Environmental Statement

Transcription

1 Non-technical summary (NTS) Introduction Site description and development proposals Environmental issues and methodology Air quality Community and social effects Cultural heritage: designated heritage assets Cultural heritage: undesignated heritage assets Hydrology and water quality Land use Landscape and visual effects Natural heritage Noise and vibration Traffic and transport Summary tables Glossary (NTS) G Environmental Statement March 2015

2 Non-technical summary Introduction NTS.1 NTS.2 NTS.3 NTS.4 In March 2005, Salisbury District Council granted outline planning permission for the construction of 550 houses, a local centre, a primary school, a cemetery, the southern section of the Amesbury link road, and associated open space, planting and drainage works on land to the south of Boscombe Road in Amesbury. Construction works on the development, known as Archers Gate, are complete. Wiltshire Council granted outline planning permission for the construction of 182 dwellings in 2010, which effectively comprised the first phase of the adjacent King s Gate development. On 20 May 2013, Wiltshire Council granted outline planning permission for the next phase of King s Gate, which will consist of 460 dwellings and associated public open space, including the first phase of a country park. Construction of these units has recently begun. submitted an outline planning application in November 2013 for a further phase of development at King s Gate (phase 4), which will consist of 143 dwellings, a temporary sewage pumping station, a temporary infiltration basin and landscape planting. This application has not yet been determined. is now applying for the last phase of development at King s Gate (phase 5), which will consist of the removal of up to 26 protected trees and construction of 515 dwellings and associated community infrastructure, including access roads, the second phase of a country park, land for a primary school with playing fields, children s play areas, natural play areas, landscape planting and an infiltration basin. Figure NTS1 shows the location of the site in relation to the wider area and the application boundary. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) was required, in accordance with schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011, because the location and nature of the proposal mean that there is the potential for significant environmental effects. An environmental statement (ES) has been prepared to report the findings and its key elements are summarised in this non-technical summary. The proposed development site NTS.5 NTS.6 The 25.2 hectare (1) application site is 8 km north of Salisbury, on the southern edge of Amesbury, approximately 1 km from Amesbury town centre and 1.5 km south of the A303 (figure NTS1). Most of the application site is former agricultural land. There is a belt of woodland in the south of the site that is subject to a tree preservation order. There are no public rights of way on site, although Amesbury byway 20 runs to the east of the site. The Archers Gate residential development, which was the precursor to the consented King s Gate development, lies beyond King s Gate to the east of the application site. Other land uses in this area include the Amesbury Archer 1 One hectare is 10,000 square metres approximately the size of Trafalgar Square in London. NTS-1

3 Primary School and sports pitches. The Amesbury link road lies to the south of the application site, beyond which are Stockport Road, a cluster of industrial units and arable agricultural land. The A345 bounds most of the west of the site, beyond which lies more agricultural land (much of which forms part of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site) and the River Avon. The proposed development NTS.7 Figure NTS2 illustrates the proposed distribution of land uses across the application site. The proposed residential development will consist of 515 dwellings, 30% of which will be affordable housing. The proposed housing mix is shown in table NTS1. Dwelling size Number of units Market housing 1-bedroom 14 2-bedroom 43 3-bedroom bedroom 134 Total 361 Affordable housing 1-bedroom 58 2-bedroom 50 3-bedroom bedroom 7 Total 154 Table NTS.1: Proposed housing mix NTS.8 NTS.9 NTS.10 NTS.11 NTS.12 The master plan makes provision for a 1.92 hectare site for a sevenclassroom primary school with capacity for 210 children in the north of the site. Provision has been made on the master plan for 0.17 hectares of children s play areas, which will comprise a neighbourhood equipped area of play, a local equipped area of play and three local areas of play. In addition, 0.63 hectares of land for wild / natural play will be provided in the south west of the site. Phase 2 of the proposed country park, which will extend to 4.51 hectares, will be provided in the north of the site. The building heights strategy is shown in figure NTS3. The majority of the buildings will be up to two and a half storeys high, with a maximum ridge height of 10.4 m. Buildings up to three storeys high, with a maximum ridge height of 13.0 m, are proposed at strategic points in the south east of the site. The primary school will be up to one storey high, with a maximum ridge height of 9 m. The density plan is shown in figure NTS4. The application site will be developed at an average density of 39.8 dwellings per hectare, with areas of higher densities within the site grading to lower densities towards the site boundaries. The access and movement plan is shown in figure NTS5. The access and movement strategy has the following key components: NTS-2

