STONEHENGE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT

Transcription

1 STONEHENGE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT

2 Denton Corker Marshall

3 SUMMARY FORM Contact Name Dominic Watkins Organisation Chris Blandford Associates Contact Phone Category 4. Best planning for natural and built heritage Name of Project Stonehenge Environmental Improvements Project LOCATION OF PROJECT Stonehenge World Heritage Site, Wiltshire DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT The Stonehenge Environmental Improvements Project is a partnership between English Heritage, The National Trust, The Highways Agency, Wiltshire Council, Natural England and the Government. The Project is largely funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, commercial income and philanthropic donations. Within the framework provided by the Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan, the Project involved delivery of improvements to the landscape setting of the Stonehenge monument, together with a new, sensitively designed and environmentally sustainable visitor centre to provide a gateway to the Stones and the wider World Heritage Site. The new visitor centre was opened at Airman s Corner in December The centre s new exhibition and interpretation make it possible for the first time to present the fascinating story of Stonehenge on site. A new shuttle service connects the visitor centre with the Stones for those who prefer not to walk. Landscape improvement works to restore a sense of dignity to the setting of one of the world s most loved ancient monuments are underway and will be completed in June The works involve the decommissioning of a section of the A344 road past the Stones, and the decommissioning and removal of the existing visitor facilities. LIST OF KEY PARTICIPANTS English Heritage Loraine Knowles Project Director English Heritage Richard Williams Assistant Project Director English Heritage Martin Harvey Project Development Manager English Heritage Planning Advisor, Environmental Consultant & Landscape Architect Dominic Watkins Director Chris Blandford Associates Chris Blandford Senior Director Chris Blandford Associates Planning Authority Adam Madge Team Leader Wiltshire Council Development Services Louise Porter Planning Officer Wiltshire Council Development Services Architect Steve Quinlan Partner Denton Corker Marshall Angela Dapper Associate Denton Corker Marshall Other Consultants Bell Pottinger Group Community Consultation Firmingers Quantity Surveyor Gardiner & Theobald Project Management Halcrow Highways/Transport Planners Haley Sharpe Design Interpretation Consultant Jane Toplis Associates Disability Access Consultants Norman Disney Young Building Services Reading Agricultural Consultants Regeneris Consulting Business Consultant Sinclair Knight Merz Structural Engineer Wessex Archaeology SUMMARY OF WHY AWARD SHOULD BE GIVEN The Project demonstrates good practice in the planning of sustainable visitor development for a World Heritage Site in a local and international context. Many elements of the scheme are reversible, and previously developed land and existing infrastructure was utilised as far as possible. A collaborative approach with the planning authority and statutory consultees helped ensure a careful balance between improvements to visitor facilities and the setting of the Stones, ensuring inclusive access and minimising environmental and transport impacts. Wide ranging community engagement, in-depth analysis of the environmental and transport issues and close attention to the risk of judicial review were also key to success. By entering the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence, I agree that there are no restrictions or fees payable for the reproduction of the photographs or any other submission materials and that images submitted may be used by the RTPI for promotional purposes.

