Kilnwood Vale Environmental Statement Volume 3: Non Technical Summary July 2010
Kilnwood Vale Environmental Impact Assessment Environmental Statement Volume 3
KILNWOOD VALE ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY Introduction Background Crest Strategic Projects (CSP) propose the development of land West of Bewbush, now known as Kilnwood Vale. They have commissioned Savills to co-ordinate a formal Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) including the preparation of an Environmental Statement (ES) and Non-Technical Summary (NTS) to support their planning application, part of which is submitted with full details and part is in outline only. The planning application proposes the development of a new neighbourhood of up to 2,500 dwellings, employment uses, and a mix of other community uses including land for a primary school, open space and associated transport measures. This is in accordance with the Joint Area Action Plan document that was prepared and adopted by both Horsham District Council and Crawley Borough Council in 2009. Purpose and Structure of the Environmental Statement EIA is a process through which the likely significant environmental effects of a development proposal can be identified, assessed and, wherever possible, avoided or mitigated (reduced). This process and its outcomes are then reported in the ES to decision makers, the Council and its advisors, and the public. The NTS is provided to allow a wider public understanding of the environmental effects of the project. The ES is set out in a structured manner to allow easier navigation: Volume 1 comprises the Main Environmental Statement Volume 2 comprises the Appendices, including technical supporting reports Volume 3 (this volume) comprises the (NTS) Opportunity for Public Consultation Should interested parties wish to make comment on the content of this ES, they should be made in writing to Horsham District Council, Development Control, Park North, North Street, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1RL. The ES is available for purchase from Savills (L&P) Limited, Brunswick House, Brunswick Place, Southampton SO15 2AP. Table 1 sets out the costs related to the various volumes of the ES available. NTS - 1
Table 1: Environmental Statement Costs Volume Hard Copy CD-Rom Volume 1 Main ES Statement 250 Volume 2 Appendices Please enquire at above address 5 Volume 3 20 Requests should be made in writing to the above address. Cheques should be made payable to Savills (L&P) Limited. The Assessment Team The assessment team comprises the following organisations: Savills has managed the EIA process and team, and has undertaken the socio-economic and community impact assessment and prepared the planning submission. Barton Willmore is the master planner and architect working on the proposals. SLR has undertaken the impact assessments with regard to landscape and visual impact, ecology and nature conservation, archaeology and heritage, hydrology, hydrogeology and flood risk and ground conditions, land contamination and remediation. Peter Brett Associates has undertaken the impact assessments with regard to transport, noise and vibration, air quality, and foul drainage. Capitol has provided technical railways advice. Fulcrum has undertaken the impact assessment with regards to sustainability and climate change. Jo Hawkins Ltd has provided community relations advice. What is Environmental Assessment EIA is a statutory process that is governed by UK and European law. On 3 March 1997 the Council of the European Union amended Directive 85/337/EEC through Council Directive 97/11/EC, which was given legal effect in England and Wales through the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999 insofar as it relates to development under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. These Regulations came into effect on 14 March 1999. EIA follows an iterative process in the following stages: Screening is the first stage of the EIA process where the relevant authorities (local authorities or the Secretary of State) decide if EIA is required. Once it has been agreed that EIA is required, scoping is undertaken to define what should be assessed as part of the EIA and reported in the ES. This is done in partnership between the applicant and the local authority. With the scope set, relevant information on the environmental baseline conditions is collected. This information is then used initially to understand the potential environmental effects and inform the design of the proposed development to minimise the potential for significant adverse impacts. NTS - 2
The formal assessment process is then undertaken of the proposed scheme parameters to define the significant impacts of the proposed development. Any significant adverse impacts that are identified during the formal assessment process are then reviewed against the design to consider whether alterations could be made to minimise the impact. Should this occur the formal assessment process is run again. Where significant adverse impacts cannot be minimised through alterations to the design itself, mitigation or reduction measures are considered. Monitoring may also be considered to measure the actual significance of the impact during and post-construction to allow management of mitigation where appropriate. Once the EIA is completed, the ES is submitted to the local planning authority for consideration with the planning application. NTS - 3