4 New site accesses in the north east from Archers Way and in the south east from the existing roundabout 3 on the link road An internal road network A bus route that makes a circuit through the site, phase 4, the consented King s Gate development and Archers Gate A new network of pedestrian / cycle routes linking into Archers Gate, the consented King s Gate development and byway 20 and running through the proposed public open space in the west of the site NTS.13 NTS.14 The landscape strategy is shown in figure NTS6. It includes phase 2 of the proposed country park in the north of the site, landscape planting and areas for wild / natural play along the western and south western boundaries. New tree planting will be provided along proposed roads and around play areas. Surface water run-off from the residential areas will drain to soakaways, where it will infiltrate into the ground. The main roads through the development will drain through a system of deep sealed trapped gullies to the main drainage system within the road network. This will discharge to an infiltration basin that will be created in the south of the application site (figure NTS2). It will be sized to accommodate run-off from the whole development for a 1-in-100 year storm event, plus 30% allowance for climate change. It will also cater for run-off from the neighbouring phase 4 development to enable the temporary infiltration basin constructed for that phase to be backfilled and the land developed once the run-off from phase 4 has been re-routed to the phase 5 drainage system. Alternatives NTS.15 has not considered alternative sites because the site is within the company s control and is identified for residential development under core policy 4 of the adopted Wiltshire Core Strategy (2015). No significant alterations to the master plan were needed to address any identified environmental issues, so no alternative layouts have been considered. Assessment methodology NTS.16 NTS.17 The first stage of the EIA was the production of a scoping report in 2010 that identified the potential environmental effects to be addressed during the process. This was issued to a range of consultees for comment and a number of additional issues were identified. The various specialist assessments, discussed in more detail below, followed generally similar methodologies. Desk and / or field studies were carried out to establish the existing situation at the site (the baseline). The effects of the proposed development were examined using a method that compares the sensitivity and importance of receptors (2) with the likely size of the change from the baseline situation to establish the degree of the effects. If the degree 2 A receptor is a part of the natural or man-made environment, such as a river, a woodland, a person or a building, that is affected by an impact. NTS-3

5 of effect is moderate or above then the effect is considered to be significant. Slight or negligible effects are not considered to be significant. NTS.18 NTS.19 The degree of an effect determines the resources that should be put in place to avoid or reduce (mitigate) an adverse effect and identifies the actual value of a positive effect. As the phase 4 application has not yet been determined, the ES considers the potential for cumulative effects to arise between the current application (phase 5) and phase 4. Environmental effects Air quality NTS.20 NTS.21 NTS.22 NTS.23 The traffic-related pollutants nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter were the main focus of the air quality assessment, although construction dust was also addressed. Current air quality around the site was established from measurements made by Wiltshire Council and modelled data provided by Defra. These showed that the national air quality objectives for traffic pollutants are being achieved in Amesbury. During the construction process, there is the potential for increased dust generation from activities such as site preparation, earthworks and transport and storage of materials. A range of best practice mitigation measures set out in the code of construction practice submitted in support of the application are proposed to ensure that there will be no significant effects on local sensitive receptors from increased dust generation. These measures will include sheeting of lorries, wheel-washing, wetting of soil surfaces during earth moving activities and covering or fencing of stockpiles. The modelling carried out to predict emissions related to post-construction traffic activities showed that the national air quality limit values for the traffic pollutants will not be exceeded and there will be no significant increase in the concentrations of these pollutants as a result of the proposed development. As discussed above for phase 5, a code of construction practice will be put in place during the construction of the submitted phase 4 development. This will ensure that there will be no significant cumulative effects during construction as a result of the generation of dust. Further modelling was carried out to examine the potential for cumulative post-construction effects with phase 4. This also found that there will be no significant increase in the concentrations of traffic pollutants, and no significant cumulative effects were predicted. Community and social effects NTS.24 The provision of new dwellings has the potential to have effects on the existing local community, economy and services in the surrounding area. In order to assess these effects, current conditions in Amesbury East ward, in which the site is situated, the wider Amesbury Community Area and South Wiltshire as a whole have been analysed. NTS-4

6 NTS.25 NTS.26 NTS.27 NTS.28 NTS.29 NTS.30 NTS.31 Amesbury East s demography differs from the Wiltshire and national averages, with higher proportions of children under 16 years of age and households with dependent children and a lower proportion of retirement age residents. There is an existing shortage of affordable housing in South Wiltshire, but the overall available supply of deliverable housing sites in the area meets target levels. Unemployment in Amesbury East ward is below the national average. There are three primary schools and one secondary school in Amesbury. The site is in the catchment area of Amesbury Archer Primary School, which opened on the Archers Gate development in A seven classroom extension to the school that has doubled its capacity was completed in The secondary school (Stonehenge School) currently has spare capacity. Both the GP surgeries in the town are open to new patients and one of the two NHS dental surgeries is currently registering new NHS patients. There is a range of community facilities available in Amesbury, including a leisure centre, sports pitches, community halls and public open space. Amesbury functions as a main service centre for the surrounding parishes and has a wide range of shops and businesses, most of which are concentrated in the town centre. Crime rates in Amesbury are generally similar to or below those in Wiltshire and the nearest police station is in Salisbury. Amesbury has a retained-duty fire station and an ambulance station. Quality of life in the town is generally very good, as the area falls in the least deprived or second least deprived quarters for most of the categories covered by the government s 2010 indices of multiple deprivation, which rank deprivation levels across England. It is anticipated that approximately 198 people will be employed on site during the construction phase. This will be a slight beneficial effect that will not be significant. There will not be any significant changes to employment rates post-construction as a result of the proposed development. There will be a long term increase in population when the site is occupied, which will lead to a slight effect on the demography of the area that will not be significant. The increase in population will lead to a slight increase in demand for local businesses in the town. The proposal will lead to an increase in housing provision in the area, which will be a slight, beneficial effect that will not be significant. There will also be an increase in the provision of affordable housing, which will be a moderate, significant, beneficial effect. The master plan makes provision for a 210-place primary school, which will accommodate the demand associated with the proposed development and provide additional places for children from other parts of the King s Gate development and Amesbury as a whole. This increase in provision will be a very substantial, significant beneficial effect. Wiltshire Council will use Community Infrastructure Levy contributions made by to deliver strategic infrastructure in Amesbury, including the delivery of NTS-5

