WEST Somerset Council's move into its new £2.9 million offices has been delayed indefinitely after a hitch over the project's wood pellet boiler. The boiler and four-metre high galvanised pellet silo were built without planning permission and the authority's planning committee last week refused to give it the seal of approval after neighbours branded it an "eyesore". Without it, the council's new offices will be uninhabitable as it is the sole source of heating and bosses have still not ruled out the possibility of having to replace the entire system with a conventional gas boiler. It is the fifth time the council has been forced to postpone its move to the new purpose-built offices in Killick Way, Williton, having initially hoped to be in before the end of April. That slipped to the beginning of June, the end of June, the end of July and now hangs in the balance, depending on the outcome of the next planning committee meeting on July 31. Planning manager Christine Miles admitted the boiler and silo had been built without planning permission but urged councillors to approve the retrospective application when they met last Thursday. She claimed the silo could be "screened" from neighbouring homes, although no details of a planting scheme were forthcoming. Asked if any tests had been carried out into the potential noise pollution from the boiler, Mrs Miles said: "I walked around the site and don't believe it would give rise to nuisance. "If it does there is redress under environment health." She conceded there had been a "faint background hum" from the boiler. Cllr Jon Freeman said he was unhappy no experts checks had been carried out, while councillors were also critical of the fact the equipment had been installed without permission. Cllr Keith Turner said: "I dislike retrospective applications immensely and for the local planning authority to put in a retrospective application is bad. "In my view, if that had come before us initially we would have said 'no'. "I see no reason why we couldn't have a lower silo with a bigger bulk. It is totally unacceptable where it is in that locality." Two letters of objection were lodged against the application, with the owner of the closest property to the silo claiming their home had been devalued by at least £10,000 as a result of the development. They also raised fears about noise pollution and branded the silo an "eyesore". Other objections highlighted potential problems with the boiler flue and noted alterations had been carried out to the site layout since the original planning permission had been given. Mrs Miles said concerns about noise problems could be overcome by attaching a "noise condition" to the application and said the visual impact could also be lessened. "I can't see any problems with the building. There will be planting. It's not a thing of beauty but it can be screened quite well," she said. But Cllr Turner was adamant the committee should not support the application: "If that was put anywhere else it would not be allowed. "The top six feet should come down and there should be a bigger circumference around the base." The committee voted to defer making a final decision to allow investigations to be carried out into the noise impact of the boiler and the feasibility of replacing or screening the towering galvanised silo.