The Proposed Development The Site and Surroundings The proposal covers an area of about 132 hectares to the west of Bewbush on the western edge of Crawley, within the administrative boundary of Horsham District Council (HDC). For the purposes of the application process, the site is referred to as Kilnwood Vale. The Arun Valley Mainline Railway runs through the site, with the A264 Crawley Road running along the southern boundary. The site is currently woodland, arable farmland and grassland (approximately 90 hectares) and land previously used for landfilling and land raising, and an active waste recycling facility (approximately 42 hectares). Fields within the site are medium and large in scale with some hedgerows and trees. The agricultural land is low quality. There are some areas of Ancient Woodland within the site that are to be protected, whilst three watercourses cross or flow adjacent to the site Bewbush Brook and its tributaries Hopper s Brook and Spruce Hill Brook. The Proposed Development To develop the site, the former landfill will be subject to remediation and earthworks in order to protect Bewbush Brook, which runs through the site, improve the ground stability and create a landform suitable and safe for housing and other development. The proposed development will create a new neighbourhood on the western edge of Crawley, comprising a mix of uses incorporating: 2,500 dwellings (2,650 assessed in the EIA to ensure a maximum figure is tested) Mix of dwelling tenure, type and height, with a minimum of 20% affordable housing Access and infrastructure including two new junctions onto the A264 Bus/ Fastway links Pedestrian, equestrian and cycle links Two road over rail crossings Potential railway station including footbridge, subject to agreement with Network Rail Car parking Formal and informal open space Land for a 2-3 Form Entry Primary school Land for a Nursery NTS - 4
A neighbourhood centre including: o o o o o o Up to 2,500sqm net of retail floorspace to include supermarket, potentially a petrol filling station and ancillary retail units A food based public house A community building of up to 700sqm A library facility of up to 150sqm Land for a primary health care centre of up to 700sqm A 60-80 bed elderly care facility Serviced land to accommodate up to 8,000sqm of employment floorspace An area for an Energy Centre making provision for an energy generation facility The development has been designed strategically in order to design out crime, anti-social behaviour and achieve community safety. Infrastructure, such as electricity, gas and water will be installed as required to serve the proposed development. Surface water will be managed through sustainable drainage techniques such as open water features to control and manage surface water run-off. The development will be phased over a period commencing in 2011/12, with first completions in 2013 with an 11 year build period expected. The scheme has been developed in five phases, although certain phases will run concurrently. Main Alternatives Throughout the design of the scheme, many different alternatives have been examined. These have included reviewing the need for the residential and employment development, other locations for the development and other types of development for the site in question. In addition to these alternatives, the layout of the scheme and the detailed design have undergone revisions, which have been through various forms of consultation. The consideration of environmental issues has also informed the proposed layout. The main elements that have been reviewed include the access arrangements to the site, open space provision, the energy centre area, location of the potential railway station and parking, and finally, the location of bridges over the railway. NTS - 5
Summary of Impacts Socio-Economic and Community Impacts The maximum number of 2,650 households at Kilnwood Vale is predicted to increase the population of the area by 6,811 residents when completed. This represents an increase in population for Horsham District by 5%. The tenure and size of dwellings proposed is reflective of both market and affordable housing need in Horsham District and Crawley Borough. The increase in population would likely have a substantial impact on local services and facilities in the surrounding area if appropriate mitigation was not provided as part of the development. The proposed new infrastructure, including land for a 2-3 form entry primary school, land for a new Primary Care Centre, a new community building with library facilities and a variety of formal and informal open space will not only ensure the new population will have appropriate access to services, but will also likely improve overall provision for the local area. The development will also promote employment in the area through the provision of a mix of office, retail, café and restaurant with a food based pub and other employment generating uses within the mix proposed. In terms of secondary school provision, the development will not generate enough pupils to require a new secondary school. However, through discussion with West Sussex County Council it has been agreed that off-site contributions will be made to ensure increased provision at Ifield Community College. The overall strategy for Kilnwood Vale will ensure that the development will assist with having a positive impact on the local neighbourhood and will not result in an adverse impact on local facilities and services. The development offers the