Councillor gets planning permission for slurry lagoon
Plans for a slurry lagoon at a farm have been approved by councillors.
Powys County Council’s planning committee today met to decide the application for a slurry lagoon at Pied House in Garthmyl.
The application had been lodged by Adrian Jones, the county councillor for Berriew.
Councillor Jones, a member of the planning committee, declared an interest and left the meeting while the application was discussed and decided.
He was joined on the sidelines by Councillor Jonathan Wilkinson who declared an interest due to being related to Councillor Jones.
The lagoon would be 40 metres by 30 metres and 4.5metres deep.
It is needed due to changes to farming legislation in Wales known as “The Water Resources – Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations 2021.”
This means that farms need to have somewhere to store slurry for five months.
Planning officer Luke Woosnam explained that the site is 300 metres away from the main farm complex at Pied House.
Mr Woosnam: “Why it’s so far away from the main farm complex has been questioned.
“The justification given is that most of the land at Pied House is sloping and this is one of the few areas which is relatively flat.
“Developing this land would also cost less.”
With the nearest neighbours 330 metres away from the site, Mr Woosnam told councillors that it was “not considered” that the development would cause a loss of light or impact their privacy - but there could be a smell issue.
Mr Woosnam said: “We have consulted the environmental health protection team and they have confirmed they have no issue with the development.”
He added that given the new regulation, this type of application was becoming more common.
Mr Woosnam told councillors that he recommended approving the application, subject to a number of conditions.
Committee solicitor Colin Edwards said: “As it’s a planning application by a councillor, under the planning protocol I have to look at the file and the way the application was processed.
“I can confirm that I’ve done that, and it’s been processed normally.
Councillor Edwin Roderick asked if the lagoon would be “lined.”
Mr Woosnam answered that he "believed so.”
Councillor Gareth Jones asked a question on condition six on the potential planning approval, which would need to be adhered to if consent is given.
This condition stipulates that only slurry from Pied House Farm can be stored in the lagoon.
Councillor Jones said: “How is that going to be monitored and checked?”
Principal planning officer Luke Jones said that if complaints were received that it was “being used by other farms” they would be investigated and dealt with through the enforcement process.
Committee chairman, Councillor Karl Lewis said: “If it wasn’t a councillor’s application would this have been approved under delegated powers?”
Mr Woosnam said: “Yes.”
Councillors voted unanimously to approve the proposal.
