Environmental Statement Non-Technical Summary

Transcription

1 Environmental Statement Non-Technical Summary Moorgate Over Site Development September 2011 Aviva Life and Pensions UK Ltd

2 1. Introduction 1.1 The Application Aviva Life and Pensions UK Ltd and Crossrail Ltd intend to seek full planning permission from City of London (CoL) in a joint application for the construction of a predominantly commercial development at 101 Moorgate. The proposed works will be constructed adjacent to the Crossrail Liverpool Street Station Western Ticket Hall (WTH); sited in Moorfields at the location of the existing London Underground (LU) Moorgate ticket hall and adjacent retail units; and above the associated Crossrail ventilation / emergency escape shaft. A key assumption for the assessment will be that the Crossrail Moorgate shaft structure and the adjacent WTH will be completed prior to the start of construction of the Moorgate Over Site Development (OSD). Permission was granted through the Crossrail Act for the demolition of the buildings occupying 101 Moorgate (also known as Moorgate) which currently exist on the site and for the construction of new structures forming part Figure 1.1: Site Location Plan The proposed development involves the construction of a new commercial building comprising ground floor, mezzanine, plus 6 upper levels and roof level plant for office and retail purposes. The proposed development is positioned between Moorgate and Moorfields, with Moor Place forming the northern boundary of the site. Figure 1.1 illustrates the site location. 1.2 The EIA Process Mott MacDonald has been commissioned to conduct an Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) on behalf of the applicants in line with Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999; the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2008 (hereafter referred to as the EIA Regulations ); and the Crossrail Act The results of this process are presented within the Environmental Statement (ES) and accompanying Technical Appendices. This document, known as the Non- Technical Summary (NTS), provides an overview of the findings of the EIA and has been prepared for a general audience. EIA is a structured process to identify the potential impacts of a development proposal and the likely residual impacts that are predicted to be significant post mitigation. These are then reported in the ES which is submitted in support of the planning application. The ES also provides stakeholders and the public with a basis on which to make representations to the local planning authority on the environmental impacts associated with the OSD Project. The ES presents the findings of the EIA including descriptions of each predicted impact (temporary, permanent, adverse, beneficial), likelihood of occurrence, an assessment on severity, and details of mitigation requirements to either eliminate or reduce adverse impacts. It comprises the following parts: ES Volume I - Environmental Statement: this document presents the findings of the EIA and is divided into a number of background and technical chapters. Source: Bing Maps of the new WTH and a new ventilation and emergency intervention shaft. The OSD which is the subject of this summary report is proposed to be constructed on top of and carefully integrated with the Crossrail station structure. ES Volume II - Technical Appendices: these provide detail on the assessments undertaken and information used to inform ES Volume I. ES non-technical summary (NTS): this document. 2

3 1.3 Relationship to the Crossrail ES An ES was produced in 2005 for the Crossrail scheme as part of the Crossrail Bill process. It assessed the Crossrail Project works including the Liverpool Street Station WTH, the emergency/ventilation shaft structure and demolition of the existing buildings sited on Moorgate. While this EIA will be undertaken in a separate statutory process from the Crossrail ES, it was recognised that the considerable work undertaken under the Crossrail Act is still relevant to these proposals as this Project is part of the Crossrail scheme. As such this ES is aligned to the Crossrail ES approach, including: the mitigation requirements set out in the Crossrail ES (2005) and Crossrail Environmental Minimum Requirements (EMRs) which the Contractor will need to comply with during construction. the approach, provided in the Crossrail ES Scoping and Methodology Report environmental topic sections (Volume 5 of the Crossrail ES). the relevant information available in Crossrail ES regarding baseline conditions. 