Council rules out enforcement against slurry lagoon not built according to approved plans

Stafford Borough Council granted planning permission five years ago for the slurry lagoon on land off Newport Road, Swan Pit, near Gnosall.

But the authority later received a complaint that the facility had been “incorrectly built”, a report to the latest planning committee meeting said. The report added: “The site was visited on 26 October 2021 with the site owner present.

“Approved plans show the slurry lagoon should be 62m in length and 24m wide. When measured on site the slurry lagoon measured 39.7m long by 39m wide; in effect the lagoon constructed is approximately square rather than rectangular.

“The slurry lagoon has not been built in accordance with the planning permission. However, it is not readily viewable from any public vantage point, it is far away from the nearest residential property and is not in use.

“As such the unused slurry lagoon is not detrimental to visual or residential amenity and it is difficult to see what harm it causes. It is therefore clearly not expedient to take enforcement action.”

Planning committee members voted to not take enforcement action at their meeting on September 28.