Replacement Environmental Statement Volume 0 Revised Non Technical Summary of the Environmental Statement

Transcription

1 Document 12 Lodge Hill Outline Planning Application Replacement Environmental Statement Volume 0 Revised Non Technical Summary of the Environmental Statement February 2014

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3 Lodge Hill Outline Planning Application on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation Replacement Environmental Statement Volume 0: Non-Technical Summary Prepared by Hyder Consulting February 2014 This Replacement Environmental Statement forms part of a suite of updated documents which comprise the Lodge Hill Outline Planning Application.

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5 Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Manning House 22 Carlisle Place London SW1P 1JA United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) Lodge Hill Outline Planning Application on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation Replacement Environmental Statement Volume 0: Non-Technical Summary Author Various authors, managed by Caroline Soubry-Smith Checker Leslie Walker / Tim Carter Approver David Mythen Report No 5106-UA LN-R-01 Date February 2014 This report has been prepared for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation in accordance with the terms and conditions of appointment for Lodge Hill. Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited ( ) cannot accept any responsibility for any use of or reliance on the contents of this report by any third party. Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page i

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7 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION Previous Submissions Description of the Proposed Development Vision for the Proposed Development ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS Ecology Cultural Heritage Air Quality Noise and Vibration Water Quality, Drainage and Flood Risk Geology and Contaminated Land Transport and Access Landscape and Visual Impact Community and Socio-Economics Waste Management Cumulative Effects Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page ii

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9 1 INTRODUCTION The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is submitting a Replacement Environmental Statement (ES) as a supporting document to the Outline Planning Application (OPA) for the redevelopment of land at Lodge Hill (the Site ). The location of the Site is shown in Figure 1-1. The Proposed Development will be delivered by a developer or developers ( hereafter referred to as the Developer ), who will be obliged to adhere to the principles of this document and any conditions and obligations attached to the planning consent, if granted. Contains Ordnance Survey data Crown copyright and database right 2011 Figure 1-1 Site Location The Replacement Environmental Statement (ES) is a substantive document update which supersedes all previous versions of the ES. The ES reports the findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Proposed Development. The ES describes the Proposed Development, the baseline environment and the likely significant environmental effects after mitigation. The purpose of the ES is to ensure that the likely significant effects of the Proposed Development on the environment are fully understood and taken into account before the decision-maker determines the OPA. 1.1 Previous Submissions The OPA was submitted to Medway Council in November 2011, and was accompanied by an ES prepared in accordance with The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (EIA) Regulations As a result of further consultations, and changes in the status of the Site, Land Securities instructed its team to prepare a Replacement submission, including Replacement ES, to Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 1

10 address the changes in circumstances, most notably the designation of the Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and the current Planning Policy Framework. This document (which will be referred to as the Replacement ES) replaces the original ES. This document is the Non-Technical Summary (NTS) of the Replacement ES. The purpose of this NTS is to summarise the principal findings of the ES in non-technical language, to make it readily understandable by members of the public. The NTS forms Volume 0 of the Replacement ES. The NTS is published in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (EIA) Regulations The full findings and assessment are presented in the following three volumes of the Replacement ES: Volume 1 Main Text Volume 2 Drawings Volume 3 Appendices 1.2 Description of the Proposed Development The application is for a mixed-use new settlement of approximately 5,000 homes, on a Site of approximately 325 hectares (ha), including: commercial floorspace a secondary school three primary schools a community centre a healthcare centre an assisted living facility a nursing home a garden centre two hotels water bodies and associated infrastructure works The Proposed Development will also include approximately 50ha of ecological habitats on-site, with a further 86ha of off-site habitat creation located on the Off-Site Mitigation Area to the west of the Site. Furthermore, an area of 264ha is proposed as Nightingale Compensation Land (NCL) to offset the impact the Proposed Development on their existing habitat, and Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) land at Shoeburyness/ Foulness has been identified as a potential location to accommodate this. The Site has been identified as surplus to military use and is at an advanced stage of being decommissioned. The Lodge Hill Camp will be used by the Royal School of Military Engineering until Autumn 2014, and the lower parts of the Site around the roundabout are anticipated to be handed over at the same time. The majority of the Site has been handed over to Land Securities to manage on behalf of the DIO. The Replacement Indicative Masterplan for Lodge Hill is shown in Figure 1-2. Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 2

