New laboratory complex backed by council (From Gazette & Herald)

New laboratory complex backed by council

MAJOR developments at the Central Science Laboratories at Sand Hutton have been given the go-ahead by planners.

The scheme was recommended to Ryedale District Council's (RDC) planning committee by officers in consultation with committee chairman, Coun Allin Jenkins.

The project involves building a new laboratory complex, offices, storage and ancillary facilities, together with an external waste compound, sub-station and generator compound and 16.6-metre-high flue.

Senior planning manager Gary Housden said the existing site has 40,000sq metres of offices, laboratories and central services.

The original centre was built for crop development, crop protection and consumer safety purposes and was allowed in the open countryside at Sand Hutton for strategic economic reasons, he said.

The new building, which will measure 19m by 18m, will be similar in design and colour to adjacent laboratory buildings and the project is in line with RDC's policies on development at the site.

Approval was also given by the RDC committee to Flamingo Land Ltd to erect a 12m high monopole telecommunications mast with six antennae and cabinets. It is to be sited near a line of mature coniferous trees which, because of their height of around nine metres, will screen most of the mast, which is to be sited next to a mature ash tree.

Two alternative sites were considered, said planning officer Carl Stott, at Kirby-O-Carr and Wray House, near Deerholme Grange, but neither would have provided the necessary coverage and were in open countryside.

While the parish council at Kirby Misperton had not objected to the scheme, Dennis Cockerill, of Kent, opposed it because of his fears over radiation dangers, visual impact and the availability of alternative sites.

But, said Mr Stott, the planning system was not the place for determining health safeguards and he was satisfied that the visual impact would be minimal.

Updated: 11:39 Wednesday, May 12, 2004