replacement building would be significantly larger in size than the existing building, but as a result of its siting to the rear of the properties on Chapel Street, and the state of the existing building on site, it is my opinion that the visual impact of the proposed building is neutral and consequently preserves/conserves the existing quality of the Conservation Area and the AONB, and would not have any greater impact upon the setting of the listed buildings than the existing building on the site.
In view of all of the above, it is considered that the replacement building complies with the requirements of The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Area) Act 1990, the NPPF and Ribble Valley Core Strategy.
The submitted application has drawn attention to the Slaidburn Conservation Area Appraisal and its SWOT analysis. The SWOT analysis identified that two of the weaknesses of the Conservation Area are the “Farm machinery and equipment at Duckmire Farm, necessary for the working of the farm, but nevertheless, unsightly” and “Street parking resulting from the village’s popularity with tourists.” The appraisal also states that the threat to the Conservation Area is “the traffic and pressure of tourism”. The application states that the applicant has recently been let the farm on a Business Tenancy and already started to tidy up the property, and the new building would further improve this by housing all the livestock, with equipment and machinery being stored within the existing farm buildings.