Napier Gateway Environmental Statement Non-technical Summary

Transcription

1 Napier Gateway Environmental Statement Non-technical Summary

2 ENVIRONMENT J2 Global Corporation Ltd Napier NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY

3 ENVIRONMENT J2 Global Corporation Ltd Napier NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY Birmingham Livery Place, 35 Livery Street, Colmore Business District, Birmingham, B3 2PB T: Leeds Whitehall Waterfront, 2 Riverside Way, Leeds LS1 4EH T: London 11 Borough High Street London SE1 9SE T: Manchester 4th Floor Carvers Warehouse, 77 Dale Street Manchester, M1 2HG T: Nottingham Waterfront House, Station Street, Nottingham NG2 3DQ T: B W B C o n s u l t i n g L t d : R e g i s t e r e d i n E n g l a n d

4 CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 Overview 1 What is an Environmental Impact Assessment? 1 What is a Non-Technical Summary? 1 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 2 What is being built? 2 What is being built? 2 When is being built here? 2 What will it look like? 3 Who has been told about this development? 3 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 4 What is the existing environment like in and around the Site? 4 What will happen to local air quality once the development is operational? 4 Will dust be released during construction and operation of the development? 4 Will the construction and operation of the development cause a lot of noise? 5 Will the construction of the development lead to more traffic along Kimpton Road and the surrounding local roads? 5 Will the operation of the development lead to more traffic through Luton and surrounding roads? 5 What impact will the development have on local wildlife? 6 Are there going to be any daylight, sunlight and overshadowing effects on the surrounding residential properties? 6 Is there any contaminated land on the site? 7 Will the development bring new jobs to the area? 7 What will the impact be on the local facilities? 7 Will building the development cause flooding problems? 7 How will spillages be managed should there be any during the construction of the development? 8 Will the development impact on the sewer network? 8 Is any archaeology likely to be found during the construction of the development? 8 Will there be any impact on heritage assets? 8 What measures may be undertaken to limit negative impacts? 9 TABLES Table NTS -1 - Summary of Mitigation FIGURES Figure NTS -1 Extent of Proposed Development and Planning Application boundary Figure NTS - 2 The Proposed Development

5 Overview INTRODUCTION The Proposed Development is mixed use including 685 residential units of 2 and 1 bed apartments; 13 retail units; a commercial gym; medical wellbeing centre; 209 room hotel; and a banqueting and conference facility. New access routes are proposed from Kimpton Road, onsite provision of infrastructure and associated public realm and landscaping. As part of the planning process, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been undertaken to understand the potential environmental effects that the new development may have on the surrounding environment during both the construction and operation of the Proposed Development. What is an Environmental Impact Assessment? An EIA is a process that identifies the key environmental impacts of a development and suggests ways that these impacts can be reduced / managed. It is required by law for developments that have the potential to cause a number of different environmental impacts. For this specific project the requirement for the EIA was a decision made by Luton Borough Council. The findings of this process are reported in a document called an Environmental Statement (ES), which will be in the public domain for anyone to review. What is a Non-Technical Summary? The full results of the EIA, including baseline information, surveys and technical assessments are available in the ES, as stated above. The findings are then summarised and presented in this Non-Technical Summary. This document is presented as a series of key questions and answers regarding the Proposed Development. 1

6 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT What is being built? J2 Corporation Global Ltd propose to construct 685 residential units inclusive of 1 and 2 bed apartments; 13 retail units; a commercial gym; medical wellbeing centre; hotel with 209 bedrooms; and banqueting and conferencing facility. The development will be accessed from the Spine Road connected in to Kimpton Road with an internal road network enabling access to all buildings. The primary access to Site for pedestrians and cyclists is along Kimpton Road and a number of footpaths / hardstanding areas will also connect the various buildings for pedestrian usage. Where is it being built? The new development will be built approximately 1.5km southeast of Luton Town Centre and 1km west of Luton Airport. The land is currently vacant, as shown in Figure 2.1 below. The red line on the aerial plan defines the extent of the planning application boundary. Figure NTS -1 Extent of Proposed Development and Planning Application boundary When will the construction work start? It is presently considered that the work will start on site in 2017 and take approximately three years to complete in full. 2

