Plumstead Temporary Railway Sidings and Associated Permanent Works Environmental Impact Assessment Non-Technical Summary Document Number: February 2013 Plan Design Enable
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Contents Contents... 3 1 Introduction... 4 1.1 About this Document... 4 1.2 The Crossrail Project... 4 2 Background... 6 2.1 Site Location... 6 2.2 Site Description... 8 2.3 Need for the Development of the Temporary Sidings... 9 2.4 Alternatives... 10 3 The Proposed Development... 11 3.1 Temporary Railway Sidings: Technical Requirements... 11 3.2 Proposed Construction Works and Programme... 13 4 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)... 13 4.1 Background... 13 4.2 Legislation... 14 4.3 The Scope of the Assessment... 14 4.4 Consultation... 15 4.5 Assessment Methodology... 15 4.6 Baseline Information... 15 4.7 Mitigation of Impacts... 16 4.8 Cumulative Impacts... 16 5 Ground Conditions and Contamination... 17 6 Water Resources and Flood Risk... 17 7 Ecology and Nature Conservation... 18 8 Noise and Vibration... 18 9 Air Quality... 18 10 Landscape, Townscape and Visual Amenity... 19 11 Lighting and Solar Glare... 19 12 Traffic and Transport... 20 Where to find out more information?... 20 Page 3 of 20
1 Introduction 1.1 About this Document 1.1.1 This Non-Technical Summary (NTS) provides an overview, in non-technical language, of the main findings of the Environmental Statement (ES) relating to the proposed development of land at Plumstead which is required for temporary railway sidings in support of the Crossrail project. 1.1.2 This NTS provides the following information: A background to the site and the reason for its selection as the location for the temporary railway sidings facility (Section 2); Details of the temporary railway sidings and programme for its construction and operation (Section 3); The approach to undertaking the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) (Section 4); and A summary of the findings of the assessment, highlighting potentially significant impacts as reported in the ES (Section 5 to Section 12). 1.2 The Crossrail Project 1.2.1 Crossrail is a major new cross-london rail link project that has been developed to serve London and the South East of England and will support and maintain the status of London as a world city by providing a world-class transport system. Crossrail Limited (CRL) is the nominated undertaker for the project. The project includes the construction of a twin-bore tunnel on a west-east alignment under central London and the upgrading of existing National Rail lines to the east and west of central London. 1.2.2 In addition the project will require the construction of a number of new underground stations and ventilation and emergency access/escape shafts in the tunnelled central section running between Paddington, in the west, and Pudding Mill Lane, in the east. Crossrail will provide convenient rail access to the West End and the City by linking existing routes from Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, with Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west (Figure 1). Page 4 of 20
Figure 1 Crossrail Route Page 5 of 20
2 Background 2.1 Site Location 2.1.1 The proposed development site (hereinafter referred to as the site ) is located in south east London, approximately half a mile east of the existing Plumstead Rail Station within the Royal Borough of Greeenwich (RBG) (Figure 2). It is located between White Hart Avenue to the north west (on which is situated an industrial / warehousing unit); an industrial / warehousing unit to the north east; allotment gardens and a recreation ground with football pitches and a disused bowling green to the south east; the North Kent railway line to the south, with residential properties in Marmadon Road beyond. 2.1.2 About 100m to the north, beyond White Hart Avenue, is the Thames Water Southern Outfall Sewer and about 120m north is a commercial/industrial area on Kellner Road and Nathan Way with HM Belmarsh Prison located beyond. Figure 2 Site Location Page 6 of 20
2.1.3 Immediately adjacent to the west and south west of the site, construction works for the Crossrail Plumstead portal are currently being undertaken by CRL (Figure 3). The portal worksite occupies parts of the former Council Depot and Plumstead Goods Yard sites, located either side of White Hart Road. Figure 3 Crossrail Plumstead Portal Worksite Page 7 of 20
2.2 Site Description 2.2.1 The main part of the site is rectangular in shape approximately 85m wide by 390m long and orientated approximately north east to south west. The southern part of the site is a 550m long west-east strip of land, varying in width between 10m and 40m and running parallel with the railway to a point just west of the White Hart Road bridge. In total the site extends to 5.5ha in area (Figure 4). Figure 4 Temporary Sidings Site Application Boundary Page 8 of 20
