5.1 The purpose of waste transfer stations is to collect amounts of waste together until sufficient quantities have accumulated and the waste can be transported to the relevant waste management location. The collection of waste and its transport in bulk can reduce overall transport requirements, and enable a higher percentage of the waste stream to be recycled, treated or recovered.

5.2 Transfer stations are found in a variety of locations throughout the Plan Area, - industrial areas, on the edge of towns and villages and in rural areas. They generally can comprise industrial style buildings, waste storage areas, covered sorting areas, skip storage, tipping bays, mobile and fixed plant, office accommodation and staff car parking. Large-scale facilities will need to be located on industrial estates and away from residential areas.

5.3 Planning applications for new and extensions to existing waste transfer stations will be considered in the light of policies contained in this Plan. A key issue in locating these sites will be the proximity principle in terms of minimising the distance between main waste arisings and the transfer stations where waste will be received, sorted and transported for either recycling or disposal. It would be preferable for waste transfer stations to be located within or near to the main centres of population and in close proximity to suitable highway networks or railway lines for the transport of waste to and from the transfer stations. Lorry routeing agreements may be appropriate in certain cases to ensure that commercial vehicles use suitable highways. Other key planning issues, which need to be considered, are noise, odour, dust, visual impact, pollution control and impact on residential amenity.

5.4 Sewage undertakers have extensive rights to carry out development without the need to obtain planning permission under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (GPDO). Considerable development, involving large items of plant and machinery (excluding building), and repairs to sewers, can be carried out within existing operational sites without the submission and approval of a planning application. New sewage treatment works will require planning permission from the WPA. In some instances an Environmental Impact Assessment will be required, depending on the size, nature and location of the development proposed. The likely impacts of sewage treatment works are those of traffic, odours, noise, flies, as well as visual impact. Therefore, sewage treatment works need to be relatively remote from residential areas and located on the edge of settlements.

5.5 British Waterways has a statutory duty under Section 105 of the Transport Act 1968 to maintain standards of navigation on those waterways under its control. This may necessitate canal dredging to remove silt, mud and foreign items which accumulate. Where dredged material is placed at the side of the canal and spread on adjoining land, these works would be permitted development under the provisions of the GPDO. In all other cases the deposition of dredged material would constitute development requiring planning permission. These applications would be considered in the light of policies contained in this Plan.

5.6 Major construction works involving the disposal of waste, including those associated with new roads and the demolition of significant development sites, often involves considerable quantities of surplus materials. With particular regard to road construction projects, the disposal of surplus materials near to the road line without having to go on the public highway has the considerable advantage of preventing heavy and concentrated flows of traffic along public roads. In exceptional circumstances use of the public highway may be acceptable where the environmental impact is minimal. Such disposal sites could, therefore, be acceptable in locations where disposal of waste would not otherwise normally have been permitted provided that appropriate environmental safeguards covering the working and restoration of the sites can be achieved. Most construction and demolition waste can be recycled to form secondary aggregates. Any proposals involving the disposal of this type of waste from major construction projects should demonstrate that there is no viable alternative beneficial use for the surplus materials e.g. use of materials for restoration and engineering purposes on waste disposal sites.

5.7 Policy WLP 19 below sets out factors to be taken into account in respect of proposals for the disposal of waste from major construction projects.

5.8 Using landfill gas brings environmental benefits and encourages the collection and management of landfill methane. Combustion of landfill gas reduces net carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere whilst producing useful power and heat. Energy recovery of gas from landfill sites is dependent on the quality and quantity of gas generated.

5.9 Landfill gas plants should be located away from residential areas and other sensitive land-uses, for reasons of safety and amenity. Other key planning issues that need to be considered are visual intrusion, noise and emissions. The extraction and treatment and, wherever practicable, recovery and utilisation of landfill gas will be required at waste disposal sites. The following policy will apply to planning applications for new and extensions to existing facilities for the extraction, recovery and utilisation of gas from landfill sites.