Agenda item

Planning Reference – 230299

 

All documents associated with this application can be found at the following link and enter the refence number above:-

 

Link.

 

Planning Officer:  Lucy Greene

 

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning, which recommended:-

 

That the application for Detailed Planning Permission for the erection of a hydrogen production and vehicle re-fuelling facility, solar farm and underground solar grid connection (Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub) at Hareness Road and Ness Former Landfill Site, Coast Road Aberdeen, be approved subject to the following conditions:-

 

Conditions

 

(01)  DURATION OF PERMISSION

 

The development to which this notice relates must be begun not later than the expiration of 3 years beginning with the date of this notice. If development has not begun at the expiration of the 3-year period, the planning permission lapses.

 

Reason - in accordance with section 58 (duration of planning permission) of the 1997 act.

 

(02)  HARENESS ROAD

 

That no development shall take place at the Hareness Road / Hydrogen Hub site unless there has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority, a detailed plan showing the site layout, including location of Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUDS) and access from the adopted road, in relation to the Hareness Road / Coast Road/Access to the South Harbour improvement works/ widening plan, if available. The proposal shall thereafter be implemented only in accordance with the plan, or subsequent plan as so agreed, unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Planning Authority.

 

For the avoidance of doubt, the Hareness Road/Coast Road improvement plan shall be as provided by the Council at the time of discharge of the condition.

 

Reason:  In the interests of ensuring safe access and location of SUDS in relation to the proposed road improvements.

 

(03)  COAST ROAD

 

That the solar farm shall not be brought into operation unless there has been installed on site the sub-stations, transformers, inverters, monitoring house and storage in accordance with a layout plan submitted to and agreed in writing with the Planning Authority. For the avoidance of doubt, any of the listed components may be removed from the development and not included in the layout plan if no longer required. The location of the equipment shall be shown in relation to the Coast Road / Access to the South Harbour/ replacement of railway bridge improvement plan, if available from the Council at the time of discharge of the condition.

 

Reason: To help ensure efficient implementation of the development and road/bridge improvement project.

 

(04)  Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP)

 

That no development shall take place on either site unless there has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority a CEMP for that site. The CEMP shall include the regular checking during the bird nesting season (March to August) of the solar site for nesting birds by a qualified ecologist and measures to be implemented where nesting is found. Thereafter the developments shall be carried out in complete accordance with the relevant plan unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Planning Authority.

 

Reason: In the interests of protecting the environment and wildlife.

 

(05)  BADGER SURVEY

 

That no development shall take place at either site (a. Hareness Road and b. Ness Landfill) unless surveys have been carried out by a suitably qualified expert within the 3 months prior to commencement of development in accordance with recommendations of the Preliminary Ecological Survey Report by AECOM June 2022 and the results together with any recommended mitigation measures submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority. The measures shall thereafter be implemented in full on site.

 

Reason: To protect badgers.

 

(06)  EXTERNAL LIGHTING

 

No permanent lighting shall be installed unless there has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority details of the lighting including an assessment of the extent of light spill. Light spill shall not occur outside the Ness site (boundary fence) and any impact on remaining scrub at Hareness Road site shall be minimised. Thereafter lighting shall be installed only fully in accordance with the details as so agreed.

 

Reason: In the interests of the protection of nature.

 

(07)  INVASIVE NON-NATIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT PLAN

 

That no works shall take place at either site (a. Hareness Road, b. Ness Landfill, c. Coast Road corridor) unless a survey for INNS has taken place on that site and a management plan has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority. Any mitigation measures as so agreed shall be implemented in full in accordance with the plan.

 

Reason: In order to avoid the spread of INNS.

 

(08)  LAYOUT OF PANELS

 

That no works to install solar panels hereby approved shall take place at the solar farm unless there has been submitted to, and approved in writing by the Planning Authority a revised detailed layout that avoids the siting of solar panels within the area of the highest ground level (66m OAD).  The panels shall thereafter be installed in accordance with the plan as so approved, or such other as may be subsequently approved.

 

Reason: In order to protect the setting of the Crab’s Cairn, a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

 

(09)  NOISE

 

That no plant and equipment shall be installed at the Hydrogen Hub or the solar farm other than with mitigation measures in place in accordance with details that have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority. The submission shall include details of the critical noise mitigation measures achieving at least an equivalent effect of those measures contained within section 5.01 of the Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub Noise Impact Assessment (AECOM, 10^th March 2023, AHH-ACM-PH1-ZZ-RP-EN-011) takes place, including but not limited to:

a)    Installation of plant and equipment which complies with the noise emission data on which the assessment was based and contained within appendix D2, namely;

 

       I.          Table C.6.7 Sound power levels per m2 of plant at Hydrogen Production and Refuelling Facility,

     II.          Table C.5 Sound power levels per unit of plant at Hydrogen Production and Refuelling Facility,

   III.          Table C.6 Sound power levels per m2 of Transformers at Solar Farm Table C.7 Sound power levels per m2 of Inverters at Solar Farm

 

Reason: In order to protect the amenity, health and well-being of the occupiers of nearby buildings.