1.4 Structure of the ES Volume I The ES is structured as outlined in Table 1.1 below: 2. Scoping and consultation Consultation on the technical methodology behind the assessment of significant effects is an important part of the EIA process. The objectives of the stakeholder consultation process will be to ensure a responsible and transparent approach to the proposed project, ensure the consideration of stakeholder input in the decision making process as early as possible and to ultimately understand where there are areas of disagreement and to resolve them satisfactorily in order to reduce the likelihood of objections being raised. The design of the proposed OSD has evolved through continuous consultation with the CoL and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE). This consultation process has served to focus the design on those issues of greatest significance. Pre-application discussions have taken place with the CoL regarding the design of the OSD in terms of design, scale, massing and height. Table 1.1: Chapter ES Volume 1 Structure Descriptions 1 Introduction: comprises an introduction to the application, the need for the EIA and describes the relationship with the Crossrail ES. 2 Approach to EIA: this chapter provides an overview of the approach undertaken to ensure the requirements of the EIA Regulations are fulfilled. It indicates how key issues have been identified and addressed within the ES and the approach that has been taken for the EIA process. 3 The Proposed Development: describes the site location and surrounding area in terms of the existing physical and social characteristics and land uses. This chapter also provides an account of the proposed Scheme in terms of its construction, including the construction methodology, and operation. In addition, works excluded from this ES are described. 4 Alternatives & Design Evolution: this chapter presents information on the alternatives that have previously been assessed and the reasons for their rejection. 5 Sustainability: summarises the outcomes of the sustainability statement, energy strategy and BREEAM assessment. 6-9 Impact Assessments: summarises the assessment of air quality, noise and vibration, built heritage, townscape and visual amenity and traffic and transport impacts during construction and operation. 10 Cumulative Impact Assessment: this chapter presents both the combined and cumulative impacts resulting from the accumulation of impacts generated by the OSD on the same receptors and the impacts potentially arising from adjacent or nearby schemes together with those predicted for the OSD. 11 Summary of Residual Impacts & Conclusions: summarises the significant residual impacts and contact details and availability of the ES. 3

4 There have been two presentations of the proposed OSD design to CABE who have provided written representations on the design. The proposals have been developed in full consultation with Crossrail and the station facilities and OSD have been developed in parallel with one another. The ES was preceded by a preliminary scoping exercise to determine specific requirements for the EIA and to set out the context for the detailed approach that followed. A scoping assessment was carried out for each of the topics included in the original Crossrail ES. While 101 Moorgate OSD is the subject of a stand-alone application for planning consent, the project is an extension of the wider Crossrail project. As such, in accordance with the principles of Section 14, Schedule 1 of the Crossrail Act, the assessment of the OSD will follow the Crossrail assessment methodology as far as possible and will adopt the significance criteria set out in Volume 5, Appendix A2, and Volume 8A of the Crossrail ES (2005). However, the nature of the OSD at Moorgate is different to the Crossrail works and, as such the assessment criteria were refined to the requirements of a retail and office development to ensure that the impacts are addressed appropriately. As part of the EIA process a Scoping and Methodology Report was submitted to the City of London on 30th March 2011 to obtain a formal Scoping Opinion for the content of the EIA. Key statutory consultees involved in the consultation process included: English Heritage (EH) Natural England (NE) The Environment Agency (EA) The construction of Crossrail including the OSD works described in this ES is governed by the Crossrail Environmental Minimum Requirements (EMR), comprising: General Principles The Construction Code The Planning & Heritage Memorandum The Environmental Memorandum Adoption of the mitigation measures in the Crossrail EMR will ensure that the OSD Contractors use good practice during construction to prevent or minimise adverse environmental impacts. Residual significant impacts (i.e. the effects of the Scheme once mitigation has been applied, if indeed it can be applied) will be classified as non-significant or still significant (albeit reduced), as appropriate for each environmental aspect. In line with the EIA Regulations these impacts are reported within the ES to assist in the decision making process. 3. Alternatives and design evolution Section 4 of the EIA Regulations requires the consideration of alternative development options to the development in question and a comparison of environmental impacts before a final decision has been made on the design. In accordance with the EIA Regulations and statutory guidance, the following types of alternative assessment should be considered and described in the ES: Do-nothing Scenario - the consequences of no development taking place. Alternative Sites - examination of an alternative location for the development. Alternative Designs - consideration of the evolution of the current design for 101 Moorgate OSD, amendments and modifications which have taken place over the scheme development and environmental considerations which have contributed to design changes. The