The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992

PART 16 DEVELOPMENT ANCILLARY TO MINING OPERATIONS

Class

55.—(1) The carrying out of operations for the erection, extension, installation, rearrangement, replacement, repair or other alteration of any—

(a) plant or machinery;

(b) buildings;

(c) private ways or private railways or sidings; or

(d) sewers, mains, pipes, cables or other similar apparatus,

on land used as a mine.

(2) Development is not permitted by this class—

(a) in relation to land at an underground mine—

(i) otherwise than on an approved site; or

(ii) from a date 6 months after the coming into force of this Order, on land falling within subparagraph (b) of the definition of “approved site” unless a plan of that land has before that date been deposited with the planning authority;

(b) if the principal purpose of the development would be any purpose other than—

(i) purposes in connection with the winning and working of minerals at that mine or of minerals brought to the surface at that mine; or

(ii) the treatment, storage or removal from the mine of such minerals or waste materials derived from them;

(c) if the external appearance of the mine would be materially affected;

(d) if any building, plant or machinery which is not in an excavation would exceed the height of—

(i) 15 metres above ground level; or

(ii) the building, plant or machinery, if any, which is being rearranged, repaired or replaced,

whichever is the greater;

(e) if any building, plant or machinery in an excavation would exceed the height of—

(i) 15 metres above the excavated ground level; or

(ii) 15 metres above the lowest point of the unexcavated ground immediately adjacent to the excavation; or

(iii) the building, plant or machinery, if any, which is being rearranged, repaired or replaced,

whichever is the greatest;

(f) if any building erected (other than a replacement building) would have a floor area exceeding 1,000 square metres; or

(g) if the cubic content of any replaced, extended or altered building would exceed by more than 25% the cubic content of the building replaced, extended or altered or the floor area would exceed by more than 1,000 square metres the floor area of that building.

(3) Development is permitted by this class subject to the condition that before the end of the period of 24 months from the date when the mining operations have permanently ceased, or any longer period which the planning authority agree in writing—

(a) all buildings, plant or machinery permitted by this class shall be removed from the land unless the planning authority have otherwise agreed in writing; and

(b) the land shall be restored, so far as is practicable, to its condition before the development took place, or restored to such condition as may have been agreed in writing between the planning authority and the developer.

Class

56.—(1) The carrying out, on land used as a mine or on acillary mining land, with the prior approval of the planning authority, of operations for the erection, installation, extension, rearrangement, replacement, repair or other alteration of any—

(a) plant or machinery;

(b) buildings; or

(c) structures or erections.

(2) Development is not permitted by this class—

(a) in relation to land at an underground mine—

(i) otherwise than on an approved site; or

(ii) from a date 6 months after the coming into force of this Order, on land falling within paragraph (b) of the definition of “approved site”, unless a plan of that land has, before that date, been deposited with the planning authority; or

(b) if the principal purpose of the development would be any purpose other than—

(i) purposes in connection with the operation of the mine;

(ii) the treatment, preparation for sale, consumption or utilization of minerals won or brought to the surface at that mine; or

(iii) the storage or removal from the mine of such minerals, their products or waste materials derived from them.

(3) The prior approval referred to in sub-paragraph (1) shall not be refused or granted subject to conditions unless the authority are satisfied that it is expedient to do so because—

(a) the proposed development would injure the amenity of the neighbourhood and modifications can reasonably be made or conditions reasonably imposed in order to avoid or reduce that injury; or

(b) the proposed development ought to be, and could reasonably be, sited elsewhere.

(4) Development is permitted by this class subject to the condition that before the end of the period of 24 months from the date when the mining operations have permanently ceased, or any longer period which the planning authority agree in writing—

(a) all buildings, plant, machinery, structures or erections permitted by this class shall be removed from the land unless the planning authority have otherwise agreed in writing; and

(b) the land shall be restored, so far as is practicable, to its condition before the development took place or restored to such condition as may have been agreed in writing between the planning authority and the developer.

Class

57.—(1) The carrying out with the prior approval of the planning authority of development required for the maintenance or safety of a mine or a disused mine or for the purposes of ensuring the safety of the surface of the land at or adjacent to a mine or disused mine.

(2) Development is not permitted by this class if it is carried out by the British Coal Corporation, or any lessee or licensee of theirs.

(3) The prior approval of the planning authority to development permitted by this class is not required if—

(a) the external appearance of the mine or disused mine at or adjacent to which the development is to be carried out would not be materially affected;

(b) no building, plant, machinery, structure or erection—

(i) would exceed a height of 15 metres above ground level; or

(ii) where a building, plant or machinery is rearranged, replaced or repaired, would exceed a height of 15 metres above ground level or the height of what was replaced, rearranged or repaired, whichever is the greater; and

(c) the development consists of the extension, alteration or replacement of an existing building, within the limits set out in sub-paragraph (5) below.

(4) The prior approval referred to in sub-paragraph (1) shall not be refused or granted subject to conditions unless the authority are satisfied that it is expedient to do so because—

(a) the proposed development would injure the amenity of the neighbourhood and modifications could reasonably be made or conditions reasonably imposed in order to avoid or reduce that injury; or

(b) the proposed development ought to be, and could reasonably be, sited elsewhere.

(5) The limits referred to in sub-paragraph (3)(c) are—

(a) that the cubic content of the building as extended, altered and replaced does not exceed that of the existing building by more than 25%; and

(b) that the floor area of the building as extended, altered or replaced does not exceed that of the existing building by more than 1,000 square metres.

Interpretation of Part 16

For the purposes of Part 16—

“active access” means a surface access to underground workings which is in normal and regular use for the transportation of minerals, materials, spoil or men;

“ancillary mining land” means land adjacent to and occupied together with a mine at which the winning and working of minerals is carried out in pursuance of planning permission granted or deemed to be granted under Part III of the Act;

“approved site” is an area of land—

(a)

identified in a grant of planning permission or any instrument by virtue of which planning permission is deemed to be granted, as land which may be used for development described in this class; or

(b)

in any other case, it is land immediately adjoining an active access to an underground mine which, on the date of coming into force of this Order, was in use for the purposes of that mine, in connection with the purposes described in sub-paragraph (2)(b)(i) or (ii) of Class 55 or sub-paragraph (2)(b)(i) to (iii) of Class 56;

“normal and regular use” means, for the purpose of the definition of “active access” use other than use in the course of intermittent visits carried out for the purpose of inspection and maintenance of the fabric of the mine or of any plant or machinery;

“prior approval of the planning authority” means prior written approval of that authority of detailed proposals for the siting, design and external appearance of the proposed building, plant or machinery as erected, installed, extended or altered;

“underground mine” is a mine at which minerals are worked principally by underground methods.