2.2.2 Much of the site is vacant brownfield land, which is mostly covered in grassland vegetation. A small area of the site is currently occupied by CRL office and welfare buildings and a recently constructed temporary hard surfaced car park which serves the portal construction site. 2.2.3 The site is generally flat except at its eastern end where tipped material has created raised mounds which are at a level up to 5m higher than that of White Hart Avenue to the north west and the allotments and recreation ground to the south east. 2.3 Need for the Development of the Temporary Sidings 2.3.1 The proposed development of land at Plumstead involves the construction of temporary railway sidings and use of the site in order to supply and install various railway systems (e.g. track, signalling, overhead line equipment) along the length of the Crossrail tunnels. 2.3.2 To be effective, the temporary railway sidings need to: Be as close as possible to the entrances of the Crossrail tunnels, preferably with a direct rail access; Have a connection to the Network Rail (NR) tracks to be able to receive deliveries of equipment and materials by rail; Have sufficient space available to construct a number of railway sidings where works trains can be loaded and unloaded; and Have space for storing and assembling the required volume of equipment and materials prior to it being loaded onto trains for transport into the tunnels. 2.3.3 The original Crossrail proposals (i.e. in the Crossrail Act, 2008) assumed that the railway systems would be installed from temporary railway sidings at Old Oak Common, located between Harlesden and Acton beyond the western end of the Crossrail tunnels. The development of the detailed design and programme for the construction of Crossrail has resulted in a revised proposal for a more efficient way of working which requires temporary sidings at the eastern end of the Crossrail tunnels in addition to those at Old Oak Common. Page 9 of 20
2.3.4 The use of temporary sidings at two sites will allow the installation works to be undertaken simultaneously from the eastern and western ends of the Crossrail tunnels which will reduce the works programme by approximately 6 months. Failure to secure a site for the temporary railway sidings at the eastern end of the tunnels would result in a critical impact on the Crossrail project as a whole, the consequence of which would be a delay to opening the railway and therefore a delay in securing the benefits that Crossrail offers. 2.4 Alternatives 2.4.1 A number of alternatives have been considered for the location of the temporary sidings at the eastern end of the Crossrail tunnels. Bow Midland Yard (near Stratford in east London) was one of the main alternative sites considered. Although this site had the advantage of being close to the entrance to the Crossrail tunnels at Pudding Mill Lane, the lack of direct rail access to the Crossrail tunnels (i.e. requiring new tracks to be provided across the existing Great Eastern Main Line railway) meant it was rejected as a feasible option. Other sites had similar constraints in terms of railway access which have led to these alternatives being dismissed. 2.4.2 Plumstead was selected as the location of the temporary sidings at the eastern end of the Crossrail tunnels due to the site meeting all the requirements set out in Section 2.3.2. The site benefits from: being located immediately adjacent to, and having direct access to, the entrance to the Crossrail tunnels at Plumstead portal; being connected by rail to the existing North Kent Line and NR s Plumstead sidings, negating the need for any extensive new signalling or track connection works and providing a convenient route for delivery of materials and equipment by rail; and having the capacity to stable trains and store the required volume of materials in close proximity to each other. Page 10 of 20
3 The Proposed Development 3.1 Temporary Railway Sidings: Technical Requirements 3.1.1 The development is required to provide the following functional elements (as shown on the site layout plan contained in Figure 5): Train Stabling for Works Trains; Maintenance, Inspection and Cleaning Facilities for Works Trains; Material Storage Areas and Undercover Stores; Waste Storage and Refuse / Recycling Facilities; Accommodation and Welfare Building; Road Vehicle Parking and Circulation Areas; Electrical Substation; and Retaining Wall. Page 11 of 20
Figure 5 Site Layout Plan Page 12 of 20
