Kelton v Wiltshire Council HPH Ltd and Another (Interested Parties)
| Jurisdiction | England & Wales |
| Judge | The Honourable Mr Justice Cranston,Mr Justice Cranston |
| Judgment Date | 09 October 2015 |
| Neutral Citation | [2015] EWHC 2853 (Admin) |
| Court | Queen's Bench Division (Administrative Court) |
| Docket Number | Case No: CO/1033/2015 |
| Date | 09 October 2015 |
[2015] EWHC 2853 (Admin)
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE
QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
PLANNING COURT
Royal Courts of Justice
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL
The Honourable Mr Justice Cranston
Case No: CO/1033/2015
Mr John Hunter (instructed by Irwin Mitchell) for the Claimant
Mr Akhlaq Choudhury QC (instructed by Wiltshire Council) for the Defendant
Ms Justine Thornton (instructed by Tracey Merett Solicitors) for the Interested Parties
Hearing dates: 17/07/2015 and 16/09/2015
Approved Judgment
I direct that pursuant to CPR PD 39A para 6.1 no official shorthand note shall be taken of this Judgment and that copies of this version as handed down may be treated as authentic.
Introduction
1. The claimant seeks to challenge the grant of outline planning permission by Wiltshire Council ("the Council") for a scheme of up to 35 custom built residential dwellings, including 9 affordable homes, on land near the River Wylye, Warminster, Wiltshire. There is to be a buffer zone of grassland between the scheme and the river, fenced, and at least 8 metres wide. The claimant is a riparian owner, living approximately 700 metres downstream from the proposed development. Apart from his, there have been many objections to the scheme. The interested parties are HPH Ltd ("HPH"), whose experience lies in commercial development, and HAB Housing; they were the applicants for planning permission. Also featuring in the case is Selwood Housing Association ("Selwood"), a not for profit association based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
2. The site is on the southern side of Boreham Road, east of Warminster, with Boreham Mill to the southeast and adjacent to the River Wylye to the south. The river and sections of its banks are part of the River Avon Special Area of Conservation ("the River Avon SAC") and a Site of Special Scientific Interest ("SSSI"). The development does not lie within either, although the proposed buffer zone between it and the river, within HPH's control, does. Nor does it fall within the Bishopstrow Conservation Area nearby, although it is within its setting. A Grade II listed milestone is located at the existing entrance to the site, which is proposed to be relocated to accommodate the new access. There is also a Grade II listed stone arched bridge adjacent to the site, another located approximately 90 metres away, and two Grade II listed dwellings approximately 126 metres north of the site. A bus depot, not far from the site, is marked for housing development.
3. The judicial review is advanced on four grounds. The first relates to the participation of one of the councillors on the Council's planning committee, Councillor Magnus Macdonald, whose vote carried the decision in favour of granting the outline planning permission. It is alleged that he was disqualified from participating in the planning committee on this matter, because he is a director of Selwood which has had an interest in the affordable housing part of the development. Cllr. Macdonald receives, as director, some £3000 per annum. Next, it is said that the development will have a significant effect on the River Avon SAC, specifically because of the risk of contamination to the River Wylye arising from the specialist foundations required for the development. Further, the claimant alleges that the Council's Environmental Impact Assessment ("EIA") screening opinion for the development was flawed. Finally, it is claimed that the Council's conclusion that the development would not cause harm to heritage assets is flawed.
4. This was to be a one day hearing in Bristol on 17 July 2015. At the outset of the hearing there was an issue relating to witness statements from Lindsay Holdoway of HPH (served 4 July) and Paul Walsh of Selwood, relating to ground 1 and the relationship between HPH and Selwood. Additional evidence had been produced, including Mr Walsh's statement, following the claimant's request for disclosure of documents late on 13 July, three days before the hearing. That request was contained in the claimant's skeleton, which had been due on 10 July. Disclosure was given on 15 July. At the hearing Mr Hunter, for the claimant, stated that he wanted to cross-examine these witnesses. There was no way that could be done and the case heard to completion on 17 July. The case could have been adjourned but I decided to hear the other three grounds, postponing consideration of ground 1. The parties were not able to reconvene until mid-September, even though I was prepared to hear the case before that. In the result, I heard ground 1 on 16 September, during the judicial vacation.