4 KEY QUESTIONS How did the planning team evaluate the main issues and test options for the project, in order to arrive at the end point? What has been the local impact? Main Issues Stonehenge was inscribed with Avebury as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in As well as being one of the most important and most frequently visited monuments in Britain, Stonehenge is also an international icon, attracting visitors from all over the world. English Heritage has been working on the Stonehenge problem since It has taken nearly 30 years to find a solution to implementing the vision of presenting and interpreting the world s most famous prehistoric monument in a way that befits its outstanding universal value. For decades the setting of the Stones has been severely compromised by the close proximity of roads and buildings, and the visitor experience has been marred by wholly inadequate facilities and very limited interpretation. The visitor facilities opened in 1968 were state-of-the-art at the time but now, despite the portacabins added in the late 1970s, are totally inadequate for the 1 million plus visitors who come to the site today, a five-fold increase in the past 40 years. The Stonehenge Environmental Improvements Project has been nearly 30 years in the making. It is the last of many schemes proposed over the years in various locations, north, east and west of Stonehenge, championed and opposed in equal measure. The most recent of these, at Countess East, was granted planning permission in 2007 dependent on the section of the A303 running past Stonehenge being buried in a tunnel. However, the tunnel proved unaffordable and the scheme was cancelled. In 2008, consultation began again on where to locate new facilities and on the closure of the A344, which the Government had promised UNESCO would happen when the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site was created in Removing the road which runs right past the stone circle, almost touching the Heel Stone, and which severs the ancient processional Avenue from the site itself, has been a key objective of every scheme. Otherwise it would be impossible to improve the setting of the monument. Testing Options In 2008, Chris Blandford Associates undertook a comprehensive appraisal of alternative sites and layouts for the new visitor facilities, options for the decommissioning of the existing visitor facilities, and options for the A344 closure and related highways improvements as an integral part of the development of the Project. All the options involving the relocation of visitor facilities away from the current site involved some form of infrastructure, and a degree of adverse environmental impact is to be expected given the environmental sensitivity of the World Heritage Site. The options appraisal demonstrated that none of the sites considered met all of the appraisal criteria, but Airman s Corner was considered to offer the best balance in terms of environmental impact, deliverability and visitor benefits. The visitor facilities at Airman s Corner are fully concealed from the setting of the Stonehenge Monument, and minimise visual impacts on the setting of other monuments in the vicinity of the site through the screening afforded by local topography and existing trees, enhanced by additional planting to screen the most visible elements of the development. The preferred options for the decommissioning of the existing visitor facilities and the A344, and the related highways junctions improvements, were considered to maximise potential environmental benefits and minimise adverse environmental effects, taking into account highways, deliverability, project requirements, visitor access and operational considerations. The appraisal demonstrated that the preferred options were the optimal response to the Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan s policies for conserving and enhancing the outstanding universal value of the World Heritage Site, whilst maximising opportunities for improved understanding and enjoyment for all visitors. Local Impact As highlighted by the local planning authority (Wiltshire Council) elsewhere in this submission, the local impacts of the scheme were carefully balanced in relation to the benefits of the environmental improvements for this internationally significant heritage site. The visitor centre s final location at Airman s Corner was, in the local authorities opinion, as a result of a very thorough and rigorous site selection process, the details of which were contained within a substantive Environmental Impact Assessment submitted with the planning application. Adam Madge Team Leader (South) Wiltshire Council Development Services

5 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT What are the project s short and long term public benefits? How far does the submission address and balance economic, social and environmental improvements? A collaborative approach with the planning authority and statutory consultees helped ensure a careful balance between improvements to visitor facilities and the setting of the Stones, inclusive access and environmental/transport impacts. In line with the Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan, many built elements of the scheme are reversible and previously developed land and existing infrastructure was utilised as far as possible. The brief was for a building which would be reversible, a light touch on the landscape, meet the needs of the high volume of visitors and be as sustainable as possible - a stopping point on the way to the Stones. The building is simple, elegant and evocative of the rolling landscape in which the building sits. This sustainable approach has been adopted in order not to restrict opportunities for securing additional or greater enhancements to the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in the future. The Project also includes a Travel Plan which sets out measures to help reduce reliance on the private car, and encourage greater use of public transport, walking and cycling by staff and visitors. The Travel Plan is being implemented as part of the Section 106 Planning Agreement. The projects environmentally sustainable credentials were considered by the local authority to be excellent...this, combined with the new visitor centre scheme s light touch approach in terms of built impact on the proposed location, was considered to be a considerable benefit by the local planning authority, and met both local and national planning policies in terms of sustainability. Adam Madge Team Leader (South) Wiltshire Council Development Services Mark Philpott

6 GOOD PRACTICE How is the project original in approach and could it be a model for work elsewhere or developed further? The Stonehenge Environmental Improvements Project is considered to embody an exemplary and visionary approach to sustainable development in the context of a World Heritage Site. The UK Government was commended by UNESCO on the high quality of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan, which was adopted by the planning authority as supplementary planning guidance. The Plan provided the framework for developing the proposals, and was the catalyst for the Project s emphasis on sustainable design and construction, collaborative working, and robust options appraisal and environmental impact assessment processes. In this way, it demonstrates good practice with regards to the planning of environmental and visitor facilities improvement projects that can provide a model for other World Heritage Sites in the UK and internationally. luftg1t4rr3