7 What will it look like? The visualisation below gives an impression of what the new development will look like. Figure NTS - 2 The Proposed Development Who has been told about this development? Consultation is an important part of the EIA process. It enables the views of the LPA and Statutory consultees to be incorporated into the assessment methodologies to ensure a focused and relevant assessment is undertaken that thoroughly address any potential environmental impacts that could arise as a result of the Proposed Development. A number of parties have been consulted, including Natural England, Historic England, Highways England and all relevant departments of Luton Borough Council. A form of e-consultation has been carried out within the local community. This has involved a leaflet / letter drop to circa 1,200 addresses within a defined area around the Site (the area reflects that of the previous consultation process carried out in 2012 for the Napier Park masterplan proposals). The letter attached a leaflet with a summary of the proposals, provided contact details for responses or for telephone conversation about the proposals. As the letter identifies the applicant is amenable to meetings with / further discussions with those who request greater information. 3

8 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS What is the existing environment like in and around the Site? The Site currently consists of a mixture of brownfield land, grassy areas and overgrown scrub. The Site is bounded to the south by Kimpton Road. Open land lies to the north and west of the Site. This land was once developed, but has since been cleared. The Vauxhall Motors lies to the east. The Site currently slopes gradually from 121m Above Ordnance Datum (AOD) to 113m AOD, however, this will be levelled to 117m before being handed over to J2 Global Corporation Ltd. The Site will also be remediated prior to handing over to remove any contaminants from the ground. What will happen to local air quality once the development is operational? The existing air quality at the Site is well within the standards and objectives set out in the UK Air Quality Strategy. Once the development is fully operational, there will be an increase of daily vehicle movements on the local road network. However, it is not anticipated to generate any additional heavy goods vehicle movements. Due to the current air quality levels on Site and with the calculated increases, it is not expected to have a negative impact on the area or on the residential properties in the surrounding area. The development proposals include a Travel Plan, which will encourage more sustainable transport modes for residents and visitors to the Site to adopt. It will also encourage the adoption of low emission transport across the wider area of Luton and beyond. Will dust be released during construction and operation of the development? Dust levels will increase during the construction phase of the development. This is mainly due to the demolition of small areas of hardstanding, the earthworks, piling, concrete batching and movement of vehicles throughout the Site. In order to reduce the effect of dust on Site and in the surrounding area some of the following measures will be undertaken: Cutting, grinding and sawing to be undertaken prior to bringing materials / parts to the Site; Water suppression will be used to reduce the amount of dust generated; Skips, chutes and conveyors to be completely covered to ensure that dust does not escape; Haul routes will be swept and washed regularly; Vehicle wheels will be washed when leaving the Site; and Delivery areas, stockpiles and particularly dusty items of construction plant to be kept as far away from neighbouring properties as possible. 4

9 It is not anticipated that the development will have a significant effect on dust levels once it is operational. Will the construction and operation of the development cause a lot of noise? Due to the distance of surrounding residential properties it is not anticipated that the development will have an impact on the noise environment. However, to control the impact of noise from construction activities, the following will be utilised where possible along with other best practice procedures: silenced plant and equipment will be used where possible; Engines will be switched off when not in use; Acoustic enclosures to be fitted where possible to suppress noisy equipment; and Electrically driven equipment to be selected where possible. During the operational phase, any mechanical services plant will be controlled and therefore not have any noise effects to the surrounding environment. In terms of the noise effects on the residential and hotel users of the development, sufficient acoustic glazing and acoustically treated ventilation systems will be installed to ensure that the approved noise targets are met. Other noise impacts on the environment of the development come from the aircraft noise, road traffic and deliveries. However, none of these will have a significant impact. During the construction, will the development lead to more traffic along Kimpton Road and the surrounding local roads? It is anticipated that the development will increase in the number of vehicles moving along the local highway network including an increase in the number of HGV movements to and from the Site. Whilst this will increase the traffic flows in the area, it is anticipated that this increase will be less than 1% of the existing daily flow on Kimpton Road. Will the operation of the development lead to more traffic through Luton and surrounding roads? The development will increase the traffic flows in the surrounding road network. Kimpton Road traffic flows will increase over 30% and the Napier Park Spine Road will increase from zero to 6,559 vehicles. Additional increases will occur in the surrounding areas, namely on Vauxhall Way with an increase of 3%, the A1081 will increase by 5% in traffic flows and Windmill Road to increase by 15%. No increase is anticipated for Airport Way. 5