11 Figure 1-2 Indicative Masterplan Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 3

12 The Proposed Development would be delivered by a Lead Developer, who would be responsible for preparing the Site for redevelopment and would oversee the activities of other developers and facility providers. All parties involved in the creation of Lodge Hill would be required to adhere to the mitigation measures and commitments set out in the Replacement ES, which will be secured through planning conditions and the S106 Agreement. The construction of Lodge Hill is anticipated to begin in 2016 and is expected to take about 17 years to develop, comprising of three main development phases, although these dates are indicative at this stage: Phase 1: Seven years ( ) Phase 2: Seven years ( ) Phase 3: Three years ( ) 1.3 Vision for the Proposed Development A key element of the vision for Lodge Hill is that it should be perceived primarily as of the country, not of the city. By extension, Lodge Hill should be identified with supporting the rural Hoo Peninsula more than the urban Medway Towns. Lodge Hill represents an opportunity to provide a new key service hub for existing and future residents of the Hoo Peninsula. This hub would greatly improve the range of local services on the Peninsula. It is important that the services provided should not compete with but should complement existing services, reinforcing the Peninsula as a distinct, vibrant, self-supporting community and destination. Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 4

13 2 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT An EIA is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impacts that a proposed project may have on its environment, be that the natural environment or social and economic aspects. EIAs have been required for major developments since 1988 when the European Council Directive on Environmental Assessment (EC Directive 85/337/EEC) was implemented in the UK. The requirements for EIAs were subsequently amended by Directive 97/11/EC, which is given effect in the UK for this project by the Town and Country Planning (EIA) Regulations The findings of the EIA are reported in the Replacement ES for Lodge Hill. The Replacement ES describes the proposals, analyses the baseline environment and identifies any significant environmental effects and how they should be mitigated. This helps to create a fuller picture, enabling the decision-maker to make an informed decision on the OPA. The ES aims to provide: a description of the proposals detailed information regarding the likely main environmental effects of the proposals having taken into account the measures proposed to avoid, reduce and if possible remedy any predicted significant adverse effects on the environment or to enhance the beneficial effects of the proposal an opportunity for the public and consultees to express an opinion on EIA matters before a decision is made on whether or not to proceed with the Proposals an outline of the main alternatives studied by the developer and an indication of the main reasons for the choice of Proposed Development, taking into account the environmental effects Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 5

