Hunting dogs in action

NEW Plans

Additional documentation was supplied by the hunt to the planners on the 5 August:

Download the revised noise assessment (pdf)
Our expert is taking another look at this and will respond on behalf of the community we represent.

Download the revised site plan (herringbone soakaway) (pdf)
The new site plan shows the soakaway for the septic tanks to be sited under the fenced grass hound exercise area, The architect seems to have finally realised that water doesn’t travel up hill (previous soakaway plans did just that) but according to the results of percolation tests and based on Environment Agency guidance, this site cannot be drained by a soakaway at all as percolation is too slow!

Download the percolation tests (pdf) The percolation value shown of 126 is outside the guidelines of 15-100 and will lead to sewage ponding on the surface (Environment Agency PPG4 Appendix A) and that’s without the addition of hound wee, rainwater, etc

Download the daily routine (pdf) Still no indication on when and for how long that incinerator will burn. Leads us to believe it will be 24/7. Still no mention of the need to receive frequent visits from tankers needed to deliver oil for the incinerator or take away foul water and skins, etc

Download the fallen stock scheme statement (pdf) No sign of purple spray on the carcases seen fed at the current temporary site and since when did farmers put ear tags on stillborn animals (the mainstay of the hounds feed according to the hunt)?

You can view the online application on North Shropshire District Council’s website by clicking here but, for your convenience, you can also download the files here:

Download the application form (pdf format): You may like to note the claim in section 8 that they are still claiming to have consulted the Parish Council and the neighbours. We still don’t consider talking to a couple of adjoining landowners and talking to the wrong Parish Council (Whixall) counts as ‘neighbourhood consultation’, and you might like to mention it in your letters.

Download the site plan (pdf format): Note the amount of new building, the height of the mesh panels, the 5-space car park and hard standing areas, and the proximity of the brook.

Download the design and access statement (pdf format): Note that in order for the kennels to move here they need to erect a second dwelling on site. Local farmers have been denied planning permission for second dwellings to house essential workers on quite large farms with existing agricultural premises yet here they are looking to build BOTH THE BUSINESS PREMISES REQUIRED and a SECOND RESIDENTIAL UNIT. The application this time is for a temporary ‘chalet’ but it’s highly likely they’d be looking to reapply in three years for a permanent building. Remember, they are not an agricultural business that would possibly qualify for a second dwelling!

Download the foul drainage form (pdf format): There are two forms here (pp1-5 refers to cesspit option, pp6-10 to using the existing soakaway) plus feedback from the Environment Agency. We will update this comment when our drainage expert reports back but you might like to consider that the hunt has not undertaken percolation tests, nor provided a reason for not doing so. The soil on this site is ‘salop gley’, a bluish clay that has formed in conditions of prolonged soil saturation due to poor drainage. Also note that neither the full drainage scheme for foul and surface water for both new dwelling and kennel building to include an independent drainage assessment in line with circular 3/99 (a government policy document) nor details of the proposed underground storage container (location, size, link to building, timescale and details of emptying process) have been supplied as requested by the NSDC planners last time around.

Download the ecological survey (pdf format): The report clearly recognises the international importance of the Mosses, describing it as ‘one of the jewels in the crown of British wildlife’ and yet the report’s author fails to appreciate that the exercising the hounds will bring them within spitting distance of the national nature reserve/sites of special scientific interest, and the wildlife corridors that emanate from it (despite the planners requesting independent assessment of a ‘suitable surrounding area’ last time around). Local conservationists know that otters and water voles use the area, and local road bridges have been rebuilt to incorporate otter tunnels – there is one at the end of Greenfield’s drive and another just upstream! We’re seeking a second opinion on the comprehensiveness of the assessment.

Download the vehicle movements statement (pdf format): Note this has been provided for the month of June, a month when a low number of calves are typically born and hence movements of vehicles from farms in the surrounding area can be expected to far exceed the 80 (3 a day!) noted here. There is no mention of vehicle cleansing facilities in the design and access statement (a requirement for abattoirs for cleaning vehicles as they leave the site). Also bear in mind that previously we were told that the hunt collected the fallen stock!! Consider what will happen to fallen stock if the kennels is unmanned and the gates are locked – it is highly likely they will be dumped in the gateway.

Download the incinerator info (pdf format): Note that while we are told the incinerator will operate once a day for 2–7 days a week depending on quantity of materials to be burned, there is no indication about the length of the operating cycle. Adherence to DEFRA regulations depends on the correct operation of the incinerator. Also note that Mr Sherratt, the hunt’s chair, owns the incinerator manufacturing company.

Download the acoustic (noise) assessment (pdf format): You may have a view on the independence of this report seeing that it appears to be quite vindictive towards three of the adjoining properties who had the apparent ‘audacity’ to object to the planning application last time around! There were 80 objections lodged against that application, and many of these made a point about noise. The assessor’s view of the dogs being inaudible just doesn’t ring true and we’re seeking a second opinion on the assessment.

Download some miscellaneous letters (pdf format): Read into these what you will!

FINAL IMPORTANT NOTE:
The hunt has FAILED to provide information on the following issues as outlined by the planners in refusing the application last time around (see re-application requirements).

  • Working plan to show the daily regime of the site: to include training and exercise details, off-site walking timetable, feeding times, and any other actions undertaken regularly (daily, weekly, monthly)
  • Flood risk assessment – independently carried out by suitably qualified person to include a sequential test in accordance with PPS25 (a government policy document).
  • Details of construction material and confirmation that the kennels are of a suitable size for the number of hounds.
  • Independent ecological assessment of a ‘suitable surrounding area’.
  • Lighting scheme including power, direction and whether these will be static lights or reactionary lights