PA 03/01536 Officer Planning Report

Planning Report PA 03/1536 Site visit? Yes ### The Site Ballaharra Quarry, St Johns ### The Proposal ### Existing use of the site - The site produces sand and gravel and manufacture a range of mortars and concrete products. Also recycle inert materials, including glass. - It is the aim to recycle every tonne of material brought for disposal. It is the aim to recover as much stone, brick and concrete which are then processed to create secondary aggregates which are either sold or used in concrete products. - The quarry currently has to buy in gravel each year - approx 400 tonnes of gravel and coarse sand per year at the end of the 1990s. This has now been reduced to 100 tonnes per week because of recycling. - Waste material is currently sorted and screened in a Tommel. This grades it into 3 grades. Material which is too large to handle is infilled. Bottle glass is recycled (under contract by DoLGE) approx 1000 tonnes per annum. ### The proposed building - Approval in Principle for the erection of an industrial building to be used for the reception, sorting and treatment of waste primarily from the construction industry prior to recycling in the existing facilities. - The building will be located adjacent to the existing buildings on site. - The application form suggests a size of 450 square metres (or approximately 20 m ) the additional information suggests 280 square metres (or approximately . - It is the intention to recover material which is normally sent to landfill in skips. But because of its nature it needs to be stored indoors. A building will also allow the sorting of glass indoors making it more efficient and cost effective to DoLGE. - Material would be sorted inside the building which would be recycled in the existing plant. No chemical or other processes would be involved. Approx 100 tonnes per day is estimated. ## The Planning History - PA 01/1817 - New office building - Approved - PA 01/951- New access approved - PA 96/745 - Change of use of field 3767 to sand quarry and excavation below the water table part fields 3944 and 4653 and reinstatement with inert materials Approved ( 52000 cubic metres are left to be infilled which will increase by 30000 cubic metres once extraction below the water table is complete.) - PA88/23 - Erection of new building and batching plant, Ballaharra brickworks, Peel Road, St Johns. ### Views/Comments Brack - A - Broom - Queries size and location; will it be seen? DoT - no objections German - Where to be sited? Water Auth - notes only ### Assessment Given the nature of the existing activities on the site the use of the new building would be compatible and would allow the sorting of materials which is currently done outside undercover. This would allow a more efficient recycling facility at Ballaharra. A new building either 280 or 450 square metres could be positioned on site adjacent to the existing buildings without detriment to the area because of the high banking adjacent to the road. A new building would have less impact than the existing tall plant structures on site. ### Recommendation ### Approve {{table:505499}}