7 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT What is the degree to which local residents and businesses have been involved and engaged in delivery of the project? How have their thoughts inputted into the final outcome? A significant level of consultation was undertaken with the local community and businesses as part of the site selection process, during the lead up to the planning application and also throughout the post-planning permission implementation process. Between July 2008 and September 2009, the Project Team consulted extensively with local residents, stakeholders and interest groups through two major consultations, two mobile public exhibitions and a newsletter. Nearly 30,000 residents were invited to view the proposals with over 1,300 people attending the exhibitions. In addition, the Project Team met extensively with a range of stakeholders, including key councillors, the constituency MP and local interest and community groups. A website recording progress of the latest proposals was set up and local residents had the opportunity to contact the Project Team by telephone, and Freepost. English Heritage was also committed to ensuring that local residents and stakeholder groups were kept up to date as the planning application progresses. On-going community engagement activities included notifications to exhibition attendees, political stakeholders and interest and community groups that the planning application had been submitted; further newsletter distributed to 17,250 local residents; further meetings arranged with interest groups; and regular updates to the website. The Statement of Community Involvement submitted with the planning application provides a record of responses and describes how the feedback was taken into account in the formulation of the proposals. The majority of respondents recognised the need for improvements to the visitor experience at Stonehenge and welcomed the proposed closure of the A344 adjacent to the Stones as part of the long-held vision of a more tranquil, uncluttered setting, worthy of the monument for present and future generations to enjoy. richardsonpilot

8 PLANNING CONTENT What is the quality of the professional planning work involved in devising solutions to key issues and problems? What was the clear impact that the planners made to the success of the project? Chris Blandford Associates carefully managed the planning application for the new visitor facilities and decommissioning works to a timely conclusion, and also managed a range of supplementary applications. In addition, Chris Blandford Associates managed the environmental impact assessment process, which was a key tool for shaping the proposals in terms of design and mitigation measures. A constructive, open and collaborative approach to pre-application discussions with the planning authority and statutory consultees helped ensure a careful balance between improvements to visitor facilities and the setting of the Stones, inclusive access and environmental/transport impacts. In order to avoid the risk of judicial review, care was taken to ensure that the parties could work collaboratively and openly, whilst retaining transparency in their review and scrutiny of the proposals as part of the decision-making processes. This collaborative approach was also valuable for the process of negotiating planning conditions, Section 106 Planning Agreements and related Highway Agreements. The application was supported by a range of technical supporting documentation that provided a comprehensive appraisal of the proposals in their context. In accordance with national planning guidance and best practice principles, pre-application consultations were undertaken with a range of statutory consultees and stakeholders in respect of key elements of the supporting technical documentation. In particular, Technical Consultative Groups comprising statutory consultees and other key stakeholders were established and facilitated by Chris Blandford Associates to inform the preparation of the Environmental Statement and the Transport Assessment/Travel Plan. Extensive consultation and liaison was undertaken with the planning authority s officers on all aspects of the scheme proposals, which was invaluable in preparing the planning submission. The continuity of planning authority staff and planning consultants enabled strong working relationships to be developed over the lifetime of the Project (2008-present), and this has been key to the successful delivery of planning requirements for the Project. The local authority has enjoyed being part of the collaborative process which led to the building and opening in December 2013 of the new visitor facilities at Stonehenge. [Being]...case officer for the planning application... has been a gratifying experience for both myself and my colleagues at the council. [This]has, in my opinion, [resulted] in a development which will provide significant benefits to visitors to Stonehenge for many years to come. Adam Madge Team Leader (South) Wiltshire Council Development Services English Heritage

9 EQUALITY & DIVERSITY How far has the submission properly addressed equality and diversity issues in the context of the project? The Project has sought to reduce barriers to physical and intellectual access to the Stones and the World Heritage Site through incorporation of measures to ensure a high quality and enjoyable experience for all visitors. These were developed in consultation with a wide range of user groups. The Project provides equality of experience for all visitors through assisted access to the Stonehenge monument via a frequently running visitor shuttle service for those that prefer not to walk, which has the capacity to cater for the range of predicted visitor abilities and needs. The new visitor centre also provides for improved interpretation and engagement with the World Heritage Site landscape as a whole through the new museum displays, which tell the story of Stonehenge, and the provision of an education base for school and community groups. Whilst the new building completely changes the visitor experience for the better, it is designed as a gateway to the World Heritage Site, because although the Stones are the ultimate destination, they are part of a much wider prehistoric landscape. There are four parts to the Stonehenge experience: an exhibition inside the timber pod ; an external gallery; a walk across the monuments in the wider landscape; and, of course, the visit to the Stones. The exhibition covers four key thematic areas: the Stones; the landscape in which they sit; the ancient people who lived in the area; and the contemporary debate around the meaning of Stonehenge. Physically and intellectually reuniting Stonehenge with its landscape is one of the most important aims of the project. A huge 10 metre long, widescreen film helps explain the vast and dramatic human interventions that, over millennia, shaped the area in which Stonehenge sits. An external gallery includes touching stones - a life-size model demonstrating how the sarsens were moved - and reconstructed Neolithic houses based on recent archaeological investigations at Durrington Walls, which are being constructed by volunteers using Neolithic-style methods. WSUN Wiltshire and Swindon Users Network In addition, new opportunities to encourage visitors to explore and understand the landscape are provided by the visitor transit drop-off options and by the removal of the road past the Stones. The most prominent of the 350 known ancient monuments in the landscape include the enormous earthwork known as the Stonehenge Cursus, the Stonehenge Avenue, Woodhenge and Durrington Walls as well as numerous barrows (prehistoric burial mounds).

