New agricultural buildings and green waste composting site expansion
Project description: Retained advice for 830 hectare arable farm
Project status: On-going
New farm buildings and facilities
In addition to providing ad-hoc advice to the farming community, I am a retained advisor to an agricultural holding with more than 830 hectares of arable land across Warrington, Wigan, and Salford.
With a changing climate and changes to regulations, most farms have to be large in order to be profitable. This necessitates routine engagement with the planning system as the landholding expands and new buildings/facilities are needed.
Over the years, I have advised and successfully obtained planning permissions through a combination of routes including ‘farmers rights’ (known as Part 6 Prior Notification) to assist the continuing adaptation, diversification and expansion of farming operations across the client’s portfolio of land. Examples have included new farm buildings, hardstandings for storage and installation of plant/machinery for the transportation, drying and loading of harvested corn, barley, oat and wheat.
Expansion of GREEN WASTE composting business
Integral to the success of most farms is optimising their agricultural yield and reducing outgoing costs, such as those associated with fertilizer. Using my experience of advising owners of national biogas installations and municipal waste (kitchen and garden waste) composting sites, I have successfully advised on and obtained planning permission for a 72,000 tonne per annum green waste composting site in the Cheshire greenbelt.
Working with odour management experts and highway consultants, I commissioned a full range of assessments including consideration of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations and progression of an Environmental Statement. I then prepared and successfully progressed an application for planning permission.
The compost from the site is applied to the fields in order to increase the agricultural yield, diversify the farm income and enable the sustainable management of green waste which would otherwise be sent to landfill.
I am now retained to advise on how recycling waste by-products can assist the business by using compost as soil improvers, reducing costs through renewable energy and helping the company move toward its aspiration to become an organic farm.
In addition, I have advised on and obtained permission for farm workers welfare facilities buildings, barn conversions and new farm workers’ dwellings.
For more information about these projects or to enquire about your own planning needs, please contact us.