On behalf of A W and G W Day Limited and Tarset Farms, PDE submitted a planning application to Essex County Council for the construction of an agricultural reservoir on land at Sheepcotes Farm, Little Waltham, Essex. The application facilitates; the extraction, processing and exportation of sand, gravel and soils; the erection and use of an on-site processing plant with ancillary facilities as well as improvements to the highway and access.
Essex County Council’s Development and Regulation Committee resolved to grant permission on the 25 January 2019.
Following resolution, the applicants’ reconsidered the design of the Site access and a proposal was put before Essex County Council for a simplified “left in, left out” arrangement. The proposed access will lessen the impact to users of the A131 from roadworks prior to the development of the reservoir whilst still providing a safe and efficient means of entering and leaving the Site.
Following consideration by Essex County Council’s Development and Regulation Committee the application was once again resolved to grant permission with the alternative access arrangement and full permission was granted on 01 August, subject to conditions.
This is great news for the applicants’ as it is well known that the East of England is one of the driest regions in the country. The reservoir will underpin the future of the surrounding farmland by enabling water to be stored in winter for use during periods of high water demand in spring and summer. This will allow a wider range and higher quality of crops to be grown as well as increasing the resilience of surrounding farmland in the face of uncertainty presented by climate change.