principal of OSD development is established in the Crossrail Act and the specific location of the OSDs is entirely dependent on the location of the Crossrail operational station structures. The Crossrail ES (2005) provided details of alternative locations for station infrastructure and as such, this is therefore restricted to the do-nothing and alternative designs scenarios. The do-nothing alternative would effectively mean that no further works would be carried out to surround the Crossrail emergency/ventilation shaft. In accordance with the Crossrail ES (2005), this would be assessed as leaving a significant adverse impact upon the area and is therefore not considered to be a viable option. In addition, Crossrail has given an undertaking that where there has been significant demolition around the Central London sites, it will bring forward Planning Applications for replacement development. Alternative designs considered included consideration of different massing and alternative external forms. A nine storey single building mass was originally proposed for the site. When this proposal was presented to the CoL Planners, discussions concluded that as the site formed part of the veneer of Moorgate, the building needed to respect the massing of the existing buildings on Moorgate rather than the large scale new developments on Moorfields and City Point. The existing buildings of Britannic House and the London Metropolitan University set the Moorgate Plateau which should restrict the massing of the proposed OSD. 4

5 Over the course of design development, the scheme has progressed through consultation with the CoL and CABE and consideration of various ideas that have led to its present scale and form. Figure 4.1: Indicative scale and massing of proposed OSD 4. The Proposed Development The proposed development is positioned between Moorgate and Moorfields, with Moor Place forming the northern boundary of the site. The present building is not listed nor is the site in a conservation area. The existing site building ( Moorgate), a six storey concrete clad office block, is currently being demolished to facilitate the construction of the Liverpool Street Station emergency/ventilation shaft as part of the Crossrail scheme. The proposed OSD at 101 Moorgate, designed by John Robertson Architects, will provide retail space on the ground floor and office space within six storeys over and around the Crossrail emergency/ventilation shaft. Indicative massing and scale is illustrated in Figure 4.1. The entrance to 101 Moorgate will be easily identifiable by the double height glazed entrance portico and the building will be provided with secure parking space for 32 cycles within the ground floor level. Disabled staff or visitors arriving by public transport or taxi would approach from Moorgate. Persons arriving by bicycle would proceed to the secure entry doors located in the relocated Keats Place. Level access from the pedestrianised Moorfields and existing Moorgate will be available to all retail units through inward opening doors. All retail goods will be delivered from Moorfields and waste from the retail units will be taken to refuse store facing Moorfields. No provision will be made for car parking. The design concept is the idea of landscaped terraces to enhance the visual aspect of the upper terraced balcony areas and to provide amenity for the occupiers. These landscaped terraces will be located on the 5th and 6th floor facing south and will be used as break out space for office tenants. In addition to the landscaped terraces, it is proposed to locate an extensive green roof system to the roof of the plant enclosure on Level 8. These benefits can be seen to address the following key issues: Bio-diversity - The landscaped terraces will provide a local opportunity for enhanced bio-diversity which will be achieved by the use of fully accessible human & eco terraces. Design - The proposed OSD replaces Moorgate which is due to be demolished. Heritage - The architects have designed the facades to re-establish the rhythm of Moorgate by expressing the traditional plot sizes of the street, using variations in parapet height and in the treatment of the main elevation. The design proposals articulate the facade into three subdivisions with two shadow breaks referencing the traditional size. Public Realm - The proposed new western ticket hall for Crossrail will generate a passenger throughflow equivalent to that of a primary retail frontage. The new location of Keats Place through the OSD domain will connect the station entrance on Moorfields to Moorgate, Finsbury Circus and the City to the east. Sustainability - The proposed development is considered to be a highly sustainable design and proven technologies have been incorporated to realise energy efficiencies. Townscape - The scale and massing of the proposed OSD have been considered in relation to the surrounding environment. 5