14 3 SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS 3.1 Ecology Ecological surveys were undertaken to find out what habitats and species may be affected by the Proposed Development and to inform how these habitats and species will be protected, and included extensive consultation with Natural England. The Proposed Development Site comprises 236ha of the Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill SSSI, including several areas of ancient woodland. The designating features of the Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill SSSI are breeding nightingale, ancient and long-established semi-natural broadleaved woodland and neutral grassland. Other protected habitats found to be on the Site include lowland mixed deciduous woodland, ponds and hedgerows. Other species and species of conservation concern found to be on the Site include terrestrial invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, breeding birds, badgers and bats. By considering ecology within the scheme at the outset, and retaining the most sensitive existing habitats which cannot be readily replaced (such as the ancient woodlands), many potential impacts on habitats and species have been avoided or reduced. Protected Species Masterplans have been prepared, which detail how the current conservation status of protected species found at Lodge Hill will be at least maintained. This will include habitat compensation measures both on the Development Site and at the Off-Site Mitigation Area and NCL. Residual impacts on nightingale will be addressed through the provision of NCL, the area of which has been calculated so as to be capable of supporting 1% of the UK nightingale population based on 2012 data. An Access Management Strategy will be implemented to avoid increased recreational pressure on designated sites, including the remaining areas of Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill SSSI in Ministry of Defence (MoD) ownership. Breeding birds will be protected during construction of the Proposed Development via various measures which will be supervised by an appropriate specialist, where required. Impacts on badgers will be minimised during development operations via the use of traffic calming measures and a badger tunnel. In order to avoid injury to foxes and rabbits, fox earths and rabbit holes will be sensitively destroyed prior to construction. As a result of these measures, residual impacts on ecology are considered to be negligible. 3.2 Cultural Heritage Archaeology (pre-1875) An archaeological desk-based assessment and Site walkover have been undertaken, followed by further field studies. The Site has been assessed as having a limited archaeological potential, with a small number of foci of archaeological remains of purely local importance. While further archaeological mitigation measures are likely to be required in advance of the Proposed Development commencing, it is suggested that these can be secured by appropriately worded planning conditions assigned to the outline planning permission. Overall the archaeological effect on Lodge Hill can be characterised as negligible. Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 6

15 3.2.2 Built Heritage (post-1875) The baseline assessment has identified 67 built heritage assets within the Site, primarily related to former military buildings that remain on the Site. Five of these are of very high sensitivity; four of high sensitivity; 28 of medium sensitivity and 30 of low sensitivity. The impact assessment is based on assumptions of a highly unlikely worst case scenario, whereby all non-designated heritage assets will be demolished, aside from 15 World War II pillboxes. Any negative impact in this regard is therefore a worst case and it is anticipated that a number of the assets will be retained. Worst case scenario assumptions have also been made with regards to impacts on the settings of the retained heritage assets. The impacts range from moderate adverse to slight positive. Three built heritage assets which could potentially be impacted by changes to their settings have been identified beyond the Lodge Hill Site boundary (these are all of high sensitivity). Development within the settings of these heritage assets would be subject to the normal planning controls, which would give Medway Council the opportunity to ensure that any development potentially affecting these assets is designed in a sensitive and appropriate way so as to minimise any potential impact. 3.3 Air Quality The assessment considers dust and emissions from construction vehicles during construction of the Development, and emissions from traffic and on-site energy production once the Development is operational. The two key pollutants considered in this assessment are nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and particulate matter (PM 10 ) as they are harmful to human health and are emitted by traffic in quantities which may cause exceedence of health-based standards. Monitoring showed that existing pollutant concentrations already exceed the Air Quality Standard (AQS) for NO 2 in the vicinity of the Site. In the Opening Year (2017), the Development has a substantial adverse impact on receptors close to the Site entrance on the A228, as a result of traffic entering the Site. The majority of other receptors that have been modelled are predicted to have a slight adverse to negligible impact. Energy centre impacts are negligible in Phase 1 of the Development. The impact of the final phase of the Development (2026) ranges across the study area. The three receptors closest to the Site entrances were the most adversely affected, with the impact at R1 considered to be substantial adverse, R2 was slight adverse and R3 was moderate adverse. The remaining twenty six receptors assessed were predicted to have a negligible impact. Energy centre impacts are negligible in Phase 3 of the Development. Background nitrogen deposition rates for Lowland Beech and Yew Woodland exceed the critical load in both 2017 and 2026; the scheme causes a slight increase to the degree that the critical load is being exceeded by. Impacts on Lowland Beech and Yew Woodland are therefore negligible to slight in phases 1 and 3. Impacts in the Off-Site Mitigation Area on translocated MG5 grassland are negligible in both phases 1 and 3. Impacts from construction activities are restricted to temporary dust emissions, which should be of a moderate to minor magnitude providing that the suggested mitigation measures are followed. Mitigation measures which would be investigated at the detailed design stage to reduce the impact of the operational traffic could include: Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 7

