Land to the South of Old Mill Road, Sandbach Environmental Impact Assessment Environmental Statement: Non-Technical Summary

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1 Environmental Impact Assessment Report prepared by: Ecus Ltd. Brook Holt 3 Blackburn Road Sheffield S61 2DW September 2013

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3 INTRODUCTION This Non Technical Summary (NTS) forms part of the Environmental Statement (ES) to accompany a Planning Application by Muller Property Group Limited for the construction of up to 250 dwellings, Open Space and New Access off the A534/A533 Roundabout at Land South of Old Mill Road on land to the east of the A534 by-pass, Sandbach (National Grid Reference [NGR] SJ ) (Figure 1). Figure 1: Site Location ( Crown copyright, All rights reserved Licence number ) The development site is irregular in shape and extends to a total of c. 9.2 hectares (22 acres) in size in total, on either side of the A534 road. The development area to the west of the A534 road is approximately 1.2 ha in area and will be solely used for the potential provision of surface water drainage attenuation and ecological mitigation. Land to the east of the A534 will accommodate the Development proposals and extends to 8 ha (hereafter referred to as the development site ). On the 7 th June 2013 Muller Property Group submitted a planning application to Cheshire East Council (CEC) accompanied by environmental assessment reports for the Proposed Development (Planning Reference 13/2389C). Whilst in planning CEC screened the development as a Schedule 2 development under the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment [EIA]) Regulations 2011 based on the likely impacts of the cumulative nature of the developments in close proximity to one another. The cumulative environmental impacts identified by CEC were in relation to 3

4 traffic, noise and air quality and changes in demography. However, CEC suggested that cumulative impacts to schools could be compensated by a financial contribution and as such no further assessment with respect to demography has been undertaken. On that basis the EIA considered the potential impacts of the proposed Development in terms of its effects on traffic, noise and air quality in combination with other recently consented and proposed residential schemes within the locality as defined by CEC. Other environmental reports already submitted with the Planning Application were considered sufficient to adequately assess any remaining environmental effects of the scheme and included; Flood Risk Assessment, Contaminated Land Assessment, Arboricultural Assessment, Ecological Assessment, Archaeological Assessment, Topographical survey, Housing Needs Assessment, Agricultural Land Grading Assessment and Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment. The ES presents the findings of technical environmental studies carried out as part of the EIA in respect of cumulative effects on noise, traffic and air quality only, and accompanies the existing Planning Application for the development. THE DEVELOPER This Planning Application has been prepared and submitted by Muller Property Group Limited (The Applicant). Muller Property Group is a local business who produce high quality, bespoke residential schemes. THE ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT The ES has been prepared by Ecus Ltd and technical specialists to accompany the Planning Application in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations It includes consideration of potential effects to the environment that may occur throughout the life of the project including during the construction and operational phases. The potential for cumulative effects to occur in conjunction with other major schemes in the vicinity has been included within the assessment of impacts. SITE SELECTION AND LAYOUT DESIGN Consideration of design alternatives has been undertaken as an intrinsic part of the scheme development and the proposed scheme has been through design modifications, to achieve the final layout whilst minimising the environmental impacts. The design process also proceeded in response to consultation with CEC. assessments were used to inform the design in an iterative way. THE PROPOSED SCHEME Early The proposed scheme comprises a Planning Application covering approximately 9.2 ha of agricultural land. At this stage the application is for outline consent only with all matters except access reserved. The proposed layout is shown in Figure 2. 4

5 Figure 2: Proposed Development Layout ( Crown copyright, All rights reserved Licence number ) The Outline aplication is for up to 250 dwellings, Open Space and New Access off the A534/A533 Roundabout at Land South of Old Mill Road on land to the east of the A534 bypass, Sandbach. The land to the west of the A534 is identified solely for potential surface water attenuation and ecological mitigation. The construction procurement will be undertaken through a competent main contractor arrangement. The application is for outline planning permission only and as such the phasing of the construction period will be subject to market demand. Construction methods will be prefabricated wherever practically possible to enable the construction programme and site works to operate to a minimum in terms of timescale and disturbance. Mitigation control 5