6 Figure 4.2: Existing view from corner of Moorgate and London Wall Figure 4.4: View looking south towards London Wall from Moorfields Figure 4.3: Indicative view of proposed OSD from corner of Moorgate and London Wall 5. Construction Construction of the Moorgate OSD is anticipated to take approximately 24 months to complete. The construction programme will comprise the following key stages: Stage 1 enabling works: site establishment. Stage 2 structure to Level 1: installation of a tower crane to construct the concrete elements of the structure to the south of the site and the steel elements to the north to Level 1. Stage 3 complete structure: erection of the steel structure to roof level including the placement of the main floor steelwork and decking. Stage 5 primary services and cores: installation of non weather dependant primary riser services. Once the building becomes weather tight, lift installation will commence along with installation of electrical and mechanical services. Stage 6 office fit out: fit out of services, ceilings and raised floors. Stage 7 external works and commissioning: removal of tower crane and installation of shop fronts. Commissioning of all internal services and depending on the scope of works, the creation of external footpaths and fit out of the new entrance lobby. The construction of the Crossrail western ticket hall including the OSD works described in the ES will be governed by the Crossrail EMR as described in Section 2 of this NTS. Stage 4 external envelope: installation of cladding and key elements of plant at roof level. 6

7 Adoption of the mitigation measures in the Crossrail Construction Code will ensure that the OSD contractors use good practice during construction to prevent or minimise adverse environmental impacts. The environmental specialists carrying out the assessments for the EIA have assumed that these measures will be implemented. The Construction Code requires the production of an Environmental Management Plan (EMP). This plan will set out how the project will deliver the environmental requirements and how environmental issues that arise are handled to ensure compliance with relevant legislation and regulations. The EMP will be discussed with the CoL and will be produced as a single document covering all of the environmental issues for the OSD worksite. The range of issues which will be covered by the EMP, will be appropriate to the OSD worksites, and are as follows (but is not limited to): Site hoarding, housekeeping and security. Vehicle and plant emissions and dust management. Control of pollution to surface water and ground water. Noise and vibration control. Protection of built heritage resources. In addition to the EMP, a Lorry and Traffic Management Plan and Site Waste Management Plan will also be required which will set out procedures for the management of construction traffic and waste. 6. Sustainability A sustainability assessment and energy strategy has been carried out on the proposed development and these studies take into consideration national, regional and local sustainability and energy policies, along with guidelines that relate to the site. The assessments ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements as well as serving to incorporate a range of sustainable development issues and energy efficiency measures into the design process, balancing social, economic and environmental factors, to minimise impacts and, where possible, enhance the local environment. The key beneficial impacts of the proposed development in relation to sustainability can be summarised as follows: During the early design stage measures were taken to reduce energy use and carbon dioxide (CO 2 )emissions by reducing the need for mechanical ventilation, heating and cooling through the orientation, layout and form of the building. The proposed measures will deliver CO 2 savings from reliable well proven technologies that have been shown to be feasible for the development. This approach will provide confidence that the estimated reductions in energy demands and CO 2 emissions will be realised. As a result of the proposed strategy the site s total CO 2 emissions are 245 tonnes per year, an overall 16% improvement over the Building Regulations 2010 baseline The proposed development has been subjected to a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). A rating of Excellent is being targeted and the Pre-Assessment indicates that this can be achieved. The proposed building demonstrates a more efficient use of floor space by increasing the internal area of the building in comparison to the existing building. In selecting materials the design team will aim for best practice in materials choice, using the Green Guide in order to ensure the whole life environmental impact and durability of construction materials has been considered. The exposed parts of the building and landscape will be protected with the aim of improving durability and reducing the frequency of material replacement. The design proposes the use of water efficient fittings in relation to water use, water loss and rainwater/greywater recycling systems. The landscaped terraces will retain surface runoff, thereby allowing the vegetated surfaces to bind and treat rainfall contaminants. All external lighting will be designed in compliance with the Institute of Lighting Engineers Guidance notes for the reduction of obtrusive light, All external lighting, other than that required for safety or security, will be automatically switched off or turned down between the hours of 2300 and The Design and Access statement demonstrates how the scheme provides a safe, legible, high quality environment that will be easily used by as wide a range of people as possible without undue effort, special treatment or separation. 7

