Agenda and draft minutes
PDF 190 KBVenue: Council Chamber, Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 8EF
Contact: Joss Butler Email: joss.butler@surreycc.gov.uk
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
To receive any apologies for absence and notices of substitutions under Standing Order 41. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies were received from Jonathan Hulley, Scott Lewis, Chris Farr and John Robini. |
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MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING
To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 29 January 2025. Additional documents: Minutes: The Minutes were approved as an accurate record of the previous meeting. |
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PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
To answer any questions received from local government electors within Surrey in accordance with Standing Order 85 (please see note 6 below). Additional documents: Minutes: Five public questions were submitted. The questions and responses were published within a supplementary agenda on 25 February 2025.
In response to my question, you implied that the original planning application at Horse Hill had been returned to Surrey County Council to reevaluate and give a new decision. As the Supreme Court ruled the planning permission granted was illegal, what amendments have UK Oil and Gas (UKOG) made, or Surrey County Council asked for, to make the application comply with the Supreme Court ruling?
In response, the Planning Development Manager explained that the Supreme Court’s quashing of the application meant the decision was invalid, and the application had been returned for reconsideration. A Regulation 25 letter had been sent to the applicant outlining the necessary revisions to the environmental statement, in light of the Supreme Court’s decision and updated guidance. The authority had not yet received a formal response from the applicant, and confirmation had been sought from the applicant’s agent regarding the submission timeline.
The public questioner stated that they had looked for the application on the website but could not find it. They asked where the application could be found and where the letter, which had been mentioned earlier, could be located.
In response, the Planning Development Manager confirmed that the information could be located within the online planning register on the Surrey County Council website. Further to this, the Planning Development Manager confirmed that the Regulation 25 letter was sent on 18 December 2024.
I’m pleased to hear your assurance that drilling has finally ceased at Horse Hill. In your reply, you state that you've asked for UKOG’s programme to complete the removal of equipment from the site. Has this now been shared with the Council? Also, has it been possible to ascertain how much oil production is typically involved when minimum maintenance flow is required? As I understand it, 1/3 of the usual monthly production was produced in 15 days on the site, which doesn’t appear to be very minimal.
In response, the Planning Development Manager stated that, in relation to the 'minimum maintenance load’, the issue had been examined during the period of the relevant flow. However, further exploration would be required to fully address the question as the situation had resolved itself once the period ended. The matter would be revisited to determine if a more detailed response could be provided. Regarding the final programme of works from UKOG, the Planning Development Manager confirmed that no final programme had been received at that time. Discussions were ongoing, and efforts were being made to understand the timeframes UKOG was working to. Once these were clarified, they would inform the next steps.
In response to my public question about monitoring visits to the Horse Hill site, we were reassured that ... view the full minutes text for item 12/25 |
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PETITIONS
To receive any petitions from members of the public in accordance with Standing Order 84 (please see note 5 below). Additional documents: Minutes: There were none. |
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MEMBERS' QUESTION TIME
To answer any questions received from Members of the Council in accordance with Standing Order 68. Additional documents: Minutes: There were none. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS
All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter (i) Any disclosable pecuniary interests and / or (ii) Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at this meeting NOTES: · Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest · As well as an interest of the Member, this includes any interest, of which the Member is aware, that relates to the Member’s spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the Member is living as a spouse or civil partner) · Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be reasonably regarded as prejudicial.
