SELBORNE Parish Council is extremely concerned about a proposal to build a reservoir at Chapel Farm, Oakhanger, and has written to East Hampshire District Council requesting that it is dealt with as a properly submitted planning application.

Members of the parish council held an extraordinary meeting last Wednesday to discuss the Prior Notification Order received from Chapel Farm.

The parish council has objected to the proposed installation of the reservoir on a number of grounds which include: l that within the last year a similar reservoir was filled in by the applicant, so showing a lack of need;

l the proposed reservoir is for dirty water from the cattle yards, yet is sited three fields from the yards. Similar straw-yarded beef enterprises don't normally require this, and a nearby dairy unit with 100 cows uses a slurry/ dirty water pit of a fraction of the size; l it is close to the Oakhanger Stream and there would be a potential pollution risk; l the applicant, Chapel Farm, is not the name on the plan submitted, which is T J Transport, and so the parish council is unsure who the excavations are for.

Under the General Permitted Development Order 1995, farmers can carry out excavation or engineering operations which are reasonably necessary for the purposes of agriculture, with just a prior notification order, rather than full planning permission. Unless the parish council is able to make sustainable objections about the necessity for the reservoir itself, it can only raise objections about the siting of the reservoir.

At the extraordinary meeting, Jo Thoms stated that Chapel Farm has already contravened the prior notification order because work commenced on the site for this reservoir at least two months ago, and topsoil had been removed in preparing the site. The parish council was convinced that, if this was the case, the application should go through the full planning procedures.

The parish council also felt the Environment Agency should be notified about this proposal as it appears to be based on the premise that the pit will contain a mixture of clean and waste water, despite this being in contravention of an environmental requirement that the two be kept separate.

The siting of the reservoir was another moot point as it falls within the boundary of the proposed South Downs National Park.

At the meeting, a local farmer, Mr Boyson said that he felt that the proposed reservoir was very large and possibly very dangerous. He pointed out the potential problems with regard to leaks and land drains, which could inadvertently pollute Oakhanger Stream. Farmer and councillor David Ashcroft agreed: "Most farms are moving away from reservoirs on the grounds of safety, for example, if animals fall in, or because of the nuisance value of the flies, and what happens if the reservoir overflows and pollutes surrounding areas. It is a complete non-starter."

It was resolved that Selborne Parish Council would send a letter to the planning officer in charge of the case, Keith Oliver, at East Hampshire District Council to voice their concerns and also state that it is convinced that a full planning application should be submitted for consideration.

A letter will also be sent to the Environment Agency about the potential pollution risks caused by the pit's proposed proximity to Oakhanger Stream.

A spokesman for the applicant dismissed the concerns of the parish council. He said: "I can assure you that the applicant is the Farm Partnership at Chapel Farm and the reservoir will be for collecting and conserving water for the use of the farm. It has nothing to do whatsoever with the operations of the landfill site.

"Work has absolutely not begun; the site is being very tightly governed, as it should be, by East Hamsphire District Council, the relevant authority.

"You don't have to have the brain of Confucius to realise that there is a huge water shortage in the south east and that irrigation of the land is regarded as a waste of water, so in a way, this is a precaution before any new legislation is introduced.

"As for the size, it is half the size of the neighbouring property's reservoir." In response to queries about the potential pollution risks, he said: "There is a requirement for drainage off the farm track so that it doesn't go directly into Oakhanger Stream, although for centuries it has.

"Regulations have now been tightened and the so-called dirty water, which is rain water running from off the farm, will be collected before it goes into the stream."

He concluded: "It is a perfectly good application for a reservoir which will be used for agricultural purposes and has been cleared by both the Environment Agency and DEFRA."