7 additional education places and facilities. This will ensure that there will be no significant effects on secondary school capacity in the area. NTS.32 NTS.33 NTS.34 NTS.35 NTS.36 The increase in population will increase demand for other local services, including healthcare and community facilities. The increases in demand for GP surgeries and NHS dental provision are predicted to be slight and not significant. The proposed development includes children s play areas and informal public open space. In addition, financial contributions may be made towards community facilities such as allotments, expansion of the proposed skatepark, a trim trail and a possible extension to the existing changing facility / pavilion. No significant adverse effects are predicted on community facilities as a result of the proposed development. The proposed development is not considered likely to have any significant adverse effects on crime levels in the local area, as it will be designed to promote the safety of future residents. There will be a slight increase in demand for emergency services, which will not be significant. The nature of the proposed development means that it is unlikely to lead to significant effects on the majority of the topics covered by the indices of multiple deprivation, as it will not significantly increase incomes or employment, affect health or crime levels or alter the living environment. It may lead to a small improvement in the area s performance in relation to barriers to housing and services through the provision of affordable housing. In addition, the provision of a new primary school may improve the area s performance in relation to education, skills and training. Overall, however, no significant effects are predicted on quality of life in the town. Combined with the phase 5 development, the phase 4 scheme will lead to a slight cumulative increase in the population of Amesbury East ward and a slight, beneficial, cumulative increase in the provision of housing in the ward, which will not be significant. There will also be a moderate, significant, beneficial cumulative increase in the provision of affordable housing. The increase in population will lead to a slight, beneficial cumulative increase in demand for businesses in Amesbury, which will not be significant. The phase 4 development will not lead to any changes in employment postconstruction, although there is likely to be a slight cumulative increase in employment during construction of the two projects, which will not be significant. The provision for a new 210-place primary school within the phase 5 master plan means that there will be no significant cumulative effects on demand for primary school places in Amesbury. As for phase 5, Community Infrastructure Levy contributions associated with phase 4 will ensure that there will be no significant cumulative effects on secondary education. There will be slight adverse cumulative increases in demand for GP and NHS dental services in the town, which will not be significant. The residents of phase 4 will have access to the public open space that will be provided as part of phase 5, so there will only be a slight cumulative increase in demand for community facilities, which will not be significant. No significant cumulative effects are predicted on crime rates, demand for the emergency services or quality of life in the town. NTS-6

8 Cultural heritage: designated heritage assets NTS.37 NTS.38 NTS.39 NTS.40 NTS.41 The site is 1 km south east of the boundary of the internationally important Stonehenge World Heritage Site, with its outstanding complex of ceremonial burial monuments that, together with their settings and associated sites, form a landscape without parallel. The key monuments that make a significant contribution to the outstanding universal value of the World Heritage Site are sited along important ridge-top approaches to Stonehenge stone circle and include several barrows, Woodhenge, the henge enclosure of Durrington Walls and the Stonehenge Avenue and Cursus earthworks. Elsewhere in the 5 km study area, there are relatively few prehistoric burial monuments, in contrast to the landscape clusters present within the World Heritage Site. There are six scheduled monuments within 1 km of the application site, the closest of which is a group of four medieval strip lynchets (3) to the north of the site on the north west-facing slope of Southmill Hill that survive as wide terraces cut into the slope. There are three Bronze Age burial monuments to the east and south east of the site, two of which are within Boscombe Down Airfield, and two alignments of Bronze Age linear earthworks to the south and south west of the site. The nearest designated archaeology asset, the strip lynchets, is next to the site boundary. No elements of the site preparation work or construction activities will take place near this designated site. Therefore, no significant effects are predicted on this, the closest designated asset, or any other sites within the 5 km study area during construction. The strip lynchets extend away from the application site to the valley floor, and the northern part of the site is proposed for the country park, so the proposed built development will not be visible from this scheduled monument. The undulating topography, extent of existing built development at Amesbury, Boscombe Down Airfield and the A303 all block views of the proposed development from other scheduled monuments. As a result, no significant effects are predicted on scheduled monuments. When viewed from the World Heritage Site, the proposed development will be seen as in scale and proportion to the surrounding urban form and built edge of Amesbury. The viewing distance will reduce the degree of visual effects such that, although partially visible, the proposed development will not significantly affect views to and from, or change the ability to appreciate, the World Heritage Site. There will be no direct intervisibility between the proposed development and Stonehenge itself because of the screening provided by the intervening plateau and woodland. The inter-relationships between key sites in the World Heritage Site, such as the Avenue and Stonehenge stone circle, or various barrows, will remain unchanged and unaffected. No element of the proposed development will compete with or detract from the key associated sites that together form the outstanding universal value of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. As a result, no significant effects are predicted on the World Heritage Site. 3 A strip lynchet is a long, narrow terrace that is a feature of an ancient field system. NTS-7

