Cork s Farm. Proposals for land at Cork s Farm in Marchwood. existing site. About the joint venture partners

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1 existing site Welcome The Trustees of the Barker-Mill Estates and Trant Engineering would like to welcome you to our community exhibition. Our exhibition aims to give you a better understanding of the emerging proposals for land at. The Barker-Mill Estates and Trant Engineering joint venture team are in the early stages of developing proposals for an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant, alongside community facilities including allotments, an orchard, gardens and a small business park at Cork s Farm in Marchwood. The AD plant would generate enough renewable energy to power approximately 2,000 homes. The new community facilities would comprise allotments with an associated amenities building providing a meeting room, toilets and storage; additional public open space with a community orchard and gardens offering attractive recreation space that would link to the waterfront via the existing public right of way. The proposals are at a preliminary stage; however, Barker-Mill Estates and Trant Engineering are keen to discuss the proposals with the local community. Thank you for taking the time to attend our exhibition and we look forward to receiving your feedback. About the joint venture partners Barker-Mill Estates comprises of land owned and managed by the Barker-Mill Family and its Trustees. As you may know, the Barker-Mill Family is a long established family with deep roots in Hampshire. After 500 years, the family is very aware of its legacy and is strongly committed to supporting the local community. To the immediate west of Southampton, the estates include the lower Test Valley and substantial parts of Nursling and Rownhams. On the eastern edge of the New Forest the estates cover 3,000 acres of land, which includes parts of Hounsdown, Eling, Marchwood, Colbury, Ashurst and Longdown. As well as prominent areas near Southampton and in the New Forest National Park, the estates own and manage land between Milford on Sea and New Milton, which covers 1,000 acres. Mainly consisting of farmland, grazing, paddocks and commercial units, the estates also features a wide range of residential properties, of which a majority are located in the Nursling area of Southampton and the villages of Ashurst and Colbury. Trant Engineering is a leading engineering and construction provider to the process and energy sectors, committed to providing safe, high-quality design and build engineering solutions to customers across the power and distribution industry. Trant would develop, design and construct the scheme. Proposals for land at

2 Site plan Quayside Walk Normandy Way Admiralty Way Background Barker-Mill Estates owns 12 hectares (30 acres) of land off Normandy Way, Marchwood, which is surrounded by mixed-use development, mostly industrial and residential. The site falls between Marchwood s sewage treatment plant, household waste recycling centre, housing and the power station. The proposals have been driven by the need to generate renewable energy, reduce greenhouse gases, improve our energy security, divert more waste from rapidly filling and expensive landfills and meet a need for small, start-up units for local businesses. Site context The land is constrained by the overhead power lines and underground services. For this reason, it is unsuitable for residential development. The land is however, due to its proximity to other household waste and energy transmission facilities, suitable for the proposed development. The project team carried out a number of tests to check for possible soil contamination, these included bore holes, trial pits, soakage tests, gas monitoring and soil analysis. The results show that the site is in good order. There are areas to the south west of the site that have some organic material buried at depth, this is decaying naturally but has resulted in low concentrations of methane. The site borders land owned by ABP and Southern Water which is also a designated SSSI, SPA, NNR and Ramsar site. Ecological surveys conclude that there are no overriding ecological constraints to the development of the site due to extensive grazing of the land. Proposals for land at

3 Proposed AD Plant Anaerobic Digestion safe, secure and renewable energy Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is a series of natural biological processes where organic waste material is broken down by micro-organisms and converted into biogas - a source of renewable energy. The biogas would be used on-site to generate renewable heat for the proposed small industrial units. Any excess electricity would be exported into the national electricity grid and could power approximately 2,000 homes. The benefits of AD AD produces affordable, renewable energy reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and contributing to the UK s energy security. AD helps reduce our reliance on landfill and incineration, diverting council tax from rubbish into hospitals, schools, roads and parks. A meeting room at the site would provide educational opportunities for local schools, colleges and community groups. The Process The AD process also produces digestate, a nutrient-rich product that can be used as a fertiliser. Although the technology we use today is modern, AD has been used for well over 100 years. Until recently, AD had been mainly used in the UK to treat sewage sludge. However, with the increase in food waste in our modern society, the pressure of rapidly filling landfills, and the need to reduce greenhouse gases, AD is now being used to sustainably treat a whole range of organic waste materials. Organic waste e.g. food from local hospitals, schools and homes Delivered in sealed 20 yard skips Anaerobic digester Biogas Power Homes and businesses Who would operate the plant? Digestate (fertiliser) Heat for business park and plants We are talking with a number of potential competent operators. The operator of the AD plant will be decided if planning is approved. The plant would not be built until an appropriately qualified operator is secured. Crops Proposals for land at