3.2 Proposed Construction Works and Programme 3.2.1 Construction of the temporary railway sidings will require the removal of approximately 2 metres (average) depth of material across the site to create a level surface on which the railway tracks will be laid. Due to the current differences in ground levels, new retaining walls will be required along the north east boundary of the site (adjoining the industrial warehouse) and also along the southern boundary (alongside the allotments and playing fields). 3.2.2 Construction of the temporary railway sidings will be undertaken between July 2013 and May 2014. During this period, the working hours will be from 08:00 to 18:00 on Monday to Fridays and from 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays, with no work on Sundays. Between May 2014 and August 2018 the temporary railway sidings will operate on a 24 hour / 7 days a week basis. 4 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) 4.1 Background 4.1.1 EIA refers to the whole process by which environmental information on the construction, operation and decommissioning of a development is collected, publicised and taken into account in reaching a decision on a relevant consent application. 4.1.2 The aim of the EIA is to: Obtain relevant environmental information about the site and surrounding area to enable the likely environmental impacts of the proposed development to be assessed; Identify the likely impacts of the proposed development and interpret the nature of these impacts; Identify and describe the measures proposed to prevent, reduce and, where possible, offset any significant adverse impacts on the environment, and; Determine the significance of any residual environmental impacts. Page 13 of 20
4.2 Legislation 4.2.1 Under the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011 (referred to subsequently as the EIA Regulations), if a proposed development is likely to have potentially significant impacts on the environment, an ES may be required, depending on the type of project concerned. 4.2.2 The temporary railway sidings are deemed to be classified as development under the EIA Regulations by virtue of paragraph 13(a)(i) of Schedule 2 i.e. they comprise a change to or extension of development...where that development is already authorised, executed or in the process of being executed and The development as changed or extended may have significant adverse effects on the environment. 4.2.3 A preliminary assessment indicated that the Crossrail works, as proposed to be extended to include the temporary railway sidings at Plumstead, have the potential to result in significant impacts on the environment. As a result, an ES is required to be submitted in support of the application for planning permission in accordance with the EIA Regulations. 4.2.4 The EIA has been undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the EIA Regulations. This ES sets out the findings of the assessment. It provides details of the location and characteristics of the development and identifies characteristics of potential impacts of the proposed development on the environment, including; Any likely significant impacts of the proposed development on the environment including any potential cumulative impacts with other consented developments nearby; and Any effects of the change on the Crossrail project as a whole made by this proposed development. 4.3 The Scope of the Assessment 4.3.1 To ensure the assessment was focussed on relevant issues, the scope of the ES (i.e. the environmental topics and geographical area to be assessed) was discussed and agreed with the RBG, the relevant local planning authority. RBG confirmed that the following specialist topics should be assessed in the EIA: Page 14 of 20
Ground Conditions and Contamination; Water Resources and Flood Risk; Ecology and Nature Conservation; Noise and Vibration; Air Quality; Lighting and Solar Glare; Landscape, Townscape and Visual Amenity; and Transport and Traffic. 4.3.2 For each topic, the assessment considers the likely significant environmental impacts during both the construction and operation of the temporary railway sidings, taking account of both direct and indirect, beneficial and adverse impacts. 4.4 Consultation 4.4.1 Consultation has been undertaken throughout the course of the assessment, including consultation with key statutory and non-statutory consultees, as appropriate to the specialist assessments being undertaken. 4.5 Assessment Methodology 4.5.1 Since the proposed development is required for Crossrail, the EIA has been undertaken in line with the approach used for the Crossrail EIA (2005). The assessment methodologies and significance criteria for each topic have been reviewed to ensure this ES complies with any standards and industry guidelines which have been updated since the Crossrail ES was published in 2005. 4.6 Baseline Information 4.6.1 A wide range of environmental data has been obtained for the purposes of the EIA including: Published documentary information from a variety of sources, including historical and contemporary records; Survey information, including existing ground conditions, background noise levels, landscape character, surface water and flood risk conditions, traffic levels in the road network, habitats and protected species etc; Page 15 of 20