9 NTS.42 NTS.43 NTS.44 NTS.45 NTS.46 NTS.47 Listed buildings in the study area are concentrated in the historic centres of the villages along the two valleys of the River Avon and River Bourne, the small town centre of Amesbury and the remaining historic areas of Bulford and Durrington. Higher status buildings are represented by the group at Amesbury Abbey and some of the larger manor houses, particularly along the Avon Valley to the south. The conservation areas at Amesbury, Bulford and Durrington are small areas within expanded settlements now characterised by modern development and, in the case of the latter two, the military. The villages of West Amesbury, Lake, Wilsford, Great Durnford, Netton, Porton and Boscombe are designated with small conservation areas tightly drawn around the village centres. There are two areas of designed landscape within the study area. Amesbury Abbey and the park to the north west of the wider site developed from the early 18 th century onwards and include watermeadows, a series of garden structures and the woodland covering the Iron Age hillfort of Vespasian s Camp. The park is significant in defining the western edge of Amesbury, and is included in the conservation area and partly in the World Heritage Site. The park at Lake, on the slopes above the River Avon, which also falls within the World Heritage Site, is a 20 th century formal garden within an 18 th century park. The site makes little contribution to the setting of individual listed buildings, as it is distant from most and has no historic or functional relationships with them, except as part of the wider context of the former downland of the edge of Amesbury. In addition, the ridge and slope of the lynchets to the north restricts views of the proposed development from Amesbury. Within the wider study area, the proposed development would be seen in the context of the existing built-up area of Amesbury, and the distance from the site means that the change would be negligible. No significant effects are predicted on the setting of most of the listed buildings. The listed buildings and the grade II* registered park at Amesbury Abbey are the only assets with a series of visual and spatial relationships to a wider setting extending to the surrounding land. There are few external views or designed vistas from the park, although the views beyond the park boundaries south across the watermeadows to the ridgeline are an element of its value. No effects are predicted on the main design intentions and qualities of the park. However, there will be a change to the views across the watermeadows, with a potential increase in the impression of the presence of recent development on the margins of the park, although this may reduce as the planting within earlier phases of the development matures. Overall, a slight adverse effect that will not be significant is predicted on the setting of the listed buildings and park as a whole. The only conservation areas that could potentially be affected by the proposed development are at Amesbury and West Amesbury. The conservation area at Amesbury is tightly drawn around the small historic core and the parkland at Amesbury Abbey, although the approaches to the town on the A345 and the role of the strip lynchets in terminating the view along NTS-8

10 Salisbury Road are recognised. There will be few areas of direct intervisibility between the proposed development and the conservation area, although it will reinforce the impression of modern development on the approach to the town and the new focus of built development on the downs, rather than the historic riverside location. From the West Amesbury conservation area, limited views of the proposed development will be seen in the context of the existing built up area of Amesbury. No significant effects are predicted on the conservation areas. NTS.48 The ES submitted in support of the phase 4 application did not predict any significant adverse effects on designated heritage assets, as a result of the location and small size of the phase 4 development. Given that no significant effects are predicted as a result of phase 5 either, it is considered that there will be no significant cumulative effects as a result of the two developments. Cultural heritage: undesignated heritage assets NTS.49 NTS.50 NTS.51 NTS.52 A range of archaeological survey work, including desk-based assessments, geophysical surveys and trial trenching, has been carried out at the site. Earlier investigations for the adjacent Archers Gate development identified a large number of Bronze Age burials. One grave contained the burial of an individual subsequently known as the Amesbury Archer. This was one of the most richly furnished burials of this period in the country, and a find of international significance. Extensive archaeological remains have been identified on Southmill Hill in the north of the site, most of which are expected to be of Iron Age date. There may also be remains in this area dating from the Bronze Age through to the Romano-British period. Southmill Hill is considered to be an area of very high archaeological potential. In addition, there are two zones of high archaeological potential on site: one to the south of Southmill Hill and one in the south of the site. These zones contain remains dating from the late Bronze Age and Iron Age. There is an area of moderate archaeological potential in the south of the site, in which recent trial trench evaluation found prehistoric material. The rest of the site is of low archaeological potential. In the north of the site, within the Southmill Hill area, no construction works are proposed and the remains will be preserved in place. This area has been set aside to provide phase 2 of the country park. There will be no built development, earthworks or tree / shrub / hedgerow planting in this area, so there will be no significant adverse effects on the archaeological resource. A Conservation Management Plan will be prepared for the area, to include regular archaeological monitoring. It is considered that Southmill Hill could benefit from signage and information boards to improve public understanding of the Iron Age settlement site, which would be a beneficial effect. It is proposed that the zones of high archaeological potential will be subject to a programme of strip, map and sample excavation, allowing any remains to be preserved by record. The zone of moderate archaeological potential will be machine stripped under archaeological supervision. Sample excavation will be undertaken as appropriate, allowing any remains to be preserved by record. Stripping of the area of low archaeological potential will be monitored NTS-9

