Dear Cllr Gardiner,
I had noted in my diary to provide you with monthly updates on County Planning’s involvement with the above site and actions taken so that you could share any relevant information with local residents who are seeking updates on activities and the planning situation at the site.
County planning are still considering the request for pre application advice that has been submitted and, noting that it is anticipated that the new Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Minerals and Waste local plan will be adopted at the end of the month, the advice given will include whether the proposal accords with the policies in the new plan. Rachel Jones is the case officer for that pre application advice (as well as the new Business Manager for County Planning) and so I have copied her into this email so that she is aware of these monthly updates. The policies on new waste uses in the emerging local plan are more restrictive than those in the current plan which will have a bearing on the advice given. Although, it should be noted that should the new proposed uses not be able to be supported, the fallback position is that there is still an authorised ELV use at the site.
Following my last email update to you, I contacted the owner of the site to advise that Cambridgeshire County Council and Huntingdonshire District Council were continuing to receive reports that works were taking place on site that may require planning permission, in addition to the new buildings and hardstanding that had already been constructed without permission. I advised the site owner that any works undertaken without the necessary planning permission would be entirely at his own risk and if the development is not considered to be acceptable in planning terms then we would require him to remove them. Furthermore, that unless and until such time as planning approval is granted for all of the unauthorised works, they constitute a breach of planning control.
I also reminded the landowner of the need to ensure that the works on site do not cause any detriment to the amenity of local residents as this is a condition of the planning permissions for the site and strongly urged him to cease any further unauthorised development at the site and work entirely within the planning permissions and conditions that currently apply to the site.
I hope you have found this information helpful, I will update you again once the pre app advice has been issued or in another month, whichever is sooner, but if you have any queries in the meantime, please feel free to contact me.
Kind regards
Deborah Jeakins
Principal Enforcement and Monitoring Officer
01223 715544