The application for outline planning permission
5. The site was inherited by Mr Holdoway from his father in 1991. Mr Holdoway and his wife now control its ownership and Mr Holdoway owns a controlling stake in HPH. No other party has had any financial interest in the site. In anticipation of an application for planning permission, HPH obtained reports in 2009 from Keystone Ecology ("Keystone"), environmental consultants. There was an ecological appraisal of potential constraints on development; a reptile survey; a preliminary tree survey for bat roosts; a bat activity survey; and an otter and water vole survey. In 2012 Keystone produced a second ecological appraisal of the site and an updated otter and water vole survey. In 2013 it completed a dormouse survey and a biodiversity value assessment.
6. HPH commissioned Ground Investigations (South West) Ltd ("Ground Investigations") to conduct a Geo-Environmental Site Assessment dated 2 July 2013. It reported that while the site was originally water meadow, in 1963 permission was granted for the tipping of excavated soil up to 1 metre above road level. Notwithstanding the terms of that permission, levels at the site in 1963–1964 were raised by up to 2 metres. Investigations had shown that ground conditions therefore comprised made ground up to 1.95 metres in depth, original topsoil, and alluvium upon a bedrock of Shaftesbury sandstone. Groundwater was struck in exploratory holes between 1.7 and 3 metres in depth. The report opined that subsequent variations in groundwater and hydrological conditions could occur in response to future seasonal or climatic changes. It added: "Groundwater levels on this site are likely to be influenced by the water levels in the adjacent River Wylye and drainage ditches."
7. Regarding possible sources of ground and groundwater contamination, the report noted that the majority of materials used to raise the site appeared to be reworked natural soils. There was a risk associated with materials of anthropogenic origin or of unknown composition, "that were not discovered within the selected positions of investigation". The bus depot was a potential off-site source of mobile contamination.
8. As to controlled waters, the report stated that the site is located in an area of a principal aquifer and noted the proximity of the River Wylye. Both controlled waters were deemed, the report said, highly sensitive. Thus a quantitative risk assessment was undertaken. Ten soil samples from the site were analysed and tested for over 50 different contaminants. The vast majority of the tests were negative or indicated negligible levels. However, one soil sample of the ten revealed an elevated level of arsenic and three samples revealed elevated concentrations of five PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) compounds: [5.3.3]. The report considered remedial measures to address the consequent risks to human health, including a thickness of ground cover in private gardens and communal areas: Vigilance was required during construction, it said, and should evidence of contamination or other materials be revealed further analysis and assessment may be required [5.3.4].
9. In terms of the pollution risks to controlled waters, the report considered them in the context of the proposed land use. It explained:
"[5.4.1] No attempt is made to evaluate water pollution risks such as might arise as a consequence of activities that take place to facilitate and realise the redevelopment of the site. These matters should, however, be considered by the Principle Contractor who, where necessary, should ensure that appropriate actions are taken to adequately mitigate such risk."
The report said that there were marginally elevated concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons ("TPH") in groundwater samples, but there was no link between those contaminants and the site. One possible source was the bus depot. TPH and arsenic were not detected in the river water samples. The report concluded on this aspect as follows:
"[5.4.6] Notwithstanding the above, given the fact that there are no potable groundwater abstractions in the vicinity of the site and that the samples recovered from the River Wylye (i.e., a critical receptor) did not contain any detectable concentrations of TPH, taking into consideration the low risk ranking of the detected hydrocarbons, it is our opinion that a viable pollutant linkage is not present. As such, subject to consultation with the regulators, it is considered that the site and proposed development [do] not present a significant risk to sensitive environmental receptors."
10. The report contained advice on ground engineering in the context of the design and construction of the proposed development. Excavations could be expected to encounter groundwater. Earthworks would need to comply with Environment Agency protocols to prevent soil particulate matter or surface water runoff from entering the River Wylye: [6.2.1]. It would be necessary to afford particularly careful consideration to the design and construction of the foundations and ground floor...
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