chance to enhance the character of the area, whilst the increase in open space, community facilities and leisure provision will help create a sustainable community for the long term. Ground Conditions, Land Quality and Remediation The Kilnwood Vale site contains the former Holmbush Landfill and Bog Field which have been used for inert waste deposition/ management and occupied around 30% of the site. Detailed investigations and monitoring works have confirmed that the former landfill and the Bog Field are composed of inert construction waste materials and these sources of contamination and land quality hazards are at a level requiring mitigation. The studies carried out at the site have identified the following issues that require mitigation as part of the site development strategy: landform modification needs to be undertaken to develop a gently graded development platform and install sustainable drainage features; ground improvement for stability of foundations is required; localised soil contamination within the inert fill must be treated; re-alignment of Bewbush Brook to incorporate protection from migration of potentially polluted groundwater; and the presence of ground gases (methane and carbon dioxide) beneath parts of the landfill must be addressed. NTS - 6
Incorporation of the proposed mitigation measures set out in the Environmental Statement will reduce the risks both during and after the site preparation works, providing a suitable built environment for the people that will live and work on this site in the future. A beneficial impact from the development on ground conditions will result. The larger portion of the site comprises agricultural land and woodland that pose no abnormal hazards. Landscape and Visual Impact The potential landscape and visual impacts from the proposed development for the new neighbourhood have been assessed along with the impact that the development could have on the strategic gap between Horsham and Crawley, which the site lies on the eastern edge of and which is designed to prevent the coalescence of the two towns. The area is currently typical of the area with features that are important to the character, such as the mature trees and hedges. There is currently a lot of mature vegetation within the site and on the boundaries and there are no clear views across the site at present due to the vegetation and the flatness of the area immediately surrounding it. To the south of the site the land slopes more, but there are no additional views from here as the land is heavily forested. The design for the scheme has been carefully worked out to include items required in the planning policies, and also measures that will protect the area from potential landscape and visual impacts By retaining almost all the existing trees and hedges and including plans to improve them, the scheme will result in the loss of very little of the valuable features that exist at present. Where trees have to be lost, at the site entrance for instance, new planting will reduce the loss in a short period of time. The detailed layout plans also show that new landscape features such as wetland pools and parkland will benefit the landscape overall. The way the site has been designed includes placing of the taller buildings on the lowest part of the site, retaining most of the mature vegetation and also includes new features such as wetlands, parks, gardens and sports areas to create variety and interest throughout the site. This means that visually the scheme will change the views but that they will be of benefit to the overall area. As the site is so close to the strategic gap it is important to make sure it will not impact on the effectiveness of the gap; the increased views of an urban landscape could have that effect. The amount of retained woodland means that the views from the gap will always be seen in a setting of woodland and the set back of the development from the western boundary of the site will help this. There is however one area of the gap where an adverse impact has been identified, close to where the main site access comes off the A264. This area of the site alongside the new entrance is the only area where the scheme itself does not include measures to reduce the impact caused by the loss of vegetation, increased urban effects of the road and lighting, and the changes to the local area. To protect the landscape nearby and this area of the strategic gap, a wide belt of trees is proposed along the south western site boundary to help the development fit better into the surroundings in this location As a result, the overall effect of the development proposals will be a minor to moderate and beneficial impact on the landscape character, a negligible and beneficial impact on the views of the site and an adverse impact on the strategic gap, which can be offset by the proposed new planting to avoid that impact in the longer term. NTS - 7
