Regulation 25 requests are crucial because they ensure that the local planning authority has all the necessary information to make an informed decision regarding the environmental impact of a proposed development. Failure to comply with this request can seriously jeopardize the success of the planning application.
What Happens if the Applicant Fails to Respond?
If the applicant fails to provide the required information in response to a Regulation 25 request, several consequences may follow:
- Application Cannot Progress: The planning application cannot proceed to a decision until the requested information is provided. This effectively puts the application on hold.
- Refusal of the Application: If the applicant does not respond within a reasonable time, the local planning authority may refuse the application on the grounds that they do not have sufficient information to assess the environmental impacts of the proposal.
- Withdrawal of the Application: The applicant may choose to withdraw the application if they are unable or unwilling to provide the requested information.
- Delay in Decision-Making: The decision-making process is delayed, which can lead to extended timeframes for the applicant and potentially increased costs or loss of investment.
For example:
"The value of my house will go down" is not a material planning consideration. The planning system does not take into account the impact of a development on property values.
"My commute to work will take longer" could be considered if it links to a material planning concern like traffic congestion, road safety, or the capacity of local infrastructure. You would need to frame it in terms of how the development would exacerbate traffic or strain local roads rather than just the personal inconvenience
Once restoratiion begins and inert material needs to imported this will again double to 64. That is to say roughly 8 arrivals or departures per hour.
The use of smaller vehicles would considerably increase the number of daily movements. Restrictions on water abstraction as part of the Environment Agency licence might reduce the number of working days.
These include national agencies such as the Environment Agency, Natural England and The UK Health Security Agency.
Local departments include internal WCC deparments such as Archaeology, Ecology, Flood Risk Management and Highways as well as some Warwick District Council departments such as Conservation and Environmental Health.
The hydrogeological report primarily assesses the risks and impacts of quarrying activities, with a particular focus on flooding risks. Climate change is expected to exacerbate these risks through increased rainfall intensity. The report highlights key findings regarding future rainfall events, predicting that flash floods, characterized by rainfall exceeding 20 mm per hour, will become significantly more frequent due to climate change. By the 2070s, the frequency of these extreme events is projected to be four times higher than in the late 20th century. Additionally, each degree of regional warming is estimated to increase the intensity of extreme downpours by 5-15%.
The report also notes that these changes are not expected to occur smoothly but rather in a variable pattern, with some years experiencing record-breaking rainfall and others seeing little change. This variability poses challenges for flood management and infrastructure planning, as the occurrence of extreme years may cluster together, potentially overwhelming flood defences. The risk of flooding is particularly high during quarrying operations and will likely persist even after the quarry is closed and filled, as intense rainfall and flooding from the River Avon could impact the site.
The flood risks associated with quarrying operations arise from several factors related to both the quarry's location and the methods used during extraction. Key aspects that contribute to the increased risk of flooding include:
- Excavation Below Water Table: Quarrying often involves digging below the water table, which requires continuous pumping to keep the site dry. This dewatering process alters the natural flow of groundwater and can cause significant changes to the local water balance.
- Impact on Local Drainage: As the quarry phases are filled with inert material or fine-grained substances, the permeability of the land is reduced, hindering natural water absorption. This can lead to surface water accumulation, increasing the likelihood of flooding in surrounding areas
- Flood Risk from River Avon: The quarry site is in proximity to the River Avon, which poses a risk of flooding during heavy rainfall events or when the river is in flood. Open quarry phases are particularly vulnerable to such flooding
- Long-term Effects After Restoration: Once the quarry is filled and restored, the backfilled material (often fine-grained, low-permeability substances) can block natural groundwater pathways, leading to water pooling at the surface, further heightening flood risks even after quarrying activities cease
These factors highlight the need for careful management and flood mitigation strategies during and after quarrying operations to prevent increased flood risks.
In terms of process planning officers will prepare a report and recommendation for the councillors based on their analysis of the application itself and any valid comments received from statutory consultees and other interested parties. Recommendations can be rejection, approval with conditions or approval. Outright approval is very unlikely given the complex nature of the proposed development