Honey processing plant 'should be refused'

Plans for a honey and beeswax processing plant in a village have been recommended for refusal.

The application to Rotherham Council for the proposed agricultural-style building at land to the north east corner of Highfield Lodge, Ulley Lane, Aughton, has attracted 39 objections.

The plans state that the unit would house equipment for decapping, extraction, cleaning and jarring honey, along with storage for finished products and beekeeping equipment.

However, council officers have concluded the plans should be rejected as the site lies within the green belt and that the proposed use does not qualify as agricultural.

A report states that while beekeeping can be classed as agricultural it concludes that the processing and jarring of honey and wax would amount to a light industrial use.

The proposal seeks permission to erect a modular building to be used for processing honey and wax products from beehives.

According to the planning statement, the business supplies retailers and online customers and employs up to four people during busy periods.

The applicant also argued that moving processing closer to the beehives would reduce transport and improve environmental sustainability.

In the report, council officers state that most of the honey and wax processed at the site would be brought in from other locations across the north of England and the East Midlands, meaning there is no functional need for the building to be located in the green belt.

It add that the building would introduce a permanent structure into what is currently open land, reducing the openness of the green belt and leading to encroachment.

Officers say no "very special circumstances" have been put forward to outweigh this harm.

Residents who objected to the scheme raised concerns about the number of bees already on the site, noise, smells from a proposed reed bed wastewater system, and the potential for the development to set a precedent for further commercial buildings in the area.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, concerns have also been raised about the impact on residents from bees on the site, though the applicant has reduced the number of hives on the land.

The application is being referred to the planning board due to the level of public objection.

A decision will be made Rotherham Council's planning board at a meeting on 22 January.

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