Ecology and Nature Conservation The site contains a wide range of habitats including among others broadleaved semi-natural and plantation woodland, scrub, natural grassland, small watercourses, species-rich hedgerows, individual mature trees and arable land, with the majority of the land south of the railway line historically having been used as an inert landfill. These habitats are typically known to support a number of protected species, identified through field surveys, including badgers, reptiles, woodland and farmland birds and the potential for some of the mature trees to be used for roosting purposes by bats. The majority of existing ecologically valuable habitats (including Capon Grove and Pondtail Shaw Ancient Woodlands, semi-natural broadleaved woodland and species-rich hedgerows and mature trees) will be retained and connected to new areas of formal and informal open space. These areas of existing and new connecting green areas provide opportunities to enhance these areas for the benefit of wildlife. During and post construction, the development has the potential to have a range of impacts including habitat loss and fragmentation through land-take, disturbance from construction activities, changes to air quality, alterations to surface water flows and quality, and the direct and indirect impacts of housing. A range of mitigation measures are proposed to minimise the significance of these impacts on habitats and on the species identified within the development footprint during both the construction and postconstruction phases of the development. These measures include a 15m buffer zone around the ancient woodland sites, translocation of reptiles from the former landfill site and habitat creation, and enhancement opportunities (for example through the provision of new drainage ponds and the realignment of Bewbush Brook). A Woodland Management Scheme will be implemented for Capon Grove and Pondtail Shaw for the benefit of the ancient woodland and to provide formal public access to these sites. Archaeology and Heritage There are no designated heritage assets within the site, although there are locally listed assets recorded, which are primarily industrial remains relating to the regionally important Wealden iron industry and mineshafts in Pondtail Shaw, an infilled mill pond, and the surviving earthwork bund to this. In addition, ancient woodland contains some evidence for coppicing and a woodland boundary bank within Pondtail Shaw, and a probable estate boundary survives as an ancient hedgeline. Mature trees show the previous alignment of old field boundaries. These natural features of the historic landscape will be retained except where transit routes and related infrastructure will need to be constructed. This assessment has supplemented the desktop element of the baseline study with several site visits and investigations, as well as consultation with West Sussex County Council s Archaeological Officer (WSCCAO). Trial trenching in the south-eastern part of the application site revealed minimal evidence for past historic landscape, and field-walking north of the railway line also revealed little material evidence for human activity. Mine-pits were identified as continuing from Pondtail Shaw into the land north of the railway line, and pollen assessment from cores taken beside the Bewbush brook have provided background historic environmental data. In close proximity to the south-eastern boundary of the application site lies Bewbush Manor and Bewbush Barn which are both listed buildings, and the Manor is located within a moated site which is designated as a scheduled monument. The potential indirect impact of the scheme on the setting of these designated heritage assets has been assessed and agreed as negligible with WSCCAO. An outline mitigation strategy has been proposed to minimise any potential adverse impacts from the scheme, and the residual impact is mostly slightly beneficial in the fact that the scheme will allow enhancement of the archaeological record and add to the understanding of the historic environment within the locality. NTS - 8
Transport and Access A Transport Assessment has been prepared and included with the application. A review and assessment of the current and proposed transport and access arrangements for cars, public transport, pedestrians, equestrians and cyclists, as well as car parking and servicing has been completed. The assessment process has been agreed with West Sussex County Council. The current provision of transport around the site includes an extensive public rights of way network for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians. There are five local Metrobus services, which currently operate through or terminate at Bewbush, including a high frequency high quality Fastway 10 service. There are also two Gatwick Direct bus services. Two railway stations are located within approximately 2.5km from the site, however these stations have a number of constraints for growth in future years. The site is located near to the A264, a key route between Horsham and Crawley, which also provides access to the M23. During the remediation and construction of the site, vehicle movements will be generated. The overall time period for construction is over 10 years, and during this time there will be construction vehicles associated with the primary structures, such as bridges and the main entrance, and vehicles associated with house building. Journeys relating to the remediation of the site are likely to be concentrated in the first nine months of construction, and general construction more spread out over the full construction period. The roads that are likely to be most affected by these vehicles are the A264, A23 and M23. During the construction of the site access, traffic management will be required to divert vehicles away from the work. A number of mitigation measures have been planned to alleviate the adverse impact of construction traffic on the local area. This includes the development of a Construction Environmental Management