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Part 2
10- UTILITIES AND ENERGY
   
   
U1 Utilities Infrastructure
Works for the renewal, upgrading or extension of the infrastructure of utility services in the Borough, including operational facilities for water and waste water treatment, where planning permission is required, will be permitted, subject to satisfactory siting of ancillary equipment and adequate reinstatement of road and footpath surfaces and of open land where disturbed.
Adequate and effective utility services are essential in any area and their associated infrastructure of pipes, cables and other equipment must be maintained and where necessary improved to meet the demands placed upon them or to facilitate new development. In many cases these can be installed and maintained without the need for planning permission. However, situations do occur where particular elements of the system require permission and this policy indicates that the necessary support will normally be given provided that local issues of siting and reinstatement are satisfactorily dealt with. The water company has a statutory duty to provide supply and waste water disposal services which are vital to the community and to the environment, and is subject to directives on water quality and other requirements which can have major implications for investment. Further development of operational facilities may be required on some of the reservoirs, water treatment plants and waste water treatment works to enable the company to meet current and future requirements. These are normally likely to be supported in principle, although more detailed aspects will be required to be consistent with other policies, such as those concerned with landscape or the built environment.
U2 Telecommunications
Developments for telecommunications purposes will be permitted where:
(a) there is no reasonable possibility of sharing existing facilities, and
(b) there is no unacceptable impact on the appearance and amenity of buildings or on townscapes or on the countryside, and
(c) the siting and external appearance of the apparatus has been designed to minimise its visual impact, and
(d) in the case of radio or other telecommunications masts, there is no reasonable possibility of erecting antennae on an existing building or other structure.
In assessing the acceptability of telecommunications development proposals, the Council will take into account the technical and operational requirements within which the operator has to work, and the latest government advice on any possible health effects.
Telecommunications technology and its associated infrastructure are continuing to develop and expand to meet the growing demand for enhanced communications in business, the home and whilst on the move. Cable networks and mobile phone base stations are particular manifestations of this. Telecommunications facilities may have special needs and technical considerations which require them to be installed in particular locations in order to work effectively. Licensed public telecommunications code system operators are conditioned by the terms of their licence to comply with certain criteria in the siting of their developments. It is not the Council's intention to question the need for a service, nor to duplicate any other licence conditions, but to achieve a balance between the need for a development and environmental considerations.
Maximising access and maintaining choice in both telecommunications and transport should enable people to maintain and enhance economic, social and civic connections. Universal accessibility to telecommunications and transport is vital to help overcome isolation or exclusion from the mainstream of urban and rural life. Accelerating the extension of new communications modes should help to avoid new pockets of exclusion developing.
U3 Water Services for Developments
New development will not be permitted unless adequate water supply resources, and foul sewers and sewage treatment works of adequate capacity and design, are available or will be provided in time to serve the development.
The Council will not permit the proliferation of small private sewage plants within sewered areas, and infill development where septic tanks are proposed will only be permitted where ground conditions are satisfactory and the plot is of sufficient size to provide an adequate subsoil drainage system.
Incorporation of sustainable drainage systems into developments will be encouraged and promoted wherever appropriate, as a means of controlling run-off, managing water resources, minimising diffuse pollution, reducing environmental damage, and providing an opportunity for imaginative landscaping. The Council will expect satisfactory arrangements to be made for the ongoing maintenance of the structures involved.
New developments must be in locations where adequate water services already exist or can be provided without other adverse effects. Existing sewerage systems and treatment works could in some cases become overloaded and, unless additional infrastructure is provided, further demands placed on them could result in pollution of watercourses. Private sewage plants require constant maintenance, in order to produce effluents which meet the discharge consents issued by the Environment Agency, and if the plant is in multiple ownership establishing responsibility in the event of problems can be difficult. The restrictions on developments draining to septic tanks are designed to avoid a public nuisance.
The traditional approach to disposal of surface water from built developments has been to use underground pipe systems designed to convey water away as quickly as possible. This can lead to problems elsewhere within the river catchment, particularly flooding downstream, and pollutants can be washed into rivers or groundwater. Such problems can be managed however through the use of sustainable drainage systems, which control surface water run-off as close to its origin as possible and mimic natural drainage processes. A wide range of options are available and advice should be sought from the Environment Agency and the Council on their suitability for proposed developments in specific locations. Whilst the benefits of sustainable drainage systems are secured principally at the river catchment scale, such as helping to reduce the need for investment in flood management and protection works, their early consideration in the planning process can also lead to opportunities for more imaginative and attractive developments.
The current policy of United Utilities (the company responsible for water services infrastructure in the North West) is not to adopt any SUDs structure including swales, impermeable pavements and ponds. United Utilities will only consider the adoption of surface water sewers draining to a balancing pond (as opposed to any other SUDs structure), providing the following conditions are met: the Local Authority takes responsibility for the maintenance of the pond; the freehold of the land on which the pond lies is transferred to the local authority; United Utilities is provided with a deed of Grant of Rights to discharge into the pond in perpetuity; that measures have been taken to prevent flooding of properties; and that a legal agreement is in place between all parties.