10 1 WATERHOUSE SQUARE, HOLBORN, LONDON, EC1N 2ST Telephone Facsimile Please note that English Heritage operates an access to information policy. Correspondence or information which you send us may therefore become publicly available Andrew_Writer

11 Mr Dominic Watkins Chris Blandford Associates The Old Crown High Street Blackboys Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 5JR 11 th February 2014 Development Services South Bourne Hill Salisbury SP1 3UZ Tel: Economically the local authority had never been in doubt that an improved visitor centre experience would provide a boost for the local economy. It was widely acknowledged that due to the inadequacies of the existing visitor centre and the short dwell time of visitors to the stone circle, the provision of a significantly enhanced visitor experience was to the local authorities mind likely to not only produce a significant number of additional jobs for local people living in the area but provide a wider boost to the local economy from visitors staying in the area and visiting local attractions. (The new visitor centre provides digital information on other attractions throughout Wiltshire and the local area.) It was therefore inherent in the proposal put forward that there would be beneficial economic impacts from the proposal. Clearly the biggest benefit to the world heritage site and the stones was the environmental improvements that would be delivered at Stonehenge itself. The existing facilities were widely acknowledged as being inadequate and detracting substantially from the setting of the stones. The removal of these facilities, the associated parking, bus stand, temporary buildings and part of the A344 were all considered by the local planning authority to be substantial benefits, to the scheme. This, coupled with interpretation of the wider landscape and the encouragement of the public to use and walk around the much wider world heritage site that surrounds the stones, were considered key to the balance of the local authorities decision to grant planning permission as inevitably not every aspect of the scheme was considered by every party to deliver benefits and this was something that had to carefully considered. Dear Dominic Stonehenge Environmental Improvement Project - RTPI planning excellence awards 2014 Thank you for asking me to write to you about our involvement with the Stonehenge environmental improvement project (SEIP). As you are aware this is a project that the local authority has been involved with for some time since 2009 when the idea of placing a new visitor centre at Airmans corner was first suggested by English Heritage until 2013 when the centre opened. The local authority was heavily involved in meetings with both yourselves and English Heritage in the run up to the submission of the planning application and the council attended meetings with you and your client on a regular basis in the months leading up to the submission to discuss the details of the application and to ensure that the final development proposal was likely to meet with the local planning authorities policies and criteria. These meetings which were attended by the then head of planning Brad Fleet and the area development manager Judy Howles as well as myself, were mirrored by similar meetings with other council officers that dealt with the topics of archaeology/built heritage and highways issues. The meetings and extended pre application discussions that took place in the run up to the submission of the application reflected the fact that the local authority had a difficult and complicated assessment to make of this project, dealing as it did with one of the worlds most Iconic heritage symbols and it s surrounding landscape. The project brief itself was simple, improve the setting of the Stonehenge monument and provide facilities worthy of it s world renowned status. Achieving this in such a sensitive setting whilst balancing competing interests was somewhat more difficult. The projects environmentally sustainable credentials were considered by the local authority to be excellent. Sited as the visitor centre was in a relatively remote position within the world heritage site, there were no facilities within that location, which pushed the visitor centre design towards using those resources that were available at the site such as the use of water on site from a bore hole, the treatment of sewage on site and the use of grey water recycling. This avoided the need to bring pipework through the archaeologically sensitive landscape. This combined with the new visitor centre schemes light touch approach in terms of built impact on the proposed location was considered to be a considerable benefit by the local planning authority and met both local and national planning policies in terms of sustainability. The visitor centre s final location at Airmans corner was in the local authorities opinion as a result of a very thorough and rigorous site selection process the details of which were contained within a substantive Environmental Impact Assessment submitted with the planning application. The site had to meet several criteria including being within reasonable distance of the stones themselves, having good access to the surrounding road and footpath network and being located where it would have least impact on the surrounding landscape. Inevitably it s location inside the world heritage site was a negative as it was a new modern impact that carried with it additional roads and lighting that had not previously existed in the area. In addition, whilst the closure of the A344 delivered huge environmental improvements it was a road used regularly by the local population for getting to nearby villages from the A303.The local authority therefore in considering the planning application had to carefully consider weighing up the benefits of the scheme against the perceived negatives. In reaching our final decision, the views of the many, many people who wrote to the local authority on issues as diverse as ecology, impact on tourism, impact on the cycle network, architecture and the views of specialist interest groups all had to be considered. The local authority advertised the application widely both in the press and through it s website consulting with six different parish councils that could potentially be affected by the changes, but inevitably came to the conclusion that the benefits to this internationally important site from the development of the scheme were unquestionable. The local authority has enjoyed being part of the collaborative process which led to the building and opening in December 2013 of the new visitor facilities at Stonehenge. In particular as case officer for the planning application being involved in the process of discussions and negotiations leading up to the planning application and the consideration of comments and representations during the application before making a recommendation has been a gratifying experience for both myself and my colleagues at the council resulting as it has in my opinion, in a development which will provide significant benefits to visitors to Stonehenge for many years to come. I hope this letter helps briefly explain the local planning authorities involvement in the project to date and confirms our support for the project submission for an RTPI award. Yours sincerely Adam Madge Team Leader (South) KDC0085