11 by an archaeologist. Where any potential for archaeological discoveries has been exhausted, monitoring will stop after consultation and agreement with the county archaeologist. No significant adverse effects are predicted on archaeological remains on the site. NTS.53 NTS.54 The field system on site is considered to be the result of Parliamentary or later piecemeal enclosure of earlier medieval strip field systems. The proposed development is predicted to have a slight adverse effect on the historic landscape character of the site, which will not be significant. There will be no significant cumulative post-construction archaeological effects beyond those identified above for phase 5. The introduction of the two developments will change the historic landscape character of the two sites. Overall, this is predicted to lead to a slight adverse effect that will not be significant. Hydrology and water quality NTS.55 NTS.56 NTS.57 NTS.58 The water environment assessment focused on the quality and hydrology of groundwater and the River Avon and the potential flood risk at the site. The main issues addressed included potential contamination from surface water run-off from areas of hardstanding, pollution of surface water and groundwater during construction, reduced groundwater recharge, and the need for a drainage system that could accommodate the increase in run-off associated with increasing the impermeable area of the site by the construction of roads and buildings. The potential for effects on the River Avon as a result of increased demand for water supply and sewage treatment are examined in the natural heritage section below. A range of mitigation measures is set out in the code of construction practice to ensure that there will be no significant adverse effects on water quality as a result of the proposed development. These include the storage of fuels and chemicals in a secure, impermeable bunded compound, the use of designated re-fuelling areas on impermeable surfaces, the use of drip trays under diesel plant and supervision of deliveries of fuel and hazardous materials. The drainage strategy has been designed to manage the additional run-off that will result from the proposed development and ensure that flood risk is not increased. Consequently, there will be no significant effects on flood risk from the proposal. The surface water drainage scheme includes the use of measures to minimise pollution levels in run-off and ensure that there will be no significant effects on water quality post-construction. The drainage system has been designed to enable infiltration of run-off from impermeable areas into the ground, and subsequently into groundwater, through soakaways and an infiltration basin. This will ensure that there will be no reduction in groundwater recharge rates. As for phase 5, a code of construction practice will be put in place during the construction of the phase 4 development. This will ensure that there will be no significant cumulative effects on the water environment during construction. As discussed in paragraph NTS.14 above, the proposed NTS-10

12 drainage system for phase 5 will also cater for the run-off from phase 4 once the temporary infiltration basin constructed in phase 4 has been backfilled to allow development of this land. This will ensure that there will be no significant cumulative effects on water quality and hydrology postconstruction. Land use NTS.59 NTS.60 NTS.61 NTS.62 NTS.63 The application site comprises grade 3a (good quality) and grade 3b (moderate quality) agricultural land, as with most of the land in the Amesbury area. It was previously used for arable crop production but has been maintained on an infrequent basis since Bloor Homes took ownership. The main land uses around the site are the residential areas of Amesbury and Archers Gate to the north and east, agricultural land to the south and west and the military land at Boscombe Down to the east. The proposed development will lead to the loss of the agricultural land on the application site. Given the relatively small area of land to be lost in comparison to the availability of grade 3 and above quality agricultural land in the area, this effect is not considered to be significant. The proposed development will introduce new residential, education and public open space land uses to the site. This will be a moderate, significant beneficial effect. There are no public rights of way on site, and no significant effects are predicted on public rights of way. No changes are proposed to land uses outside the site boundary, so there will be no direct effects on surrounding land uses. A programme of mitigation measures will be put in place through the code of construction practice to ensure that sensitive land uses in the vicinity of the site, such as residential properties, are not indirectly affected by increased noise, traffic and dust. No significant changes in traffic or noise levels are predicted post-construction that could affect sensitive land uses in the area, so there will be no significant effects on land uses outside the site. The phase 4 development will also result in the loss of additional grade 3a and 3b agricultural land. However, the loss of this land will still be negligible in the context of the availability of grade 3 and above agricultural land in the area. The introduction of additional residential use to the area is considered to be an overall moderate, beneficial, significant cumulative effect. No significant cumulative changes to traffic or noise levels are predicted as a result of the two developments that could affect sensitive land uses in the area. Therefore, there will be no significant cumulative effects on land uses outside the sites. Landscape and visual effects NTS.64 Desk and field studies were undertaken to evaluate the landscape in and around the site, and to identify potential views and visual receptors. Several were selected to provide representative viewpoints from various locations, which were agreed with Wiltshire Council. NTS-11

13 NTS.65 NTS.66 NTS.67 The site and surrounding area fall within three chalk downland landscape character areas. The site lies within the Boscombe Down Chalk Downland character area, which is characterised by a gently rolling and fairly elevated patchwork of arable farmland and grassland. Human elements are introduced into the landscape by the settlements of Salisbury and Amesbury and the military area of Bulford Camp. There is a strong sense of tranquillity through much of the character area, but this is disturbed in places by the noise and visual intrusion associated with the A303 road corridor, the settlement edges of Salisbury and Amesbury and military activities. The proposed development will lead to a moderate significant adverse effect on the landscape character of the application site as a result of the replacement of the existing fields with built development. Over time, however, this effect will reduce to slight and not significant as the proposed landscape planting matures. There will be a slight, adverse effect on the Boscombe Down Chalk Downland character area as a result of the small increase in the extent of Amesbury s urban fringe, which will not be significant. The potential for significant effects on the adjacent Upper Avon Narrow Chalk River Valley character area, which covers part of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site, was also examined. However, views of the site from this character area are very limited and the site is seen in the context of Amesbury. Therefore, no significant effects were predicted on this character area. The distance of the site from the Larkhill Chalk Downland character area, which also covers part of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site, means that there will be no significant change to the character of this landscape area. The introduction of built development will change views of the application site from the surrounding area, with the greatest effect on receptors closest to the site. Moderate, significant adverse effects are predicted on views from the following points: Viewpoint 1: public right of way to the east of the site the development will be visible in the middle distance on the skyline and screening the existing tree belt Viewpoint 2: the access track to the radio mast, adjacent to the A345, to the south of Amesbury the development will extend down the site s south-facing slope and bring the urban edge forward in the view NTS.68 Slight adverse effects that will not be significant are predicted on views from the following points: Viewpoint 4: from roundabout 2 on the southern section of the Amesbury link road the development will be visible in the middle distance on the skyline, but largely screened by consented development at King s Gate and the existing tree belt Viewpoint 5: adjacent to the bridge over the River Avon to the south of Amesbury Park most of the site is screened by the intervening landform and vegetation Viewpoint 7: the public right of way on the access track to the radio mast at Beacon Hill as a result of the viewing distance and intervening landform and vegetation, the development will be barely perceptible in NTS-12