Additional documents: Minutes: There were none. |
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Extraction of sand and gravel and restoration to landscaped lakes for nature conservation after-use at Manor Farm, Laleham and provision of a dedicated area on land at Manor Farm adjacent to Buckland School for nature conservation study; processing of the sand and gravel in the existing Queen Mary Quarry (QMQ) processing plant and retention of the processing plant for the duration of operations; erection of a concrete batching plant and an aggregate bagging plant within the existing QMQ aggregate processing and stockpiling areas; installation of a field conveyor for the transportation of mineral and use for the transportation of mineral from Manor Farm to the QMQ processing plant; and construction of a tunnel beneath the Ashford Road to accommodate a conveyor link between Manor Farm and QMQ for the transportation of mineral without compliance with Conditions 2, 11, 13, 25, 26, 27, 29, 33, 44 and 48 of planning permission ref: SP/2012/01132 dated 23 October 2015 so as to allow the site to be restored in accordance with a revised restoration plan. Additional documents: Minutes: Officers: David Maxwell, Senior Planning Policy Officer
Officer Introduction:
The Senior Planning Policy Officer introduced the report and provided a brief summary. It was noted that the application was for the extraction of sand and gravel and restoration to landscaped lakes for nature conservation after-use at Manor Farm, Laleham and provision of a dedicated area on land at Manor Farm adjacent to Buckland School for nature conservation study; processing of the sand and gravel in the existing Queen Mary Quarry (QMQ) processing plant and retention of the processing plant for the duration of operations; erection of a concrete batching plant and an aggregate bagging plant within the existing QMQ aggregate processing and stockpiling areas; installation of a field conveyor for the transportation of mineral and use for the transportation of mineral from Manor Farm to the QMQ processing plant; and construction of a tunnel beneath the Ashford Road to accommodate a conveyor link between Manor Farm and QMQ for the transportation of mineral without compliance with Conditions 2, 11, 13, 25, 26, 27, 29, 33, 44 and 48 of planning permission ref: SP/2012/01132 dated 23 October 2015 so as to allow the site to be restored in accordance with a revised restoration plan.
Following the introduction, the Chairman agreed to review the application in conjunction with SP23/00160/SCC. The officer then presented an overview of application SP23/00160/SCC, with details provided within Minute 17/25 of these minutes. It was noted that speakers addressing both items would have their allocated time combined.
Speakers:
Simon Treacy made the following comments on behalf of the application:
1. Stated that sand and gravel extraction at Queen Mary Quarry had taken place since 1968. 2. The site currently produced about 200,000 to 300,000 tonnes of high-quality aggregates annually, used in local construction and building sectors. 3. Recent projects supplied by the site included Riverside apartments in Staines, Shepperton Film Studios expansion, and the M3 and M4 smart motorway schemes. Demand for construction materials was expected to rise. 4. The first proposed development aimed to continue pumping silt from the site processing plant at Queen Mary Quarry but to divert it into the extraction phases of the Manor Farm Development once extraction has been completed in each of the first two phases. 5. Noted that the Manor Farm Development was a reserve of sand and gravel that was granted planning permission in 2015 whereby the mineral was to be transferred by conveyor to Queen Mary for processing. 6. The second application was a modification to the route of part of the conveyor itself. 7. The alternative conveyor route was proposed to avoid sensitive ecological areas within Queen Mary Quarry. 8. The existing silting lagoons at Queen Mary Quarry were nearing completion, necessitating the new silting arrangements to continue operations. 9. The environmental impact assessment confirmed no unacceptable impacts on noise, air quality, or flood risk. 10. Noted that the reason the proposals were noted as inappropriate development in the Green Belt in the report was due to the ... view the full minutes text for item 16/25 |
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Siting and use of a conveyor to transport mineral extracted from Manor Farm (Laleham) to the mineral processing plant at Queen Mary Quarry as an alternative to the conveyor proposed in planning permission ref: SP12/01132 dated 23 October 2015 (retrospective). Additional documents: Minutes: Officers: David Maxwell, Senior Planning Policy Officer
Officer Introduction:
The Senior Planning Policy Officer introduced the report and provided a brief summary. It was noted that the application was for the siting and use of a conveyor to transport mineral extracted from Manor Farm (Laleham) to the mineral processing plant at Queen Mary Quarry as an alternative to the conveyor proposed in planning permission ref: SP12/01132 dated 23 October 2015 (retrospective). Speakers:
On behalf of the applicant, Simon Treacy, addressed the committee, and his comments are recorded in minute 16/25 of these minutes.
The Local Member, Denise Turner-Stewart, addressed the committee, and her comments are recorded in minute 16/25 of these minutes.
Key points raised during the discussion:
The Chairman moved the recommendation which received unanimous support.
Actions / Further information to be provided:
None.
Resolved:
The Committee agreed to PERMIT planning application SP23/00160/SCC subject to the following conditions outlined in the report and update sheet, as well as the additional informative to be agreed outside the meeting with the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Local Member related to discussions with the Community Liaison Group on security measures and planting schemes.
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Planning & Regulatory Committee will be on 26 March 2025. Additional documents: Minutes: The date of the next meeting was noted as 26 March 2025. |