10 What impact will the development have on local wildlife? A desk study of the Site showed that there were no Statutory or Non-Statutory sites within the Site or within 2km. However, 8 County Wildlife Sites and 5 District Wildlife sites lie within 2km, the nearest approximately 0.2km northwest of the Proposed Development. Due to the nature of the Proposed Development and the distance, the Proposed Development will not have a direct or indirect impact on the non-designated sites. An ecological survey was carried out in October At the time of the survey, it was recorded that there were minimal habitats and species which the Proposed Development could have an impact on. The habitats identified were vegetation, scattered scrub, introduced scrub and scattered trees. The habitats within the Site are classed as no value for roosting bats and low value to any foraging. It is also possible that the Site could be used by any birds during breeding bird season. Particular species identified that are Birds of Conservation Concern are the black redstart and the little ringed plover. During the construction phase, timed clearance will be carried out to avoid any impact upon breeding birds. In addition to this, an Environmental Management Plan will be produced and followed ensuring that the environment is protected and controls are put in place during the construction phase to protect any habitats and species in the surrounding areas. A bat friendly lighting scheme will be implemented during this phase. The operational phase of the Proposed Development will have additional landscape planting, green / brown roofs and green walls, bird and bat boxes and a sensitive lighting scheme. With these measures in place, there are minor beneficial impacts to habitats, trees, bats and birds. The black redstart and little ringed plover could potentially have minor adverse effects from the Proposed Development. Are there going to be any daylight, sunlight and overshadowing effects on the surrounding residential properties? An assessment was carried out in the surrounding areas to determine any buildings and amenity spaces that could be impacted by the Proposed Development in relation to Daylight, Sunlight and Overshadowing. This assessment identified that there are currently no existing properties within the shadow path of the Proposed Development and therefore no mitigation measures need to be proposed. How will the development impact the views for existing residents, road users, passengers of Luton Airport and Hotel users at the Hampton Hotel? Due to the scale of the development, it is anticipated that new built form will be visible in its immediate surroundings. The most notable changes during the construction phase will be to upper floor users on properties around Ketton Close, users of Kimpton Road and passengers leaving Luton Parkway Station heading north towards Kimpton Road. 6

11 During the construction phase of the development, temporary buildings will be carefully positioned along with erection of hoarding to reduce visual disturbance of the construction. Once the development is operational, views will be afforded from Ketton Close, guests within the north facing rooms at the adjacent Hampton Hotel, railway passengers leaving the station heading towards Kimpton Road and Kimpton Road itself. The assessment has concluded that following the construction of the Proposed Development the views of the urban environment will be enhanced. Views from Crawley Green Cemetery, Manor Park, Stockwood Park, and guests walking within the grounds of Luton Hoo will be altered. Is there any contaminated land on the site? At the point of the Site being handed over to J2 Global Corporation Ltd, remediation works will have already been undertaken. However, if construction work was undertaken without any preventative measures put in to place there would be the potential for hydrocarbons to remain within the site. In order to reduce these risks, a number of measures will be put in place including the CEMP; clean cover in soft landscaping areas and communal public open space; ground gas protection measures in to the buildings; and pipes which have a chemically resistant material. Will the development bring new jobs to the area? It is anticipated that the construction of the development will generate around 170 full time jobs. Once the development is operational, a range of new jobs will be created. It is anticipated that the hotel, conference and banqueting facilities would accommodate around 70 full time jobs. The retail space is expected to produce approximately 240 full time jobs, the proposed gym approximately 15 full time jobs and the medical centre to produce approximately 25 jobs. In total the development would accommodate approximately 350 full time jobs. What will the impact be on the local facilities? It is anticipated that the development will increase demand on the local facilities, such as healthcare facilities; primary schools; open space / children s play space; and sports facilities. Discussions will be carried out with the council to agree how to deal with the increased demand for GP s, Schools etc. Will building the development cause flooding problems? The Site falls within Flood Zone 1 which is defined as land assessed as having a less than 1 in 1,000 annual probability of river or sea flooding. In addition to this, the nearest watercourse is the River Lea located approximately 155m to the south of the Site and 7