14 the context of Amesbury, but the high sensitivity of the receptor means the effect will be slight rather than negligible Viewpoint 9: the public right of way to the west of Stonehenge as a result of the viewing distance and intervening landform and vegetation, the development will be barely perceptible in the context of Amesbury, but the high sensitivity of the receptor means the effect will be slight rather than negligible Viewpoint 10: the public right of way to the south west of Stonehenge the development will again be barely perceptible in the context of Amesbury, but the high sensitivity of the receptor means the effect will be slight Viewpoint 11: Salisbury Road, Amesbury the rooflines of the proposed development will be partially visible from within Amesbury NTS.69 NTS.70 NTS.71 There will be negligible, insignificant changes to views from the road to Great Durnford (viewpoint 3), the public right of way to the west of Wilsford (viewpoint 6) and Fargo Road to the west of Woodhenge (viewpoint 8). The introduction of the submitted phase 4 development has the potential to lead to cumulative landscape and visual effects by increasing the area of built development. Phase 4 will lead to further effects on the Boscombe Down Chalk Downland landscape character area through the extension of the urban fringe. However, this will be seen in the context of existing development, so overall a slight, adverse cumulative effect is predicted that will not be significant. The additional effects on the other two character areas will be negligible. Moderate, significant adverse cumulative effects are predicted on views from the following viewpoints as a result of the addition of the phase 4 development: Viewpoint 1: public right of way to the east of the site the combined effects of phases 4 and 5 will result in a largely urban view, with minimal open countryside visible in this direction Viewpoint 2: the access track to the radio mast, adjacent to the A345, to the south of Amesbury the prominence and scale of the urban fringe will be increased and there will be a minor reduction in open land and change to the composition of the view Viewpoint 4: roundabout 2 on the southern section of the Amesbury link road the phase 5 development will be screened by the development edge associated with phase 4, which will further strengthen the sense of enclosure in the foreground and largely screen views of the open countryside to the south west NTS.72 Slight adverse cumulative effects that will not be significant are predicted from the following receptors: Viewpoint 5: adjacent to the bridge over the River Avon to the south of Amesbury Park the phase 4 proposal will not be perceptible from this location, so the cumulative visual effects of phases 4 and 5 will be the same as discussed above NTS-13

15 Viewpoint 7: the public right of way on the access track to the radio mast at Beacon Hill as a result of the viewing distance and intervening landform and vegetation, the developments will be barely perceptible in the context of Amesbury, but the high sensitivity of the receptor means the cumulative effect will be slight rather than negligible Viewpoint 9: the public right of way to the west of Stonehenge as for phase 5 above, the developments will be barely perceptible in the context of Amesbury, but the high sensitivity of the receptor means the cumulative effect will be slight rather than negligible Viewpoint 10: the public right of way to the south west of Stonehenge as for phase 5 above, the developments will be barely perceptible in the context of Amesbury, but the high sensitivity of the receptor means the cumulative effect will be slight rather than negligible Viewpoint 11: Salisbury Road in Amesbury the phase 4 proposal will not be perceptible from this location, so the cumulative visual effects of both phases 4 and 5 will be as discussed above for phase 5 NTS.73 There will be negligible, insignificant cumulative changes to views from the road to Great Durnford (viewpoint 3), the public right of way to the west of Wilsford (viewpoint 6) and Fargo Road to the west of Woodhenge (viewpoint 8). Natural heritage NTS.74 NTS.75 NTS.76 NTS.77 The application site largely comprises former arable land, mainly semiimproved grassland, which is of low ecological value. The proposed development will lead to the loss of this habitat, which will be a moderate, significant adverse effect. Approximately 4.51 hectares of chalk grassland will be created in the country park as part of the proposal, which will be managed to try to improve biodiversity. The creation of this habitat will be a moderate, significant beneficial effect. The code of construction practice submitted in support of the application includes a range of mitigation measures to minimise dust generation during construction. These measures will prevent significant adverse effects on retained habitats on and around the site, including the woodland block in the south, from dust deposition. There is the potential for increased recreational use of the new and retained grassland habitats by new residents to lead to damage. This is predicted to be a slight adverse effect that will not be significant. The site currently supports breeding populations of several species of birds, including skylark, corn bunting, linnet, yellowhammer and song thrush. The loss of the site s habitats will impact on these species. Substantial, significant adverse effects are predicted on skylark and corn bunting at the local level as a result of the loss of breeding territories. Moderate, significant adverse effects are predicted on breeding and foraging linnet, song thrush and yellowhammer as a result of habitat loss. Vegetation clearance will be carried out outside the bird breeding season, and any work affecting vegetation not cleared during the period September to February will be checked by a suitably qualified ecologist before work NTS-14

