Agenda item

The Planning Officer introduced the report relating to the installation of a mast for emergency service use only.  The screening of the trees was an important part of the consideration of the application but the Forest Plan showed trees north and south of the site were scheduled to be felled prior to 2026 as part of a clearing programme.

The following spoke under the Public Participation at Meetings Scheme:

·         Ms Vicky Parsons, Home Office, Applicant

The Planning Officer confirmed that a number of masts were required to provide adequate coverage for emergency vehicles along the A57 Snake Pass road.  This application was for one as part of that network. 

Members asked why an official landscape impact assessment had not been carried out. The Planning Officer confirmed that the information relating to the programme of felling trees had not been received until late in the process therefore there was not enough time to request an assessment based on the felling information.

Members noted that the owners of the development could have purchased a larger area of land to include trees needed for screening to enable the protection of the landscape.

A motion to refuse the application in accordance with the Officer recommendation was moved.

The Planning Officer confirmed that the topography of the area would likely require the height of the mast to remain even if the trees were removed.

The motion to refuse the application in accordance with the Officer recommendation was seconded.

The Planning Officer confirmed that this was not the same as the previous application on the agenda as this was a new site and the previous application had been for a replacement mast on an existing site.

The motion to refuse the application in accordance with the Officer recommendation was voted on and carried.

RESOVLED:

That the application be REFUSED for the following reason;

The ability of this site to successfully accommodate the proposed mast without harming the valued characteristics of the National Park landscape relies wholly upon the continued screening effect provided by the surrounding trees which are outside of the applicant’s ownership and control. The majority of these trees are scheduled to be clear felled in the very near future as a result of being both a forestry crop and potentially as a result of disease affecting the larch. In the absence of a suitable mechanism to secure control over the long term retention and suitable management/planned replacement of the immediate surrounding tree cover, and to mitigate the potential loss of any larch to disease, the proposed mast would become an isolated and intrusive feature harming the special quality of the landscape and is therefore contrary to policies GSP1, GSP3 L1, DMU4C, DMC3, and the NPPF.

Furthermore in the absence of secure mechanism to control land outside the application site area necessary for the provision and maintenance of required access visibility sight lines the proposed access would pose a danger to highway users contrary to policy DMT3.