Amersham waste transfer station decision left to local planners

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has decided not to intervene in the planning application for a waste transfer station near Amersham.

In a letter to Buckinghamshire County Council this week The Department for Communities and Local Government confirmed that the Secretary of State ‘has decided…not to call in the application‘ and that he is ‘content that the application should be determined by the local planning authority‘.

In May 2015 the application was considered by Buckinghamshire County Council’s Development Control Committee.

The committee indicated it is in support of the application subject to :

• The outstanding objection from the Environment Agency (EA) being overcome.
• The application being forwarded to the Secretary of State for his consideration.
• The developer entering into a legal agreement to secure the routing of lorries.

Later the Environment Agency withdrew its objection subject to a number of conditions in response to the applicant submitting a revised drainage plan.

As a result of the Secretary of State’s decision a legal agreement securing the routing of lorries must now be secured. After which the Council’s Head of Planning and Environment is authorised to grant consent for the proposed Waste Transfer Station at London Road East – which would be subject to more than 60 conditions in total.

The letter from the Department for Communities and Local Government sent this week, said: ‘The Government is committed to give more power to councils and communities to make their own decisions on planning issues and believes planning decisions should be made at the local level wherever possible.‘

To letter from the Environment Agency can be viewed at http://publicaccess.buckscc.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=NB0PG4DS02P00.