16 begins. In the longer term, new areas of scrub on the site will be managed to retain a good structure for breeding birds. Some buildings will have provision for nest sites for more urban species, such as swallow, house martin and house sparrow. These measures will offset the potential effects of any increased predation of most bird species by cats associated with the new dwellings. However, increased cat predation of ground-nesting birds, such as corn bunting and skylark, is predicted to be a moderate, significant adverse effect. NTS.78 NTS.79 NTS.80 NTS.81 NTS.82 The site is used by small numbers of several species of bats, including common and soprano pipistrelles, serotines, noctules and long-eared bats. Most of the bat activity was recorded in the south east of the site. There is the potential for increased lighting associated with the proposed development to affect use of the site by bats. However, the lighting will be designed to minimise light spill into the surrounding countryside and there will be no direct illumination of retained woodland blocks and mature trees outside the application boundary. With careful design of lighting and use of bulbs with a small ultra-violet element, the impacts on foraging bats will be minimised. Overall, a slight, adverse effect is predicted as a result of the development that will not be significant. The site supports small populations of common lizards and slow worms. These will be moved to an area of grassland to the south of the site before construction to prevent them from being harmed by construction works. The reptiles could also be affected by the loss of the former arable habitat from the site. However, habitat management will be carried out to ensure that there will be no significant adverse effects on the reptile populations. This will include providing a range of habitats for shelter and basking and the provision of log piles for hibernation. The River Avon Special Area of Conservation and River Avon System Site of Special Scientific Interest lies approximately 93 m to the west of the site. The code of construction practice submitted in support of the application includes a range of measures to prevent pollution of the river during construction, which will ensure that there will be no significant effects on the designated area. The Habitats Regulations Assessment of Wiltshire Council s adopted Core Strategy confirms that sufficient water resource is available to support the housing and employment development identified in the Core Strategy without adverse effects on the River Avon. The proposed development will accord with the assumptions made in the Core Strategy regarding water consumption, so no significant effects are predicted on the designated area. The Core Strategy requires that measures be put in place to ensure that proposed developments will not adversely affect water quality through the unmitigated addition of phosphates to local watercourses. It is anticipated that, if mitigation is needed to safeguard the interest features of the River Avon as a result of the proposed development, this will be achieved through a contribution to measures outlined in the Nutrient Management Plan. The nearest accessible part of the Salisbury Plain Special Protection Area lies approximately 5.7 km by car from the site. There is the potential for NTS-15

17 increased recreational use of Salisbury Plain Special Protection Area to affect breeding stone curlews. Residents of the proposed development will have access to the area of grassland provided to the south of the site as part of the earlier consented phase 3 King s Gate development, which can be used for dog walking. This area also links into the existing public footpath network on the western side of the A345. In addition, the proposed development will provide further public open space in the country park. Nevertheless, the developer will make the required contributions to allow for the implementation of off-site measures on the special protection area to ensure that there will be no significant adverse effects. NTS.83 NTS.84 NTS.85 NTS.86 The phase 4 development will lead to the loss of a further area of former arable land, which will be a moderate, significant adverse cumulative effect. A code of construction practice, similar to that prepared for phase 5, sets out measures to ensure that there will be no significant adverse effects on retained habitats on site during construction. The loss of arable land associated with the phase 4 development will lead to the loss of habitat used by an additional pair of breeding skylark. This will be a substantial, significant adverse cumulative effect at the local level. No other birds were recorded breeding on the phase 4 site, so the cumulative effects on other bird species will be the same as those identified above for phase 5. A slight adverse cumulative effect that will not be significant is predicted as a result of increased recreational use of the retained and new grassland areas. The cumulative increase in disturbance to bird species using the grassland is predicted to be a moderate, significant adverse effect. A slight adverse cumulative effect that will not be significant is predicted as a result of increased cat predation. As for phase 5, the potential effects of phase 4 on reptiles during construction will be mitigated through translocation. Habitat management will also be carried out to ensure there will be no significant long term adverse effects on reptiles. The lighting associated with the phase 4 development will be designed to minimise impacts on foraging bats in a similar way as that for phase 5. With the appropriate lighting in place, it is predicted that there will be a slight, adverse cumulative effect on bats using the sites, which will not be significant. The same assumptions regarding a code of construction practice and water supply apply to the phase 4 scheme as are set out above for phase 5. Therefore, no significant cumulative effects are predicted on the River Avon Special Area of Conservation / Site of Special Scientific Interest. Residents of phase 4 will have access to the country park to be provided in phase 5 for activities such as dog walking. However, as for phase 5, the developer will make the required contributions to allow for the implementation of off-site measures on the Salisbury Plain Special Protection Area to ensure that there will be no significant cumulative adverse effects. NTS-16