4 New Community Facilities and job Opportunities The Trustees of the Barker-Mill Estates are committed to developing new community facilities alongside the AD plant and small industrial units. We would like the community to help shape the proposals for the allotments, orchard and open space to ensure we offer a space the community want and can be proud of. The proposed new facilities would include: 63 allotments measuring 10 x 10 metres (100 sq m) for Marchwood residents. Associated amenities building providing meeting room, toilets and storage. Key access only car park for allotment holders. Community orchard for residents to help themselves to fruit. Gardens providing attractive open space for recreation and dog walking. New footpaths across the site that link to the existing footpath network and the waterfront. Community gardens A wetland area and a planted green corridor stretching along the boundary of the site providing new habitat for wildlife. Allotments for Marchwood residents Who would maintain the Community Areas? There are two options for maintaining the proposed community areas. The first is for the Barker-Mill Estates team to maintain the open space, and the other is for the space to be gifted to Marchwood Parish Council alongside a fund to pay for ongoing future maintenance works. If the land is gifted to the parish council, which the Trustees of Barker Mill Estates are happy to do, it will help ensure the green public open space is protected from future development. Creating jobs It is expected that the proposed AD plant will create up to 12 jobs, with a demand for local trades and services during construction and operation running into several hundred thousand pounds. The small business park could also provide up to 250 job opportunities. Proposals for land at

5 business Park for Start-up Companies The plans include 18 Class B2 industrial units designed for small businesses and start-up companies. Our vision is to design and build the units to the highest environmental standards. These would be highly insulated buildings, complete with solar panels on the rooftops and heating would be provided by the AD plant through a district heating system. The industrial units would be single storey in height, with an internal mezzanine floor, and it is likely that conditions would be in place to prevent the units from being extended, consolidated or amalgamated. The units would be much smaller than the existing industrial units in Marchwood and could create up to 250 jobs. The Trustees would also insist that small businesses wishing to occupy the units have green-credentials. Proposed Business park Being a good neighbour High-quality landscaping and minimising visual impact The proposed AD plant would be positioned at the furthest possible distance from existing residential properties, where the ground level is lowest. This will help to screen the reception building and tanks from view. We would plant extensive vegetation including native species of hedging and trees as part of the landscaping improvements, creating a valuable habitat for wildlife. A green fringe would stretch from the southern edge of the site and around the eastern boundary, and there would be green corridors across the site to screen buildings and hard elements. Protecting the environment The joint venture team is committed to doing its part to protect the environment, and takes its responsibilities to both the environment and the local community very seriously. The AD plant would be regulated by the Environment Agency under an Environmental Permit. In order to gain a permit we would have to demonstrate our competence as an operator and agree to a set of rules which help to ensure the environment is protected. The site would be subject to regular visits and inspections from the Environment Agency to ensure compliance, and if at any time the authorities are unhappy with compliance the plant would be shut down. Proposals for land at

6 Site Entrance and Exit for atanaerobic Digestion Plant Proposals for land Business Way Park Units proposed Access off Normandy Site Entrance and Exit for Vehicles Being a good neighbour Managing traffic and highways improvements Minimising impact The AD plant would operate securely 24 hours a day but to minimise disturbance, deliveries would be limited to off-peak hours: i.e. between 9am - 4pm Monday to Friday and 9am - 1pm on Saturday. There would be up to seven deliveries per day, with two loads of digestate leaving the site. This would result in a maximum of 16 vehicle movements in and out for the AD Plant each day. We expect that up to 500 vehicle movements (250 in, and 250 out) could be associated with the business park. The Environmental Permits necessary to operate the AD plant require the control of odour. Feedstock for the AD plant would be delivered in closed vessels and vehicles, received in a closed reception area, and the digestion process would take place in sealed tanks. Where there is the potential for malodorous air being produced, this air would be extracted and treated in a dedicated odour control plant. The proposed access to the site has been placed at the furthest western point, in order to keep disturbance as far away from the main residential area as possible. Traffic counts have already been carried out at peak times on multiple occasions. This traffic data will inform the emerging proposals and the junction improvements required. Hampshire County Council has already told us that junction improvements would be required. These improvements can be paid for by the development and are likely to include the A326/Jacobs Gutter Lane and the Marchwood Road/Bury Road junctions. The feedstock for the AD plant is primarily fruit and vegetables from supermarkets that are past their sell by date but in most cases, this is still fit for consumption and does not smell. The other major component is food waste from food manufacturers, and kitchen scraps from schools and hospitals and homes. Such waste, is not stored at schools and hospitals for long; it is therefore delivered relatively fresh to AD plants. Otherwise it would go to landfill, where it would decay and breakdown to produce methane (a potent greenhouse gas) which would escape into the atmosphere. Noise would also be strictly regulated. All activities would be conducted within the acoustically sealed building and would therefore not generate noise above the naturally occurring background noise level. What happens now? The proposals are still at a preliminary stage and we are seeking your feedback on the plans. We have provided comment forms for you to give us your views and we would be very grateful if you could take the time to complete one. We will carefully review all of the responses and, where possible, use your feedback to help shape the final proposal. Once we have refined the proposal in line with community feedback, a planning application will be submitted to New Forest District Council and Hampshire County Council. We expect this to be submitted in Spring Thank you for your time Proposals for land at

7 Site plan Proposals for land at Quayside Walk Normandy Way Admiralty Way

8 Aerial view perspective Proposals for land at

9 Site Sections Quayside Walk Normandy Way Admiralty Way Proposals for land at