Plan, which will be adhered to. The WSCC approved transport model has been used to test the impact of the development It has been predicted that in the region of 2,600 to 2,700 person trips, both to and from the site during the morning and evening peak will take place. The majority of trips in the morning and evening peak are expected to be by the private car. Between 1 in 4 and 1 in 6 journeys are expected to be by foot or cycle. The development has direct access to a key route, the A264, which will minimise the impact of the site on minor and residential roads. The WSCC model has been used to assess the impact of the development on the road network. Some of the A-roads will have more than a 5% increase in traffic, including the A2220, A23 and A264, and there are some minor roads which will also see an increase. The site will contribute to improvements at M23 junction 11, the A2220/A23 junction and A220/A264 junction. This will provide the additional capacity necessary. Although within the development itself there will be a number of new public rights of way, there will also be additional improvements to cycling, walking and equestrian facilities. These include a new cycle and walking link between Bewbush and Ifield West, bridges to cross over the railway and an at grade crossing on the A264 for pedestrians, equestrians and cyclists. These are likely to encourage more trips by walking and cycling. As there are a number of bus services operating in the local area, there is potential for people using the site to use buses. Although an increase in bus users will improve the economic viability of bus services it could lead to capacity problems. A number of bus improvements are therefore proposed including: enhanced and extended bus services; improved bus frequencies; access points restricted to buses only and bus priority measures. There are constraints to growth at the existing railway stations, and so there is the possibility to deliver a new railway station if agreement is reached with Network Rail, which could have a positive impact on the site and local area. NTS - 9
With the mitigation measures proposed, the proportion of trips by private vehicles is likely to reduce and the proportion of those using bus services is likely to increase, with approximately 1 in 6 journeys to be made by buses. The development in this location, with the mitigation measures, will potentially help to deliver sustainable growth in the Horsham/ Crawley Area with beneficial long-term impacts predicted. Noise and Vibration A noise and vibration assessment of the proposed development has been undertaken comparing it to the existing environment. Due to construction activities which include earthworks, there is the potential for elevated noise levels at nearby existing dwellings and at proposed dwellings, which would become occupied during later phases of the works. Mitigation during the construction phase will be managed by a Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP). The aim of the CEMP will be to mitigate any noise and vibration impacts by utilising best practicable measures. With these mitigation methods the noise impact of the construction work will not be significant and as these are temporary in nature, there would be no long term impact on the area. Noise levels across the site due to traffic noise sources have been established using industry standard software. Noise level calculations for the development site were undertaken for a future with development scenario. The noise levels for the majority of the site are low enough to not prevent residential development at the site taking place. Small areas of the site along the southern boundary with the A264 carriageway are exposed to higher noise levels, where national policy advises that noise should be considered further. For dwellings proposed in these areas, mitigation has been recommended such that noise levels inside dwellings would be within acceptable limits. A noise bund is to be constructed adjacent to the A264 which is the dominant noise source affecting the site. Further mitigation measures include implementation of appropriate glazing specification for dwellings which directly face the A264 and the railway. Amenity spaces will be located at the rear of dwellings so that the buildings provide protection from transportation noise. With incorporation of the mitigation measures outlined, there will not be a significant adverse impact on future residents. The school would be located centrally within the site and would be protected from road and rail noise by other buildings and therefore benefit from the quietest noise environment on the site. Traffic flows generated by the development would lead to only a small increase in noise at existing dwellings. This increase is not significant. Noise from plant associated with the proposed Energy Centre has the potential to affect the occupants of local existing and proposed properties. All noise producing plant will incorporate sufficient noise control measures to ensure noise escape is limited to meet acceptable noise levels at the nearest dwelling. The main source of vibration affecting the site is from the railway running through the centre of the site. Measured vibration levels were below the level likely to have an impact on proposed nearby dwellings. Air Quality The potential air quality impacts of the Kilnwood Vale development during construction and operation have been assessed at a range of human and ecological receptors. The main potential impacts of construction are dust emissions giving rise to annoyance amongst local residents, and an increase in the airborne particulate matter (known as PM 10 ) concentrations in excess of the air quality objective set for the protection of human health. These is also a risk of odour emissions from disturbance of landfilled waste that has not completely decomposed. NTS - 10