8 The building also does not interfere with any public open space and provided a new linkage between Moorfields to the east and Moorgate an Finsbury Circus to the west. The design target will be to increase the ecological value on site as a result of the development. 99% of the annual space heating and hot water requirements will be met though the ground source heat system provided by Crossrail. Electricity requirements will be in part met through the installation of a photovoltaic array to the roof. 7. Air quality assessment The EIA has included an assessment of both construction and operational impacts to air quality. The proposed development lies within the administrative boundary of the CoL, which declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) for the whole city in As a result, Air Quality Action plans have been prepared for the city, which have been taken into consideration in the EIA. Construction and operational traffic impacts of the proposed development have been assessed against Environmental Protection UK s (EPUK) Guidance Development Control: Planning for Air Quality (2010 Update). Concentrations of pollutants associated with construction activities and traffic emissions decrease rapidly with increasing distance from the source. The British Research Establishment (BRE) advises that pollutants are unlikely to occur at distances greater than 150 metres from the source. Thus the EIA has included the worksite and 150 metres of the surrounding area. Impacts arising during the construction phase from construction plant and dust generating activities are predicted to cause no significant air quality impacts following the application of appropriate mitigation measures outlined in the EMR. The assessment of operational impacts of the proposed development (i.e. changes in concentrations caused by the OSD) on air quality was scoped out of the EIA process because there will be no material change in developmentrelated traffic flows during operation and the energy mix of the development indicates no significant impacts could arise. However, consideration has been given to the air quality likely to be experienced by receptors within the proposed OSD. Taking into account the CoL Air Quality Strategy which presents future modeled concentrations for certain air pollutants, the significance of potential impacts associated with ambient air quality on receptors within the OSD is predicted to be not significant. 8. Noise & vibration asssessment A number of surveys were conducted to assess potential noise and vibration impacts associated with the proposed development during the demolition/construction and operational stages. The assessment took place within an approximate 200 metre perimeter of the development site to ensure all potential impacts were considered. The assessment considers potential impacts on identified receptors in terms of: Airborne noise from construction activities. Increases in road traffic noise associated with construction vehicle movements on local roads and displaced road traffic due to road closures or diversions. Vibration disturbance and potential building damage associated with construction activities. Operation noise from fixed external plant such as air handling units. Groundborne noise and vibration from underground trains. The implementation of British Standard (BS) advice and the specific requirements of CoL will reduce excessive construction noise and vibration levels so that affected properties and other sensitive receptors are protected from excessive noise and vibration levels associated with construction activities. Furthermore the OSD contractor will, as far as reasonably practicable, seek to control and limit noise and vibration levels by applying Best Practicable Means (BPM). 8

9 There will be no significant impacts (short-term) on the residential properties from airborne noise from the construction of the OSD. London Guildhall University, however, will experience a significant noise impact from construction noise, but measures outlined in the EMR will be utilised to ensure impacts from construction noise to this receptor are minimised. There are no significant increases or decreases in noise levels due to the change in road traffic flow as a result of the project construction traffic (a change of less than 3 db is anticipated) and therefore no significant impacts are expected. Vibration generated by construction activity will be well below levels that would have the potential to cause building damage, including at any of the nearby listed buildings therefore no significant impacts are anticipated. In terms of operational noise, the fixed plant has been designed in accordance with relevant BS and therefore no significant impacts are expected. The design of the OSD will need to incorporate measures to mitigate groundborne noise and vibration levels from underground trains within the OSD. If these measures are implemented, there will be no significant impacts from groundborne noise and vibration. 