12 THE STONEHENGE PROJECT JOURNEY Mark Philpott 1968 Current facilities, including the existing car park and the underpass, are built Mid-Late 1970S Concerns about the rise in number of visitors and setting of the monument leads to Government setting up a Stonehenge Working Party 1984 First English Heritage chairman, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, plans to find and implement a permanent solution 1986 Stonehenge and Avebury inscribed on UNESCO s World Heritage Site list 1997 Bid to Millennium Commission for Stonehenge Millennium Park visitor complex at Countess East rejected 2000 First World Heritage Site Management Plan published and commended as good practice by UNESCO 2001 Design Team for Countess East visitor centre scheme appointed March 2007 Planning permission for Countess East visitor centre scheme granted Andrew Writer Denton Corker Marshall Chris Blandford Associates Corinne Berthuin Denton Corker Marshall David M Kay/Alticam Chris Blandford Associates

13 A303 Tunnel Denton Corker Marshall English Heritage English Heritage Chris Blandford Associates English Heritage Georgie R Denton Corker Marshall Chris Blandford Associates Chris Blandford Associates December Mid Late June July June December June 2007 Proposed A303 tunnel scheme cancelled by Government and Countess East visitor centre scheme abandoned 2008 Public Consultation on Options for New Visitor Facilities Location and revised draft Management Plan 2008 Airman s Corner site selected for new visitor centre and design team appointed 2009 Revised World Heritage Site Management Plan published 2010 Planning permission for Airman s Corner visitor centre scheme granted 2012 Work starts on new visitor centre at Airman s Corner 2013 Work starts on decommissioning of A344 past the Stones 2013 New visitor centre at Airman s Corner opens to the public 2014 Existing car park and facilities removed and Stonehenge physically reunited with its landscape

14 BEFORE AFTER Denton Corker Marshall

15 Denton Corker Marshall

16 Chris Blandford Associates Chris Blandford Associates The Damian Stonehenge Grady/English Stone Circle Heritage Website NEW VISITOR CENTRE AT AIRMAN S CORNER The Stonehenge Stone Circle Website Damian Grady/English Heritage

17 James O Davies/English Heritage James O Davies/English Heritage Andrew_Writer Mark Philpott Andrew_Writer STONEHENGE MONUMENT

18 Scyscan Balloon Photography The Stonehenge Stone Circle Website The Stonehenge Stone Circle Website Steve Calcott

19 English Heritage

20 Front Cover Images (left to right) English Heritage Denton Corker Marshall South East Studio The Old Crown High Street Blackboys Uckfield East Sussex TN22 5JR T E mail@cbastudios.com W London Studio Woolyard 52 Bermondsey Street London SE1 3UD T Directors C J Blandford BA DipLD MLA FLI M E Antonia BSc EnvSci DipRSA D Watkins BSc MSc AMIEnvSci Chris Blandford Associates is the trading name of Chris Blandford Associates Ltd Registered in England No Registered Office: The Old Crown High Street Blackboys East Sussex TN22 5JR