An application for planning permission to continue siting a mobile crushing plant for recycling waste building materials at Knighton Sandpit is facing an objection from Newchurch Parish Council.
Roger Morgan’s proposal is a renewal and ‘exactly the same’ as previous applications to keep the plant on-site that stretch back to 1999, according to a Design, Access and Heritage Statement submitted by Nova Architectural on the applicant’s behalf.
But despite this, the local Parish Council is opposing the application.
Knighton Sandpit is North West of Alverstone and North East of Newchurch.
Gareth Hughes, clerk at Newchurch Parish Council, has said:
“At its meeting on December 16, Newchurch Parish Council resolved to object to this application as the site is unsuitable due to the use of country lanes by large vehicles to access it and the associated impact on highway safety including the ever-increased heavy traffic it is creating.
“This is adding to hazards at the top of Knighton Shute, damage to road surfaces etc.
“Continuous temporary applications are effectively making this situation permanent and alternative sites should be examined for this continued activity.”
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Suz Greenwood, a planning advisory at the Environment Agency, said the public body has no objection to Mr Morgan’s proposal.
The Isle of Wight Council last gave permission for the plant to remain at Knighton Sandpit in November 2014 which is due to expire in February next year.
Conditions attached to the approval included development being in line with submitted plans and time restrictions on plant operations.
Regulations relating to the storage of materials, waste and hazardous substances, drainage, the location of the plant within the site and vehicle cleaning were also included in the permission.
A public consultation on the application will end on 15th January and County Hall is expected to make a decision on 31st January.
You may wonder why there is clamour to do away with parish councils when they think like this, firstly for the last 25 years have they been transporting metal for crushing by hand cart or is just this last week they have been using lorries which has caused you so much angst, secondly heavy vehicles by their very nature cause damage to all road surface, what are you going to do ban all heavy vehicles in the parish. You should really just concentrate on promoting whist drives and let grown ups make the decisions.
Parish councils should be abolished,they are full of nimbys,and retirees down from london that dont like change,and and wannabee mps,stick to knitting doris,and keep your beaks out.
Yes they should be got rid of, along with town council. I was born in the house I now own.
Heavy lorries have been using these ‘country lanes’ for many years right back to at least the 70s when the site was a Sand Pit providing sand for much of the IOW building projects without problems and the same in later years taking loads to the crushing plant within the same site so I can’t see any reason for permission not to be continued, unfortunately these sites have to go somewhere and as such this site should remain where it is.