The Development Control and Regulatory Board were scheduled to meet on Thursday, 11 September 2025, to discuss a planning application related to composting activities at Glebe Farm, and a review of Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) within the district of North West Leicestershire (NWL). The meeting was also scheduled to cover standard agenda items such as questions from the public and councillors, declarations of interest, and a review of the minutes from the previous meeting.

Glebe Farm Composting Activities

The board were scheduled to consider planning application 2025/VOCM/0027/LCC from Moore Recycling Ltd, concerning Glebe Farm, Glebe Lane, Sibson, CV13 6LD. The application requests a variation to condition 5 (increase in the deliveries of green waste); conditions 7 and 9 (to enable some final compost product to be taken/sold from site), condition 10 (to seek an increase in the volume of compost material processed on site) and condition 11 (hours of operation) of planning permission 2017/0467/04 for the proposed use of land for composting activities including storage of hardcore and compost related wastes together with the provision of landscaping bunds.

The report pack noted that the main issues to consider were:

• Intensification of activity
• Odour, noise, dust
• Highway safety

The planning application sought to vary five conditions of planning permission ref. 2017/0467/04 to allow for an increase in deliveries of green waste, permit sales of compost from the site, increase volumes of waste throughput and to increase hours of operation.

The report pack stated that condition 5 currently reads:

Deliveries of compostable materials to the site shall be limited to a maximum number of 30 per week and subject to a maximum of 8 in any one day. Deliveries of hardcore material shall be limited to a maximum number of 30 per week. Records of daily lorry movements relating to these operations shall be maintained at all times and shall be made available for inspection by the Waste Planning Authority within 7 days of a written request.

Reason: In the interests of highway safety

The applicant requested that condition 5 be removed to allow for increased deliveries of material to the site, stating that it is not reasonable to impose a specific limit on vehicle movements given seasonal fluctuations in throughput and thus, deliveries to site.

The report pack stated that conditions 7 and 9 currently read:

(Condition 7)

Following the compost process the final product shall be used as a soil conditioner/fertiliser only within the land in the ownership of the applicant at Glebe Farm as shown within the solid blue line on the ownership plan dated 03/01/01' and submitted with application 2001/0031/04.

Reason: To safeguard the amenities of nearby residents and the rural environment and to ensure that the operations remain appropriate to its rural location.

(Condition 9)

No sales of compost or hardcore material shall take place from the site.

Reason: To safeguard the amenities of nearby residents and the rural environment and to ensure that the operations remain appropriate to its rural location.

It was proposed that conditions 7 and 9 are merged into a single condition that reads:

A maximum of 5000 tonnes per annum of composted material may be sold to commercial operators and there shall be no public sales of compost material at any time. Records of sales shall be made available to the Waste Planning Authority within five working days of such a request being made. All records shall be kept on site for at least 12 months.

The report pack stated that condition 10 currently reads:

The volume of compost materials being processed on site shall not exceed 1000 cubic metres. The hardcore stockpile shall not exceed 2000 cubic metres or 3 metres in height.

Reason: To ensure the stockpiles do not impact on the amenities of the local area and nearby residents.

To allow for an increase in material throughput on site, it was proposed to vary condition 10 to read:

The volume of compost materials being processed on site shall not exceed 4000 cubic metres and the volume of wood waste (natural/untreated) on site shall not exceed 1500 cubic metres. The hardcore stockpile shall not exceed 500 cubic metres or 3 metres in height.

The report pack stated that condition 11 currently reads:

No deliveries of compostable materials, hardcore materials, or shredding of such materials shall take place except between the hours of:

0800 and 1800 Monday to Friday; and 0800 and 1630 on Saturday.

No deliveries or shredding shall be taken place on any Sunday, Public or Bank Holiday.

Reason: To safeguard the amenities of nearby residents and the rural environment.

It was proposed that condition 11 is varied as follows:

No deliveries of compostable materials, hardcore materials, or shredding of such materials shall take place except between the hours of: 07.00 to 18.00 Monday to Friday; and 08.00 and 16.30 on Saturday.

