Agenda item

Erection of building for manufacturing of subsea cables, with ancillary offices and outdoor cable storage, together with associated development and infrastructure works including vehicular accesses off Brock Lane, landscaping and vehicular parking

Land North Of Blyth Power Station Substation, East Sleekburn, Northumberland

Erection of building for manufacturing of subsea cables, with ancillary offices and outdoor cable storage, together with associated development and infrastructure works including vehicular accesses off Brock Lane, landscaping and vehicular parking

Land North of Blyth Power Station Substation, East Sleekburn, Northumberland

T Wood, Principal Planning Officer provided an introduction to the application with the aid of a power point presentation.  Site videos had also been circulated to Members in advance of the Meeting.  The Officer advised that there was a slight amendment to a plan number in the proposed condition 2 in that the main site access general arrangement plan number should read PO2 and not PO1.

J Young, Chief Strategy and Compliance Officer, JDR Cables addressed the Committee speaking in support of the application.  His comments included the following information:-

·       JDR Cables System was a leading provider of subsea cable technology and off shore services to connect the global offshore energy industry.  Its success was based on technical expertise and the reliability and supply of subsea power cables and associated hardware and accessories with its first offshore wind contract won in 2006 and a manufacturing facility opening in Hartlepool in 2009.  Following further investment in 2016 this factory was now one of the most advanced subsea cable manufacturing facilities in the world. 

·       JDR were now looking to expand their manufacturing facilities with another factory in Cambois which would focus on renewable energy products and services.

·       JDR were the only manufacturer of this type of cable in the UK and the proposed development was the next phase of innovation with new capacity for longer and higher voltage cables to serve the growing offshore market.  It would bring more skilled jobs to Cambois, Northumberland and the wider North East.

·       The new facility would help the UK to meet its target of 40 gigawatt of renewable energy by 2030 and assist the Government’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

·       At opening it would have 170 office and operations staff and would have a maximum capacity of 207 staff.  JDR would seek to provide local residents with employment opportunities for 10 years from the opening of the plant including work experience, apprenticeships, internships and graduate engineering traineeships secured through an employment plan as part of the S106 agreement.

·       JDR would also seek to provide local residents with training opportunities for at least 10 years by building relationships with local colleges and universities and providing mentoring and interview training secured through a training skills plan as part of the S106 agreement.

·       JDR already had a number of STEM ambassadors and mentors supporting local communities brining hands on training opportunities and it was expected this would be replicated in Cambois.

·       JDR were aware of the work on the British Volt site and they would seek to work with them to ensure that any impact from the construction on the JDR site would be kept to a minimum.

·       JDR and their contractors would continue to work with the local community and Parish Council and keep them informed of each stage of construction.

Karon Beech, from Vincent & Gorbing, Planning Architects and Consultants working on the project, also addressed the Committee speaking in support of the application. Her comments included the following:-

·       The application contained a suite of technical documents. The transport assessment confirmed that there would be no significant impact on the road network as a result of a maximum of 44 additional car movements and 14 lorry movements per day.

·       Highways England had advised that a Highways Operational Management Plan would be required to manage the impact the development would have on the A19 Moor Farm roundabout during the peak morning and evening periods and JDR were happy to accept this condition.

·       The submitted landscape assessment confirmed that the impact of the character of the site, its setting and the landscape from close and distant views were acceptable. There was a landscape buffer between the site and the nearest residents with an illustrative landscape plan submitted to show how additional on site planting with more mature trees could help the buffer and JDR were happy to accept this as a planning condition.

·       The development would not have any impact on any sensitive areas in the locality and a significant net biodiversity gain, well in excess of the 10% required.

·       There would be no harmful impact to the setting of the Grade II listed coal staithes. 

·       Development was deemed to be acceptable in terms of surface water, flood risk and foul water drainage.

In response to questions from Members of the Committee, the following information was provided by Officers:-

·       Comments made regarding traffic had been referred to Highways and responses were contained in paragraphs 7.42 – 7.46 of the report.  The baseline traffic surveys were those which had been used as part of the British Volt application in 2020 and had been replicated for use in relation to this application and it was not considered that a maximum of 44 trips per hour would have a significant impact on the overall capacity.

·       The sustainable transport plan would actively manage the whole operation and logistics of the site in relation to minimising the impact on the Moor Farm Roundabout as required by National Highways.

·       The S106 would be very detailed and guarantee skills training and support etc to ensure that the economic benefits of the development were realised locally with work to develop this undertaken in conjunction with the Council’s Education and Skills Section.

·       This site did not have the rich ecology to replace, unlike the British Volt Site, and therefore the 10% biodiversity net gain could be achieved on site.

·       If the application was permitted then a S78 Highways Act Agreement would be required which would look at road safety and would consider if any footpath or lighting provision was required as part of the application.

·       A request would be made to the applicants to enable the existing Gatehouse to the former power station, which was a source of pride to the local community, to be kept as a tribute to the cultural heritage of the area.

·       Condition 18 requested details of a Construction Management Statement to be submitted and agreed which would include wheel washing for HGV vehicles leaving the construction site.

·       It was clarified that 95% of the cables produced would be transported by the River and the application had the support of the Port of Blyth.

·       There was a lot of economic growth occurring in the South East of the County with implications of this on the road and footpath/cycleway networks. Once National Highways had confirmed their proposals for Moor Farm Roundabout which would take into account the maximum cumulative developments in a set period of time, then a masterplan for the economic corridor would be drawn up informing the scale of investment for infrastructure that would be required.

·       The Environment Agency no longer objected to the application.

·       It was confirmed that the S106 agreement had been agreed in preparation of this application being agreed.

Councillor Wallace on behalf of the community of Cambois advised that he wished to propose acceptance of the recommendation to approve the application as outlined in the report which was seconded by Councillor Stewart.

Members in welcoming the investment into Cambois hoped it would lead to improved public transport links for the residents of Cambois and that the infrastructure required would be provided in a timely manner.  The opportunities to get local people back into employment were particularly welcomed.  Officers were thanked for their work in bringing this much needed investment into the area.

A vote was taken on the proposal to approve the application in line with the recommendation in the report and it was unanimously:

RESOLVED that the application be GRANTED for the reasons and with the conditions as outlined in the report and completion of the S106 agreement to secure an Employment Plan and a Training Skills Plan.

Councillor Renner-Thompson returned to the Chamber at this point.