9. Built heritage, townscape & visual amenity assessment An assessment of the impacts of the proposed development on townscape and visual amenity has been undertaken. Built heritage was scoped out of the assessment due to a lack of direct physical impacts, however the impacts of the development proposals on the setting of built heritage has been retained for assessment in accordance with Planning Policy Statement 5: Planning for the historic environment. Within the technical scope described above, the following townscape and heritage resources may be affected by the development: Listed buildings Conservation areas Protected parks and gardens Townscape character areas Listed Buildings: The setting of the listed buildings on either side of 101 Moorgate will be lost temporarily when the bank is demolished and the OSD is under construction. This will result in a temporary significant adverse impact on the following listed buildings; Britannic House (1-6 Finsbury Circus), London Metropolitan University (84 Moorgate), 2-8 Moorfields, Moorgate and 87 Moorgate, during the construction phase only. When complete, the OSD will restore the setting of the adjacent buildings and the building design will reflect the proportions of the older buildings on the west side of Moorgate. Externally the OSD will include a simple, high quality façade enhancing the setting of the listed buildings. This assessment finds a non-significant beneficial impact of the setting of listed buildings Conservation Areas: There are two conservation areas within the vicinity of 101 Moorgate; Finsbury Circus Conservation Area (east) and Bank Conservation Area (south). There is also one scheduled monument, London Wall, located approximately within 350m of the proposed development. The OSD is not in a conservation area, but does face the Finsbury Circus Conservation Area. The assessment finds a non-significant adverse impact on the Finsbury Circus Conservation area during the construction phase. On completion the view from Finsbury Circus will be closed by a taller, more elegant design than the previous structure, with light green cladding complementing the colours of Britannic House and the London Metropolitan University. This assessment finds non-significant, but beneficial impact on the setting of Finsbury Circus Conservation Area. The impact on Bank Conservation Area will not be significant in either construction or operational phases due to screening and separating effects of intervening buildings. Character Areas: Moorgate and London Wall have been assessed as having a townscape character area of moderate quality, with moderate-high sensitivity to change. The increased activity caused by the construction process will further reduce the tranquillity of the area. This assessment finds there will be a temporary significant adverse impact to townscape character during the construction phase. 9

10 Once completed, the design of the OSD building will enhance the existing townscape in this location, but will be prominent amongst the interesting and attractive buildings in the character area. The building at 7-8 stories high will act as a transition in scale between the 4 storey Victorian buildings to the south and the taller buildings along the north side of Moorgate. The inclusion of retail spaces at street level will increase interest and activity on Moorgate and Moorfields. The creation of a new open space in an area of dense office development and little open space will be a great asset to the area. The assessment has balanced the potential beneficial and adverse impacts of the development and finds a significant beneficial impact on the townscape character area. The Finsbury Circus Character Area has been assessed as a townscape character area of high quality, with high sensitivity to change. Key townscape features in the study area include Finsbury Circus, Roman Wall and Plaza on London Wall at the southern end of Moorfields. The construction works will only affect the western edge of the character area and the busy street of Moorgate separates the OSD site from Finsbury Circus however this assessment finds that construction works will result in a temporary non-significant adverse impact on townscape character. The OSD building will be taller than the original 101 Moorgate and consequently will be better proportioned in relation to the Finsbury Circus buildings. When completed, the building will only impact on the western boundary of the character area. The assessment has balanced the potential beneficial and adverse impacts of the development and finds a significant beneficial impact on the townscape character area. Visual amenity: Temporary impacts from construction works will come from site offices, site storage, construction plant, lorry movements and cranes. The site will be screened at ground level by hoardings, but will still be visible from upper floors of surrounding buildings. These surrounding buildings will largely screen the site from most streets in the area. During the construction phase, there will be temporary significant adverse impacts on visual receptors in particular to workers and users of the surrounding office and retail buildings and pedestrians on nearby streets. Receptors including pedestrians, rail and LU users will experience lower magnitude of change in their view of the completed building, as attention is drawn to activity in the street. The OSD will be highly visible because of its height and façade and the strong design will add to local views. The roof gardens will enhance the views from the upper stories of nearby buildings. The new paving, planting and street furniture will improve the views along Moorfields and from London Wall and Ropemaker Street. The completed development is assessed to result in significant beneficial impacts on visual receptors. 