Aerial photography; and Data provided by stakeholders and statutory consultees. 4.7 Mitigation of Impacts 4.7.1 Where the assessment identifies that adverse impacts on the environment are likely, mitigation measures are recommended that will prevent, reduce or offset these. In accordance with the Crossrail ES, it has been assumed that the proposed development will be constructed and operated in accordance with the Crossrail Environmental Minimum Requirements (EMR). As a result, the assessment in this ES assumes that relevant mitigation, as set out in the Crossrail Construction Code (Annex 1 to the EMR) is incorporated and will apply to both the construction and operational phases of the temporary railway sidings. 4.8 Cumulative Impacts 4.8.1 As required by the EIA Regulations, the ES includes an assessment of potential cumulative impacts. In accordance with the Crossrail ES approach, the assessment considers the following types of cumulative impact: The accumulation of different types of impacts from the proposed development at a specific location (e.g. noise and visual intrusion affecting a resident); and Impacts which are the result of the combination of activities associated with the proposed development together with other major development projects nearby. 4.8.2 Two projects were identified which have the potential to result in cumulative impacts on nearby receptors due to overlapping construction programmes: i) Works associated with Crossrail Plumstead portal (located adjacent to the south and west of the site); and ii) Works on the North Kent railway to the south of the site (i.e. widening the existing railway corridor and providing two additional tracks for Crossrail between Plumstead portal and Abbey Wood station). Page 16 of 20
4.8.3 The potential for the portal works to give rise to significant cumulative impacts is considered in each technical assessment section within the ES. A lack of detailed information relating to the railway widening works means it has not been feasible to undertake a cumulative assessment. However, given that both sets of works are for Crossrail, they will be undertaken in accordance with the Crossrail EMR (as described in paragraph 4.7 above) and, as a result, an appropriate package of mitigation measures will be implemented to avoid significant cumulative impacts where practicable. 5 Ground Conditions and Contamination 5.1.1 During the construction of the temporary railway sidings impacts are likely to arise from the disturbance of any existing ground contamination through excavation for foundations for buildings and structures, site re-grading, slope stabilisation and the construction of a retaining wall. For the operational phase, the potential environmental impacts may include those arising from the disturbance of existing ground contamination during any intrusive maintenance works and gas or vapour migration into enclosed spaces. 5.1.2 With implementation of mitigation measures as set out in the Crossrail Construction Code, there will be no significant residual adverse impacts for the proposed development in relation to ground contamination. 6 Water Resources and Flood Risk 6.1.1 The ES examines three main areas: the management and protection of water resources; the management and protection of water quality (looking at potential sources, pathways and receptors); and the impacts of flood risk from and to the site. For each of these areas the assessment shows that no significant residual adverse impacts are likely to result from construction or operational activities as a result of construction control procedures being followed (in accordance with the Crossrail Construction Code) and the appropriate mitigation that is built into the drainage design. Page 17 of 20
7 Ecology and Nature Conservation 7.1.1 The site in not covered by any international, national or local statutory nature conservation designations. The proposal does not include any provision for planting or soft landscaping due to the planned temporary use of the temporary railway sidings facility. The vast majority of existing ecological features present on site are of negligible value and the likely impact upon them is assessed as nonsignificant and no mitigation is deemed to be required. 