Other than deliveries of green waste arising under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 51(1)(b) which may take place on Sundays or

Bank or Public Holidays between the hours of 08:00 to 17:00, there shall be no shredding or treatment of green waste on Sundays, Public or Bank Holidays.

The report pack noted that Sheepy Parish Council had raised objections, stating that the development would fundamentally alter the operative part of the extant planning permission, and that the proposal does not comply with policy S8 of the Sheepy Parish Neighbourhood Plan. They also raised concerns about an increase in noise, dust and odour from operations, and impacts on highway safety.

The report pack stated that thirteen representations had been received, which all objected to the proposal. The issues raised included:

• Fourfold increase in compost processing and doubling of total waste volume represents transformation from rural enterprise to large-scale industrial operation.
• Concerns that the proposal is not a sustainable form of farm diversification.
• Increase in dust and noise from the processing and shredding operations on site.
• Increased pollution risk from odour and bioaerosols.
• Increase in number of flies from higher waste throughput
• Potential risk of pollution to nearby watercourse (Shenton Brook).
• Detrimental impact on adjacent conservation area and listed building (Cock Inn).
• Lack of supporting Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
• Detrimental impact on highway safety from increase in deliveries of material, particularly from HGVs entering and exiting onto the A444.

The report pack included a recommendation to approve the application, subject to conditions.

Review of Tree Preservation Orders

The board were scheduled to be made aware of the results of a review of Leicestershire County Council Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) in the district of North West Leicestershire (NWL).

Between 1947 and 1974, Leicestershire County Council made 273 TPOs. Since 1974, two orders have been made on the Council's own land, in 1981 (Snibstone Grange) and in 2025 (Roman Way).

The report pack stated that planning practice guidance advises that authorities keep their TPOs under review, to ensure that protection is still merited, and that Orders contain appropriate classifications.

The report pack stated that some TPOs were made as early as 1949, and that since that time, the use of the land might have changed; the land might have been developed; trees standing at the time the TPO was confirmed might have been removed; some of the trees still standing, perhaps, no longer merit the protection of the TPO; new trees might have been planted which do merit protection; or the map attached to the original TPO might bear little comparison with a modern map of the area.

The report pack stated that out of the 44 orders that were re-surveyed, 30 require no change and 14 require changes, such as new trees to be added, trees to be removed or borders of the TPO redefined.

The report pack stated that the board were asked to give consent to vary eight TPOs in the NWL district to bring them up to date, and to give consent to revoke the six TPOs in the NWL district that are no longer viable.

The TPOs that were scheduled for variation were:

• Ashby de la Zouch, Highfields
• Ashby de la Zouch, Packington Rd
• Coalville, Agar Nook
• Diseworth, The Vicarage
• Kegworth, Ashby Rd
• Measham, Atherstone Rd
• Ravenstone, Hall Farm
• Staunton Harold

The TPOs that were scheduled for revocation were:

• Castle Donington, Sheilds Crescent
• Kegworth, Station Rd
• Long Whatton, West End
• Newtown Burgoland, Francis Lane
• Swannington
• Whitwick, The Vicarage

For example, regarding the Ashby de la Zouch, Highfields TPO, the report pack stated:

No.1 Hill Street. Group of trees to the rear of the property no longer exist. (Marked in red).

No.1 Tower Gardens. Lime trees no longer worthy of a TPO. Do not meet the TEMPO criteria. (Marked In red).

No.4 Tower gardens. Trees to the front of the property are not old enough to be included in the original order now warrant a TPO. Meet the TEMPO criteria. Trees do not fall within a CA. Alter the schedule to include these new trees.

The report pack stated that the proposal was to vary the 1973 order to change the border extent of A1 on the original plan to exclude the properties of No.1 Hill St and No.1 Tower Gardens, and to vary the 1965 order to include trees to the front of No.4 Tower Gardens.

Regarding the Castle Donington, Shields Crescent TPO, the report pack stated that the original order specified two trees, T1 Ash and T2 Ash within the rear gardens of Nos. 6&7 Radford Meadow. It also stated that neither tree now exists, and that there was no evidence of replacement trees, so the proposal was to revoke the 1975 order.