10. Traffic and transport assessment The EIA has included an assessment of the transport implications of the proposed development in the CoL. Potential receptors include vehicle occupants and operators, interchange users, vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and mobility impaired persons and those using parking and loading facilities. It is estimated that approximately 15 construction lorries will be required per day for construction of Moorfields typically equating to 1.5 construction trucks per hour during the peak of the construction works. Construction lorries will travel north from Moorgate, left on Ropemaker Street and turn left on Moorfields to access the OSD construction site. Loaded lorries would then turn east on Moor Place before turning left onto Moorgate and go northwards towards Finsbury Pavement in order to continue their journey. A Traffic Management Plan (TMP) will be produced in line with the Crossrail Construction Code by the OSD contractor. With the production of the TMP and a total increase of not more than 15 vehicles per day during construction, it is determined that the impact associated with construction traffic is not significant. During the construction of the proposed Moorgate OSD, pedestrians will be the main users affected by the works. Where necessary, footpath diversions will be made to maintain access to the nearby Highwalk. It is predicted that there will be negligible change in overall trip generation and modal share during construction as alternative pedestrian routes and step free access for persons of reduced mobility will be maintained where currently provided along with access to all transport modes. There will be no delay to public transport or disruption to station interchange on Moorfields during the construction phase as access between the bus stops on Moorgate and the station will be maintained. Therefore there will be no significant impacts on interchange. 10

11 Cycle routes are expected to be largely unaffected during the construction phase. The change in the one way system on Moor Place would have minimal effect on cyclists as the flows of cyclists are low. A Service Management Plan has been prepared to help control the number of service vehicles arriving or leaving the off-street service areas in a given time period during operation of the OSD. No additional operational traffic will be generated by the development. By application of this plan there are no significant permanent impacts anticipated in association with the proposed development. Due to the minimal increase in pedestrian movements there is no significant impact on the pedestrian flows in the area. The majority of operational trips generated by the site are expected to be walking (from bus stops or underground stations). Both the pedestrian and public transport networks are expected to have sufficient capacity to accommodate the modest increase in travel demand associated with the development. There will be a small number of additional cycling trips; however, these would not be expected to have a material effect on the highway network or local cycle facilities. Overall there would be no significant effect. 11. Cumulative impact assessment The assessment of cumulative impacts has been based upon information readily available at the time of writing and currently available assessment techniques. For the cumulative assessment, two types of impact have been considered: Combined effect of individual impacts for example noise, airborne dust or traffic on a single receptor or resource. Key potential interactions between impacts are largely attributed to construction traffic and associated emissions, air quality (dust) and noise and vibration. No significant impacts are predicted to arise in relation to air quality or traffic from construction related activities. Construction activities with the potential to generate significant noise impacts are predicted to arise at one nearby receptor. It is therefore reasonable to predict that there will not result in any additional significant impacts on nearby receptors from the combined impacts. These impacts will be temporary in nature lasting for the duration of the construction phase. Application of the Crossrail Construction Code by the OSD Contractors will minimise the combined impacts requiring appropriate control measures as detailed within Volume II of this ES. Development schemes which have been considered within the cumulative assessment comprise those proposed by way of the submission of a planning application at the time of preparing this EIA as agreed with the CoL and those consented/with a resolution to grant consent or under construction: within