U4 Flood Prevention
When considering proposals for development the Council will apply a risk based approach to the assessment of possible flooding, taking into account the Environment Agency's most recent Indicative Flood Plain Maps and any other relevant sources of information.
In a sequential test taking into account the nature and scale of the development proposed, priority will be given to development in areas of little or no risk of flooding, over areas of low to medium risk, over areas of high risk. Within high risk areas, priority will be given to previously developed land, over undeveloped land, over functional flood plains.
The Council will consult the Environment Agency in any such assessment and will consider, among other things, whether the development would be at direct risk of flooding, likely to increase the risk of flooding elsewhere, likely to obstruct the flow of flood waters, or likely to interfere with the integrity of existing flood defences.
Where, exceptionally, development is permitted in areas liable to flooding, appropriate flood protection and mitigation measures will be required as part of the development. Where practical, areas adjacent to watercourses will be preserved or created to allow access for maintenance purposes.
Within the flood plain of a river, new development may be liable to flooding or may increase the risk of flooding elsewhere by reducing the water storage capacity or impeding the flow of floodwater. Land raising in the flood plain, for example as a result of landfill, may have a similar effect. Development elsewhere in the catchment may add to the flood risk downstream and the risk of pollution and damage to river habitats. At sites thought to be at risk from flooding but where adequate information is not available, the developer will be expected to evaluate the extent of the risk and implement any necessary agreed measures. Routine maintenance is required on watercourses to maintain the integrity of flood alleviation schemes or to allow the free passage of water. The Environment Agency issues Indicative Floodplain Maps on an annual basis, as part of its survey duties, and the areas shown on the 2002 edition are included on the proposals map. They show the areas which are potentially at risk from river flooding from an event with a 1% annual probability of occurance (100 year average return period) under present conditions. However, the Council will still consult the Environment Agency on relevant planning applications.
Government guidance in PPG25 makes it clear that the susceptibility of land to flooding is a material planning consideration and that the Environment Agency has a lead role in providing advice. There are inherent uncertainties in the prediction of flooding but the risk is expected to increase as a result of climate change. PPG25 advocates a risk based, sequential approach, so as to avoid such risk where possible and manage it elsewhere. The guidance also states that developers should fund the provision and maintenance of flood defences and warning measures that are required because of a development.
U5 Energy Efficiency
The Council will encourage all development to incorporate energy efficiency within the proposal, so far as is appropriate, and will permit developments which include measures to improve or promote energy efficiency, as a means both of conserving resources and contributing to the reduction of emission of greenhouse gases, subject to assessment of any possible local impact.
Resource conservation is an issue of increasing awareness and importance as public and Government concerns about energy reserves and global warming continue to grow. Taking advantage of all available opportunities to reduce the amount of energy consumed and greenhouse gases released, such as through the design or disposition of buildings, can help to achieve progress on this front. It is desirable for the Council to respond positively to energy efficient proposals, and also promote this objective both generally and through the design of its own schemes. The reduction in energy consumption is an important factor in achieving the aims of sustainable development.
U6 Renewable Energy
The Council will permit the development of renewable energy schemes, subject to consideration of local environmental implications balanced against the benefits to the national economy and global environment.
In considering such proposals, the Council will take into account the extent to which the development meets the criteria set out in policy MW9 (a) to (l) wherever relevant, and will also wish to be satisfied that no unacceptable damage will be caused to the appearance of the area by electricity lines between the development and their point of connection to the electricity supply network.
In the case of wind energy schemes, the Council will also wish to be satisfied that:
(a) the development is not likely to result in unacceptable intrusion on the intrinsic landscape qualities of the surrounding area, and
(b) access for construction traffic can be provided both without damage to highway safety and without permanent and significant damage to the environment, and
(c) the amenities of neighbouring occupiers will not be unacceptably affected by visual dominance, shadow flicker or reflected light, and
(d) no electromagnetic disturbance is likely to be caused to any existing transmitting or receiving systems, or that adequate measures will be taken to remedy or mitigate any such disturbance which may be caused.
The Government's general aims, as expressed in PPG22, (which has now been replaced by PPS22) are to ensure that society's needs for energy are satisfied consistent with protecting the local and global environment, to ensure that any environmental damage or loss of amenity caused by energy supply and ancillary activities is minimised, and to prevent unnecessary sterilisation of energy resources. In February 2000 the Government confirmed that their current target is to see 5% of UK electricity requirements being met from renewable sources by the end of 2003, with 10% being achieved by 2010. The Government believes that a positive, strategic approach to planning for renewable energy is essential to help achieve its sustainable development and climate change goals, and intends to set regional targets for electricity generation from renewable energy sources. These might include solar, hydro, waste and biomass sources, as well as wind energy. In some cases, generating renewable energy may also help to alleviate other problems, such as the disposal of waste. The main advantage of renewable energy sources as an alternative to the burning of fossil fuels is in limiting the emissions of the gases which cause global warming.
However, despite their global benefits, renewable energy projects may have environmental implications for their more immediate surroundings. It is vital that the whole range of possible environmental effects should be examined before any decision is made on a proposed development. In certain cases there may be a requirement for an environmental assessment to be undertaken in association with a planning application.
 
 
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