6 of dust and mud will be undertaken by the contractor in accordance with prepared method statements. CONSULTATION AND SCOPING A number of pre-application meetings and discussions have taken place between CEC, statutory consultees and the applicant team to discuss the proposal. The purpose of these meetings has been to confirm the principles of the Development and to confirm the content of the supporting information that forms part of the planning submission. These discussions have also been useful to disseminate information and resolve any queries or issues. The details of these discussions are summarised below. Informal pre-application discussions have been held with planning officers at CEC to confirm the content of the planning submission and to keep them abreast of the progress that is being made with the submission. Detailed discusions have been undertaken with the Council ecologist to agree the mitigation and compensation area proposed. Muller Property Group Limited held a public exhibition for the Development at Sandbach Town Hall on 19 th April 2013 and was attended by 45 people. A copy of the Statement of Community Involvement has been included with the planning application and provide full details. Sixteen feedback forms were completed which raised the following issue; impacts on highways, loss of allotments, impact on existing infrastructure and amenity. Cheshire East Council on the 25 th June 2013 CEC screened the development as a Schedule 2 development under the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011 based on cumulative environmental impacts in relation to traffic, noise and air quality and changes in demography. However, CEC suggested that cumulative impacts to schools could be compensated by a financial contribution and as such no further assessment with respect to demography has been undertaken. Cheshire East Council provided a list of schemes they wished to see considered within the EIA and each assessment has considered these schemes within the ES. A written request by Ecus Ltd on behalf of Muller Property Group Limited for an EIA scoping opinion was submitted to CEC planning department on 1 st July 2013 with a response received on 7 th August 2013 providing details of the required scope of proposed cumulatve traffic, noise and air quality impact assessment. PLANNING POLICY The relevant development plan document for Sandbach is the Congleton Borough Local Plan First Review (2005). Following the revocation of the North West of England Plan Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) 2021 its policies no longer form part of the Development Plan, however its housing figures represents the last tested database for calculating housing requirements. Sandbach is identified as a Tier 1 settlement in the adopted Local Plan and a Key Service Centre settlement in the emerging Local Plan. The adopted and emerging Local Plan policies therefore support housing development at Sandbach. There is also an acknowledgment in the emerging Local Plan that greenfield sites will need to be released in order to deliver CEC s growth requirements. As the site is outside of the settlement boundary and part of the site is designated as a Wildlife Corridor, the Local Planning Authority will need to be satisfied that the proposal would not have an unacceptable impact on the site. The ecology, air quality, land quality and flood risk assessments undertaken within this Application have confirmed that the potential impacts can be mitigated. The supporting documentation shows that this is a sustainable site and also confirms that the benefits of the Development will outweigh any adverse impacts. The NPPF was published in March 2012 and replaces Planning Policy Statements and Guidance. At the heart of the NPPF is the presumption in favour of sustainable 6

7 development. Paragraph 49 of the NPPF states Housing applications should be considered in the context of the presumption in favour of sustainable development. Paragraphs 14 and 15 of the NPPF confirm that sustainable development proposals that accord with the Development Plan should be approved without delay; and where the Development Plan is absent, silent or relevant policies are out of date, permission should be granted unless any adverse impacts would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits. There are no adverse impacts which would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of this application. TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT An assessment of potential cumulative impacts of the scheme in combination with other residential developments as defined by CEC was undertaken by SCP. The assessment included traffic impact on the adjacent highway network, sustainability and transport planning policy requirements. The impact of the traffic arising from the Development in combination with identified cumulative schemes was tested in detail at the key locations agreed with CEC. The assessments show that a number of the junctions either have sufficient spare capacity to accommodate the Proposed Development in combination with relevant sumulative schemes or the Development in conjunction with cumulative schemes will not have a significant impact on the operation of these junctions once mitigation has been implemented. The proposed improvements have been assessed and will result in the junctions operating better than if the Proposed Development and associated improvements did not take place. There is a realistic choice of modes of transport to and from the site and a Travel Plan is included within the ES Appendices. NOISE AND VIBRATION An assessment of cumulative noise impacts during construction and operation of the proposed Development was undertaken by RPS. Assessment demonstrated that the application site is suitable for proposed residential use. Noise levels from the local road network is moderately high and suitable internal noise conditions for future residents can be achieved by the appropriate specification of glazing and ventilation and the use of a buffer zone. Suitable noise conditions for garden areas can be achieved by appropriate orientation of plots and acoustic fencing. During the construction period any noise impacts would be temporary in nature and the principal building contractor should endeavour to use best practice measures to reduce construction noise as far as possible. It is not currently known whether piled foundations will be required. Should piling be required within close proximity to existing nearby sensitive receptors, methods to reduce the vibration impact, for example through bored piles, should be investigated at the detailed design stage. When compared to the high levels of road traffic that currently exist on the local road network, the predicted increase in road traffic noise due to the proposed Development is considered to be negligible. Through the use of the glazing and ventilation design measures, the impact of ambient noise levels on future occupants of the Proposed Development is not considered to be significant. AIR QUALITY Air quality impacts arising from the proposed Development in combination with identified cumulative schemes were assessed by REC Ltd. During the construction phase of the development there is potential for air quality impacts as a result of fugitive dust emissions from the site. Assuming good practice dust control measures are implemented, the residual significance of potential air quality impacts from dust generated by demolition, earthworks, construction and trackout activities is considered to be negligible. 7

8 The development in combination with identified cumulative schemes may cause air quality impacts at sensitive receptors and the nearby Air Quality Management Area as a result of exhaust emissions associated with vehicle trips generated by the Proposed Development during the operational phase. However the significance of predicted impacts on nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and particulate matter (PM 10 ) concentrations as a result of operational phase road vehicle exhaust emissions are considered to be negligible at the Air Quality Management Area and all sensitive receptor locations within the vicinity of the site. CONCLUSIONS This Non Technical Summary has outlined the findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment for proposed development land to the south of Old Mill, Sandbach. Full details of the assessments undertaken are set out in the Environmental Statement, accompanying technical appendices and reports submitted with the Planning Application. Further information on the scheme design, planning policy and community interest package are contained within the Planning Application documents. No significant residual environmental impacts are anticipated to result from any aspect of the development as proposed. The development will provide creation of high quality residential properties in a sustainable loction to contribute to CECs future housing requirements. The Proposed Development will contribute towards social housing needs in the local area and provide ecological enhancements that will benefit local wildlife. The full Environmental Statement and its technical appendices have been distributed to CEC and key consultees. It is available for public inspection on the CEC website and at their offices during the statutory consultation period. 8