12 therefore there is not considered to be significant flood risk posed to the Site from this watercourse. Temporary attenuation and drainage structures will be implemented during construction to prevent surface water flooding. For the operational phase, a drainage strategy including Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems will be designed to significantly reduce surface water run-off rates and therefore there will be a beneficial impact to the Site. How will spillages be managed should there be any during the construction of the development? During the construction phase there will be a number of heavy plant vehicles on Site which have the potential to spill fuels. In addition to this, during any large earthworks, sediments and contaminants could destabilise. All construction activity should be carried out following a strict Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) which will include incident response procedures. The CEMP will also detail control of suspended sediments to prevent any harmful substances infiltrating the water environment. Will the development impact on the sewer network? During the construction phase, welfare facilities will be provided on Site such as portaloos, therefore any disposable waste will be taken off-site and not affect the existing sewer network. Enabling works have included installing the permanent sewer and drainage connections and extending sewers where needed, which will provide sufficient capacity for the Proposed Development and not pose any impact on the existing network. Is any archaeology likely to be found during the construction of the development? The Site has been landscaped and developed substantially over a period of time. As a result of this, it is considered that it is highly unlikely any archaeology will be found during the construction of the development. Will there be any impact on heritage assets? The Grade II listed building for the Vauxhall car works, Someries Castle and Luton Hoo Hotel have been assessed as heritage assets. Someries Castle and Luton Hoo Hotel have limited views and are far enough away for the development to be minimally altered in terms of the setting of these assets. In relation to the Grade II listed building, it has been established that the important aspects of the setting to this building will be unaltered and therefore will also have minimal impact. 8

13 What measures may be undertaken to limit negative impacts? The measures that will be employed to reduce or mitigate the potential impacts on the environment are summarised in Table NTS - 1 below. Table NTS -1 - Summary of Mitigation Topic Area Measures to reduce the negative effects Site preparation, earthworks and construction phase Operational Phase Transport Construction Traffic Management Plan Enabling works included consented S.278 scheme and Travel Plan Noise Best practicable means Sound insulation for buildings and layout design Planning condition Air Quality Dust suppression mitigation measures and general good practice Provision of Travel Plan measures Timed clearance Ecology Implementation of Environmental Management Plan Undertaking tree works in accordance with the arboricultural method statement produced for the site Landscape planting Green / brown roofs and green walls Bird and bat boxes Bat friendly lighting scheme / Sensitive lighting scheme Daylight, Sunlight and Overshadowing None required None required Wind None required Provide 6m high evergreen trees or 1.5m high shrubs or planters Provide 2m high solid balustrade and 1.5m high shrubs or planters along SW edge 2m, on south-west facing edge of the terrace, with a lower 1.5m balustrade on the north-west or south-east edge according to location. Alternatively, provide 1.5m high shrubs or planters or porous screens along the edges of the terraces to diffuse oncoming winds Provide full-height solid or porous screening to one side of corner balconies Heritage None required None required 9

14 Topic Area Measures to reduce the negative effects Site preparation, earthworks and construction phase Operational Phase Water All construction activity to be carried out following a strict CEMP Temporary attenuation and drainage structures to be implemented where needed Planning Policy Guidance to be followed Welfare facilities should be provided e.g. porta-loos An appropriate drainage strategy including SUDs will be designed to significantly reduce surface water runoff rates Enabling works have included installing permanent sewer and drainage connections, extending drainage / sewers and ducts for permanent service mains providing sufficient capacity within the existing sewer network Incorporation of clean cover in soft landscaping areas and communal public open space Ground conditions CEMP including methods to limit dust and waste generation and surface water management plans Preparation of a Piling Works Risk Assessment Impermeable capping of the site Preparation of a Piling Works Risk Assessment Incorporation of ground gas protection measures into buildings Construction of pipes using barrier pipe or ductile iron or similarly chemically resistant material Construction of clean service corridors CEMP to ensure good site management and housekeeping practises Landscape and Visual Amenity Careful siting of temporary buildings, storage areas, construction machinery and equipment etc. to avoid visual intrusion where possible Erection of temporary wooden hoarding around the site for visual screening of ground level construction activities. This could be painted dark green so as to temporarily offset vegetation loss and be of minimal visual intrusion in its own right High quality building design and materials that are sympathetic with adjacent buildings. High quality public open space design including both hard and soft landscape details Socio-economics None required S106 obligations 10

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