18 Noise and vibration NTS.87 NTS.88 NTS.89 NTS.90 Noise monitoring was carried out to establish the existing noise environment on and around the site. The most significant noise sources around the site are local roads and Boscombe Down Airfield. During the construction process, there is the potential for increased noise from site preparation, earthworks and building activities. A range of best practice mitigation measures are proposed in the code of construction practice to ensure that there will be no significant effects on local sensitive receptors from increased noise during construction. These include locating noisy plant as far away from houses as possible, screening plant, the use of quiet working methods and fitting silencers and acoustic covers to machinery. The nature of the machinery used for the construction of houses of the scale and type proposed at the site means that significant generation of vibration is unlikely. The modelling carried out to predict noise generation by post-construction traffic showed that there will be no significant increases in noise levels at sensitive receptors. As for phase 5, a code of construction practice will be put in place during the construction of the phase 4 development. This will ensure that there will be no significant cumulative noise and vibration effects during construction. Further modelling was carried out to examine the potential for cumulative post-construction effects with phase 4. This also found that there will be no significant increase in noise levels at sensitive receptors as a result of postconstruction traffic, and no significant cumulative effects were predicted. Traffic and transport NTS.91 NTS.92 The traffic and transport assessment deals with the effect of the increased traffic associated with the proposed development on traffic flows and sensitive receptors around the site. The proposed development will lead to an increase in the number of car journeys associated with the application site. The transport assessment has shown that this increase will be sufficiently small that there will not be significant effects on the capacity of the existing highway network and junctions. NTS.93 It is estimated that there will be approximately six HGV movements and 198 staff vehicle movements per day during the construction phase. All construction traffic will be routed to avoid Amesbury town centre, in order to minimise any impacts on the amenity of local residents. Construction vehicles arriving from the south on the A345 will enter the site from roundabout 3 on the Amesbury link road, while vehicles coming from the east, west and north will leave the A303 at Folly Bottom and enter the site through Porton Road, Pendragon Drive, Underwood Drive and roundabout 3 of the Amesbury link road. No significant effects are predicted on traffic flows on local roads as a result of the construction traffic. NTS-17

19 NTS.94 NTS.95 NTS.96 The assessment focuses on the community as a sensitive receptor and addresses the traffic and transport effects in terms of the severance (for example, being unable to cross the road), driver delay and effects on pedestrian amenity that may result from an increase in traffic volumes in close proximity to sensitive receptors, such as residences, post-construction. The assessment found that the increase in traffic flows on the local road network, and associated effects on sensitive receptors, will be negligible and there will be no significant adverse effects. Footways will be provided on all roads through the proposed development. Pedestrian and cycle access will be provided by byway 20 and through new footways and cycleways connecting into Archers Gate and the consented earlier phase of King s Gate. Additional pedestrian / cycle routes will be provided through the proposed public open space in the west and north west of the site and past the proposed school. The existing HPA and HPB Amesbury Hopper bus service will be extended into the site and new bus shelters will be provided on site to accommodate this service. A travel plan that includes measures to minimise car journeys will be prepared. Further modelling was carried out to examine the potential for cumulative effects with the submitted phase 4 development, which found that there will be no significant effects on the local road network or sensitive receptors as a result of the increase in traffic either during or post-construction. Conclusion NTS.97 NTS.98 This non-technical summary has outlined the findings of the EIA of the proposal to develop 515 dwellings, land for a primary school and public open space at King s Gate, plus the cumulative effects associated with phase 4, contained within the ES that accompanies the planning application. The proposed development will result in a number of changes to the local environment, but a range of measures will be put in place to minimise potential significant adverse effects and enhance beneficial effects. The proposed mitigation measures and the residual effects of the proposal that are predicted to remain after mitigation are summarised in more detail in chapter 14 of the ES. Copies of the full ES and its technical appendices have been sent to Wiltshire Council. The full documents are available for public inspection during the consultation period at Wiltshire Council offices at the address below: Wiltshire Council The Council House Bourne Hill Salisbury SP1 3UZ NTS.99 Copies of the ES on CD can be purchased from Terence O Rourke at a price that reflects the time and production costs. Paper copies may also be available (at printing cost) from Terence O Rourke at the following address: NTS-18

20 Terence O Rourke Everdene House Deansleigh Road Bournemouth BH7 7DU Tel: maildesk@torltd.co.uk NTS-19

21 A residential development proposal for Bloor Homes Environmental Statement Legend Site boundary Land in applicant's control Site location and application boundary Client / Project: King's Gate Phase 5, Amesbury Legend items 05 March 2015 Legend items Scale: m Legend items Legend items Legend items Drawn by: JC Checked by: MM I Based upon the 2014 Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 colour raster map with the permission of the Ordnance Survey on behalf of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Crown copyright. Terence O'Rourke Ltd. Licence No Copyright Terence O'Rourke Ltd, km King s Gate Phase 5 Amesbury NTS Non-technical summary Figure NTS1 Site location and application boundary

22 This drawing is the copyright of Tetlow King Ltd. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Data Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Licence No Figure NTS2 Land use NTS Non-technical summary King s Gate Phase 5 Amesbury Environmental Statement A residential development proposal for Bloor Homes 250m 0