a 150 metre radius of the site. that will result in 10,000m 2 (Gross External Area) of floorspace. In conjunction with the CoL, schemes taken forward for consideration with the proposed Moorgate OSD include London Wall and 120 Moorgate. In addition to these two developments, consideration has been given to two further Crossrail Over Site Developments currently being developed in relation to the Moorgate WTH (21 Moorfields OSD) and the Blomfield emergency/ventilation shaft (Blomfield Street OSD) as it is likely that they will be constructed at a similar time to the Moorgate OSD. Cumulative impacts of several development schemes which may, on an individual basis be insignificant but cumulatively, have a significant effect. It is considered likely that the construction phase will have the greatest potential to contribute to interactions between individual impacts. Receptors considered most sensitive to cumulative impacts during this phase include pedestrians, motorists and cyclists on the surrounding rights of way, employees of nearby commercial premises and nearby residents. 11

12 Figure 11.1: Cumulative schemes location plan Figure 11.1 above illustrates the locations of these cumulative schemes. To date only an interface study has been undertaken in relation to the 21 Moorfields OSD to ensure all interfaces between any OSD and the Crossrail emergency/ventilation shaft have been adequately considered in the design of both. As there is no further information relating to the details of the 21 Moorfields OSD, it is not deemed reasonable at this stage to consider the development any further in this cumulative assessment. Taking into consideration the combined effects of the Moorgate OSD with the cumulative developments listed above, whilst it is predicted that there will be some adverse impacts in relation to noise and vibration in the combined sense, there are no significant impacts predicted should construction phases overlap. During the operational phase of all developments, cumulative impacts are anticipated to be of a beneficial nature. These predicted cumulative impacts will be realised through improvements in the creation of modern building stock within the City of London appropriate to future uses, performance standards and energy demands and the improvements to the public realm. Cumulative impacts of completed schemes are therefore predicted to be of beneficial significance. 12. Residual impacts and conclusions Residual significant impacts (i.e. the impacts of the Scheme once mitigation has been applied, if indeed it can be applied) have been classified as not significant or still significant (albeit reduced), as appropriate for each environmental aspect. These are discussed further within the ES. During the construction phase of the proposed OSD, it is predicted there will be temporary (short term) significant adverse residual impacts in relation to noise, the setting of listed buildings and the visual amenity and impact on occupants of surrounding buildings. Once the OSD has been completed it is predicted that there will be a significant beneficial residual impact in relation to the overall visual amenity and visual impact on occupants of surrounding buildings. Balancing both the short term adverse construction impacts against the long term benefits the operational development will bring, the overall conclusion of the EIA is that the proposed Moorgate OSD will have an overriding beneficial impact on the City of London, enhancing the existing site and contributing to an improvement in the wider setting of the area and public realm. The benefits of implementing the proposed OSD are considered to outweigh any temporary construction impacts. 12

13 The Design and Access statement demonstrates how the scheme will provide a safe, legible, high quality environment that will be easily used by as wide a range of people as possible without undue effort, special treatment or separation. During the early design stage measures were taken to reduce energy use and CO 2 emissions by reducing the need for mechanical ventilation, heating and cooling through the orientation, layout and form of the building. 99% of the annual space heating and hot water requirements will be met though the ground source heat system provided by Crossrail and electricity requirements will be in part met through the installation of a PV array to the roof. The building is anticipated to achieve a BREEAM rating of Excellent. 13. Contact and availability of the ES Queries or requests for further information can be sought from the Planning Department of the City of London during normal office hours. Comments on the ES and Planning Application should be forwarded to the CoL at the following address or posted on the CoL planning portal website Planning Department City of London PO Box 270 Guildhall London EC2P 2EJ Copies of this Non-technical summary are provided free of charge in electronic format. Copies of the Environmental Statement are available from Mott MacDonald at the following address at a cost of 350 for a complete hard copy or free of charge if downloaded from cityoflondon.gov.uk. Environmental Management Department Mott MacDonald Limited Mott MacDonald House 8-10 Sydenham Road Croydon CR0 2EE (Tel: ) 13