 

(10)  SUDS – SOLAR SITE

 

That no development shall take place on the solar site unless there has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority (in agreement with Flooding Team) an assessment of the development’s impact on surface water run-off rates and where required, mitigation measures needed to achieve no impact to the existing run-off rates, unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Planning Authority. The development shall not become operational unless the mitigation measures have been implemented in full in accordance with the details as so agreed.

 

Reason: In the interests of avoiding flooding and pollution.

 

(11)  SUDS – HYDROGEN SITE

 

That no development shall take place on the hydrogen site unless there has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority (in agreement with Flooding Team) an updated Drainage Strategy to show that no water will leave the site in scenarios up to the 1 in 200 years event and increase flood risk to the public road (Hareness Road). The development shall not be brought into use unless any mitigation measures recommended in the Drainage Strategy have been implemented in accordance with the strategy as so approved.

 

(12)  HARENESS ROAD BUS STOP RE-LOCATION

 

Unless otherwise agreed in writing with the planning authority, the hydrogen hub site shall not be brought into operation unless there has been installed on site a re-positioned bus stop and length of footway in accordance with plans submitted to and approved in writing by, the Planning Authority (in consultation with Roads DM Team). The submitted information shall include a detailed layout plan for the re-locating of the bus stop on the east side of Hareness Road and the laying of footway from the existing location to the new location where necessary.

 

Reason: In the interests of ensuring public transport provision and road safety.

 

(13)  LANDSCAPE PLANTING AND MAINTENANCE (SOLAR FARM)

 

All landscaping proposals shall be carried out in accordance with the approved scheme as shown on AAH-ACM-PH1-S2-DR-LA-000001 A Solar Site - Landscape Plan or such other as may be subsequently approved in writing through this condition, and shall be completed during the planting season immediately following the commencement of the development or as otherwise agreed in writing with the Planning Authority. Any planting which, within a period of 5 years from the completion of the development, in the opinion of the Planning Authority is dying, being severely damaged or becoming seriously diseased, shall be replaced by plants of similar size and species to those originally required to be planted.  In addition, prior to the commencement of the implementation of the approved scheme, detailed proposals for a long term habitat management regime and maintenance of all the approved landscaped areas within the development shall be submitted for the further written approval of the Planning Authority. Thereafter, all management and maintenance of the landscaped areas shall be implemented, in perpetuity, in accordance with the approved programme.

 

Reason: To ensure the implementation of a satisfactory scheme of landscaping which will help to integrate the proposed development into the local landscape in the interests of the visual amenity of the area and to ensure that the landscaping is managed and maintained in perpetuity.

 

(14)  LANDSCAPE PLANTING AND MAINTENANCE (HYDROGEN HUB)

 

That no works in connection with the development hereby approved shall take place unless a scheme landscaping works has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority. Gorse on the west side of the Hareness site shall be retained where possible for the proposed development to maintain existing wintering sites for woodcock.

 

Details of the scheme shall include:

(i)              Existing landscape features and vegetation to be retained;

(ii)             The location of new native trees, shrubs, hedges, grassed areas.

(iii)            A schedule of planting to comprise species, plant sizes and proposed numbers and density.

(iv)           An indication of any existing trees, shrubs and hedges to be removed.

(v)             A programme for the completion and subsequent maintenance of the proposed landscaping.

 

All soft and hard landscaping proposals shall be carried out in accordance with the approved scheme and shall be completed during the planting season immediately following the commencement of the development or such other date as may be agreed in writing with the Planning Authority. Any planting which, within a period of 5 years from the completion of the development, in the opinion of the Planning Authority is dying, being severely damaged or becoming seriously diseased, shall be replaced by plants of similar size and species to those originally required to be planted.  In addition, prior to the commencement of the implementation of the approved scheme, detailed proposals for a programme for the long term management and maintenance of all the approved landscaped and open space areas within the development shall be submitted for the further written approval of the Planning Authority. Thereafter, all management and maintenance of the landscaped and open space areas shall be implemented, in perpetuity, in accordance with the approved programme.

 

Reason: To ensure the implementation of a satisfactory scheme of landscaping which will help to integrate the proposed development into the local landscape in the interests of the visual amenity of the area and to ensure that the landscaping is managed and maintained in perpetuity.

 

(15)  SOLAR PANEL FOUNDATIONS/PINS

 

That no development shall take place on the solar site unless there have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority, details of the required anchoring system for the solar panels. Thereafter the scheme shall be implemented in accordance with plans as so approved unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Planning Authority.

 

Reason: In the interests of safety and visual amenity.

 

(16)  BIRD NESTING SEASON – VEGETATION CLEARANCE

 

That any vegetation clearing on either site should take place outside the bird nesting season, namely beginning of March to the end of August, unless a suitably qualified ecologist has checked for the presence of nesting birds.

 

Reason: To protect breeding birds

 

(17)  SKYLARK NESTING LOCATIONS

 

That no development shall take place on the solar farm site unless there has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority, proposals for the creation of skylark nesting habitat within the application site. The measures as so agreed shall be carried out within a timescale set out and agreed as part of the proposals, to ensure that nesting sites are available each breeding season.

 

Reason: To help protect breeding birds and ensure nesting sites are not lost.

 

The Committee heard from Lucy Greene, Senior Planner, who spoke in furtherance of the application and answered various questions from Members.

 

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the application in line with the officer recommendation.