1.	Application Site and Locality 
1.1	The application is on a site comprising of 5 roofs on the British Bakels industrial complex, North facing on to Granville Way. The North facing site  is  located east of the centre of Bicester, bounded to the Sidalls Bicester Limited to the East, Carpet Trader 4 Chaucer Business Park to the North, Launton Road to the West and to the South is the Oxford to Bicester Rail Link Buckingham Road. The wider site is used mainly for Industrial purposes, it is not within a Conversation Area and no Listed buildings are within close proximity to the site.   

2.	Description of Proposed Development
2.1  	 The current application seeks a Prior approval to install Solar PV panels on the existing manufacturing buildings with a total combined capacity of 494.7 kW, covering 3,156m²
	
	Building 1 – Covered Roof Area (1399.4m²) – PV Collector Area (858.99m²)

	Building 2 – Covered Roof Area (846.6m²) – PV Collector Area (439.26m²)

	Building 3 – Covered Roof Area (1178.3m²) – PV Collector Area (858.99m²)

	Building 4 – Covered Roof Area (1178.3m²) – PV Collector Area (754.87m²)

	Building 5 – Covered Roof Area (680.5m²) – PV Collector Area (244m²)

3.	Relevant Planning History

00/01126/F -  PER - Extension of existing tank farm by an area of 8.0 x 4.0 to accommodate two new tanks. All within the curtilage of Bakels site
00/02532/F -  PER - 2 No. 3.8M (diameter) x 11.7M (high) silos, to be used in association with manufacturing process (as amended by Drawing No. 1814/A001D received 09.03.01)
02/01003/F -  PER - Extensions to existing manufacturing facility to provide new wet factory, extensions to warehouse, offices, plantrooms, amenity area and plantrooms
58/00141/M -   - Electric line
64/00563/NE -   - Site for industrial development.
65/00068/NE -   - Site for gasification plant for manufacture of town's gas from petroleum products.
66/00149/NE -   - Gasification plant for the manufacture of towns gas from peroleum products.
72/00591/NE -   - Use of existing roads and services to serve an industrial estate and construction of new roads where necessary together with the construction of a water storage pond on the area of land hatched red. (Outline).
75/00443/CHS -   - Site to be developed for warehouse and Distribution Class X area approximately 9240 sq m (Outline) (As amended by applicants letter dated 22.1.76).
76/00585/CHS -   - Use of part of startup boiler house for storage of laboratory equipment and chemicals and samples and stock.
82/00261/CHS -   - Development of factory and warehouse units with ancillary offices on fully serviced industrial estate. Units 1A & 2A Industrial Units 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E warehouse.
86/00445/CHS -   - Erection of two units of non food retail warehousing.
87/00005/CHS -   - Erection of new warehousing, manufacturing, testing and UK Distribution Centre (as amended by revised plans accompanying agent's letter dated 26.2.87).
89/00412/CHS -   - Demolition and removal of existing derelict buildings on site and construction of new manufacturing and storage facility for food ingredients. New access.
89/00413/CHS -   - Demolition and removal of existing derelict buildings on site and construction of a new manufacturing, storage and administration offices for food ingrediants. New access. (as amended by revised plans received 24.8.89).
90/00030/ACHS -   - Non-illuminated company name and logo.
93/00231/CHS -   - Extension to phase 2 warehouse for which planning permission was granted on 5.9.89 ref: CHS.412/89. (as amplified by plan and elevation, dwg no's A9B & A10A received 10.5.93 & amended layout dwg no. A101A received 2.6.93.)
94/00030/ACHS -   - Company name and logo to north elevation and two signs on top of gas meter housing next to entrance.
95/00145/F -  PER - Extension to existing factory and 4 storage tanks.
99/01238/F -  PER - Provision of car parking spaces with ancillary kerbs, lighting, drainage and landscaping (as amended by additional plans received 26.07.99)
07/01803/F -  PER - Replacement of old flour silo with new silo (as amended by plans received 18/10/07)
08/00162/F -  PER - First floor extension to provide additional office space (as amended by plans received 12.02.08).
09/01775/F -  PER - Car park extension on land to the north-west of British Bakels
10/00304/DISC -  PER - Discharge of Conditions 3 and 4 of 09/01775/F (as amended by plan and specification received 7/12/10).
11/00253/F -  PER - Extension to existing factory to create a goods in warehouse facility
11/00005/SO -  EIANO - Screening opinion ref. 11/00253/F - Extension to existing factory to create a goods in warehouse facility
12/00548/F -  PER - Additional windows and doors
13/01869/F -  PER - Internal alterations to form new test bakery and promotions area with external alterations to ground floor doors and windows.
14/00036/DISC -  PER - Discharge of condition 4 of 11/00253/F.
14/00465/F -  PER - Single storey extension to create entrance lobby along with new Clovis canopy to side door
14/00019/SO -  EIANO - Screening Opinion - Single storey extension to create entrance lobby along with new Clovis canopy to side door

4.	Publicity
The application was publicised by way of neighbour notification letters (x5). One site notice posted. No comments received. Final date for comment (02.09.2015)

5.	Response to Consultation

Cherwell District Council:
         N/A

Oxfordshire County Council:
         N/A

Other External Consultees:	
Bicester Town Council – Welcome this application
Bicester Heritage – No comments 
Natural England – No comments 

6.	Relevant National and Local Planning Policy and Guidance

6.1	Schedule 2, Part 14, Class J of the Town and Country Planning 
   (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. 

Planning Practice Guidance (PPG)

7.	Appraisal
7.1	The key issues for consideration in this application are: 

Part 14, Class J – installation or alteration or replacement of- (c) other solar PV equipment other, than a dwellinghouse or a block of flats. .

The solar PV equipment or solar thermal equipment would be installed on a pitched roof and would protrude no more than 0.2 metres beyond the plane of the roof slope when measured from the perpendicular with the external surface of the roof slope; the proposed development would protrude no more than 0.1m.

The solar PV equipment or solar thermal equipment would be installed on a flat roof, where the highest part of the solar PV equipment would not be higher than 1 metre above the highest part of the roof (excluding any chimney); the proposed development would protrude no more than 0.308m.

The solar PV equipment or solar thermal equipment would be installed within 1 metre of the external edge of that roof; the equipment would be installed at least 1m from the external edge of each roof.

 The proposed development is not located within Article 2/3 land.

The solar PV equipment or solar thermal equipment would not be installed on a site designated as a scheduled monument; or the solar PV equipment or solar thermal equipment would not be installed on a listed building or on a building within the curtilage of a listed building. The proposed development would not be installed on a site designated as a scheduled monument, listed building or on a building within the curtilage of a listed building.

The capacity of the solar PV equipment installed (together with any solar PV equipment installed under Class J(b)) to generate electricity would not exceed 1 megawatt. The proposed development would have a maximum capacity of 494.7kw.

7.2	Conclusion

The proposal, as detailed in the quotation and information submitted with the       application is considered to be permitted development under Part 14, Class J (as outlined above) the proposal conforms to the restrictions set out in Class J The proposal is within the requirements of general permitted developments, as the Class J regulations constitute.  
In addition, there are no permitted development restrictions by condition and no other restrictive designations affecting the property

SIGNED:						DATED: 28 September 2015

AGREED:						DATED: 

Delegated Authority: Y  / N