8 Noise and Vibration 8.1.1 During the construction and operation of the temporary railway sidings, noise impacts are predicted to occur in the vicinity of the development during the daytime. During the night-time operation of the sidings, potentially significant noise impacts are predicted at 115 Marmadon Road, 161 Marmadon Road and 188 Finchdale Road, and potentially significant cumulative noise impacts at 128 Church Manor Way (as a result of the Plumstead portal construction works). The significant noise impacts identified in the assessment are marginal and, in accordance with the Crossrail Construction Code, all reasonable steps will be taken to reduce noise levels so that they are lower than predicted. Such measures will include, but not be limited to: selection of quiet loading methods and quiet plant and equipment; selective enclosure of fixed items of plant and enhanced screening and hoarding. 8.1.2 The steps to be taken to control noise from the loading operations will be agreed with the local authority through the Section 61 consent process (under the Control of Pollution Act 1974). As a result, it is considered unlikely that residual significant impacts will occur at any stage of the development during the day or night-time. No significant noise impacts are predicted from construction traffic and no significant vibration impacts at any time during the development. 9 Air Quality 9.1.1 Dust raising activities will take place both during construction and during the operation of the temporary railway sidings. However, mitigation measures for the worksite will follow Tier 3: enhanced mitigation (as defined in the Crossrail Construction Code). With this level of mitigation, the residual impacts expected Page 18 of 20
during construction and operation of the temporary railway sidings are assessed as non-significant. 10 Landscape, Townscape and Visual Amenity 10.1.1 Due to the operational requirements of the proposed development, the potential for design mitigation with respect to layout is limited and as a result, significant visual impacts are predicted for a number of visual receptors and on the Church Manor Way Sports Ground Character Area during the construction and operational phases. The following mitigation is proposed: rendering or toning of the concrete facing of the retaining wall to aid in the integration of the structure within the landscape; and minimising lighting impact (refer to Section 11 below). 10.1.2 During the construction and operation of the railway sidings, although the application of the mitigation measures noted above and the general controls as set out in the Crossrail Construction Code will reduce the magnitude of the assessed impacts relating to landscape character, the impacts will not be entirely removed. For the Church Manor Way Sports Ground character area, the residual impact will be significant due to the obvious change from the existing landscape character. 11 Lighting and Solar Glare 11.1.1 The levels of light will increase as a result of the temporary railway sidings, as lighting is being introduced in an area currently without any lighting. Solar glare is also considered to increase due to the introduction of train operations at the site. Some properties on Marmadon Road and Church Manor Way will be affected by the proposed development during both the construction and operational phases. However with implementation of mitigation measures, which includes compliance with the Crossrail Construction Code and the Railway Group Standard GI/GN7520 Guidance on Lighting of Railway Premises, no significant residual impacts during both the construction and operation of the temporary railway sidings are predicted. Page 19 of 20
12 Traffic and Transport 12.1.1 There are not expected to be any significant impacts on traffic and transport with the implementation of mitigation as set out in the Crossrail Construction Code. In order to prevent lorries using inappropriate routes for access, all construction and operational traffic generated by the development will use the agreed Crossrail lorry routes. 12.1.2 An Interim Travel Plan has been prepared to help mitigate the impact of the development and reduce the proportion of employee trips to the development by single occupancy vehicles. The plan recommends a series of site specific measures to encourage a shift in travel behaviour from car to non-car modes. Where to find out more information? All of the planning submission material including the ES and associated documents for the Plumstead Temporary Railway sidings is available for inspection at: Planning Department The Woolwich Centre 35 Wellington Street Woolwich London SE18 6HQ Copies of the Environmental Statement and other documents that accompany the planning submission for this proposed development are available by contacting the Agent: Nigel Phelps, Arup-Atkins Design Team, Crossrail, 25 Canada Square, London, E14 5LQ. A reasonable charge will be made for printing and distribution costs. Please note that copies of the Non-Technical Summary are free of charge and electronic copies of the environmental statement on a CD are free of charge. - End of Document - Page 20 of 20
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