These impacts have been assessed. They take account of the local weather conditions and the location of receptors with respect to the site. There are approximately 740 existing dwellings located within 200m of the proposed development, which may experience dust annoyance during the construction phase if there is no mitigation. In addition, proposed dwellings in early phases of development will become receptors as the construction progresses. The construction is scheduled to take place over a number of years, but individual receptors will only be adversely affected when construction activities take place nearby. Dust suppression and management measures will be incorporated within the CEMP. With implementation of the mitigation measures proposed in the CEMP there should be no significant dust or odour annoyance to local residents or dust deposition to ecological sites. The short term PM 10 objective is unlikely to be exceeded at any nearby dwellings. Therefore, the residual effects of the construction phase are negligible. The potential impacts of the operation of the Kilnwood Vale development have been assessed by predicting future air quality with and without the completed development. The assessment has used industry standard models and followed Government guidance to estimate the impact on local air quality of emissions from traffic and the Energy Centre on existing and proposed human and ecological receptors. It has considered emissions of nitrogen oxides and PM 10 as these are the air pollutants of greatest concern from these sources. The effect on the human receptors has been assessed using significance criteria developed by the Institute of Air Quality Management, based on the National Air Quality Objectives. The effect on the ecological receptors has been assessed within the overall ecology assessment. A number of traffic mitigation measures have been built into the proposals, and incorporated within the air quality model. Air quality in the Kilnwood Vale area is currently good and is forecast to remain so, and therefore further mitigation is not required. The development is predicted to have a negligible impact on local air quality at the existing and proposed human receptors. A series of critical levels (for air pollution) and critical loads (for the deposition of air pollution) have been set for the protection of vegetation. This is discussed in the ecology section. Hydrology, Hydrogeology and Flood Risk Environment Agency Flood Zone Maps and supplementary modelling demonstrate that the vast majority of the site lies within an area at little or no risk of flooding from the Bewbush Brook or its tributaries. In accordance with Planning Policy Statement (PPS25) land at low risk of flooding is suitable for residential, retail, commercial, educational and other proposed land uses. No built development is proposed in higher risk flood zones. The existing site drainage regime will be mimicked by draining surface water run-off to existing watercourses via a number of open drainage ponds and below ground storage tanks, in order to retain excess storm water resulting from an increase of built coverage of the site, before eventually discharging into the local watercourses at a controlled rate. Post-development runoff rates, taking climate change into account, will be restricted to those rates generated by the pre-developed site, or less, offering potential benefit in reducing flood risk to off-site areas downstream of the site. The inclusion of the sustainable drainage measures mentioned above, in conjunction with conventional pollution control measures such as trapped gullies, petrol interceptors and catchpits, will improve the water quality of the run-off discharged from the on-site drainage system to the Bewbush Brook and other minor watercourses within the site. Areas of amenity and wetland habitat will be created or enhanced as part of the proposed drainage strategy which is in accordance with the biodiversity objectives of the Joint Area Action Plan. NTS - 11
During the construction phase a CEMP will be prepared taking into account relevant Pollution Prevention Guidance Notes published by the Environment Agency. Following implementation of the recommended mitigation measures, the residual impacts on hydrology, hydrogeology and flood risk are anticipated to be of temporary negligible adverse significance during construction and of neutral to minor beneficial significance once the development is constructed. Cumulative Impacts The Environmental Impact Assessment has also considered the impacts that the proposed development might have on the environment alongside other developments proposed. This has been undertaken throughout the EIA process by considering other developments that are likely to be constructed and/or become operational during the same period as the proposals. It has been concluded that there are no significant adverse cumulative impacts expected. There would however be some minor beneficial cumulative impacts, in particular related to transport and access through the proposed development scheme. NTS - 12