16 An investigation of further measures to improve the flow of traffic on the A228 Implementation of submitted Travel Plan (accompanies OPA) Where possible, the implementation of lower emission vehicle incentives for residents using cars that are of a cleaner emissions class Consideration and use (where feasible) of works/site bus transport scheme Financial contributions to Medway s wider infrastructure initiatives included in the local Air Quality Action Plan, such as off road cycle paths, footpaths, traffic management and public transport Inclusion of integrated cycle paths into surrounding environments Inclusion of pedestrian walkways into surrounding environments 3.4 Noise and Vibration Permanent noise impacts are likely to arise from an increase in road traffic on Site and on the local road network. Daytime noise maps have been produced to indicate road traffic noise impacts associated with the Proposed Development, and these indicate that there would be no significant impacts on neighbouring receptors. In one area of the Site, noise generated by traffic accessing the Site would mean that acoustic mitigation will need to be incorporated into the houses to be constructed as part of the Proposed Development, to ensure that noise levels within these new houses are acceptable. Permanent noise impacts are also likely to arise from the Energy Centres and other installations that will be required to service the Site. Noise limits for the Energy Centres and other plant would be agreed with the Environmental Health Officers at Medway Council, and design measures would be incorporated into the detailed designs in order to achieve these levels. These measures would include selection of quieter items of plant, external acoustic treatment of buildings to reduce sound emitted, and fitting energy centre stacks with noise attenuators. Construction noise impacts are temporary in nature, lasting for the duration of construction works. Mitigation measures will be incorporated into the Code of Construction Practice (CoCP) to ensure that these impacts are kept to a minimum. 3.5 Water Quality, Drainage and Flood Risk The River Medway is 0.6km away from the southern end of the Proposed Development Site and 3km away from the northern end. Within the Site, surface water features comprise unnamed drainage ditches and several ponds. Surface water flow is mostly from run-off, since groundwater base flow is limited as the ground is predominately clay. During Site visits, ditches within the Site were found to be mostly without flowing water. The Potential NCL is low lying and land drainage is facilitated by a system of channels and ditches that discharge into surrounding estuarine waterbodies at low tide. In accordance with the flood maps provided by the Environment Agency, Lodge Hill lies almost wholly within Flood Zone 1, the lowest flood risk classification. The south western corner of the Site lies in the higher-risk Flood Zones 2 and 3, however this accounts for less than 0.5% of the total Site area. The developable areas at Lodge Hill are neither at risk of flooding from tidal or fluvial sources, nor at known risk of surface water flooding from on-site surface water bodies (although heavy rainfall has been observed as the cause of local surface flooding). The Off-Site Mitigation Area is located in Flood Zone 1, whereas the Potential NCL is largely within Flood Zone 3; however the land is prevented from regular tidal inundation by sea walls. Groundwater and surface water flood risk is reduced by the current land drainage system. Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 8

17 A series of surveys found that the water quality of surface water features on-site is affected by contamination by hydrocarbons, a metal (manganese) and organic matter (as identified by increased concentrations relative to water quality standards). Water Framework Directive (WFD) monitoring data for the estuarine waterbodies to which the Potential NCL site drains indicate that their chemical water quality is good. During the construction phase, there is a risk of reduced water quality in surface water features due to increased suspended solids and mobilisation of potential soils and stream bed contamination. Temporary soil disturbance during habitat creation works at the Potential NCL also has an associated suspended sediment pollution risk. There may also be a change in surface water runoff rates. However, best practice construction practices, controlled through the implementation of a CoCP, would minimise these risks, and the overall effect on water quality and flood risk during the construction phase is considered to be temporary neutral or slight adverse. The Proposed Development will include the construction of suitable surface water drainage infrastructure. Discharge from the Site is limited to the greenfield runoff rate and there will be adequate attenuation storage on Site to manage storm events. Therefore effects on flood risk are considered to be permanent slight beneficial. Soil remediation and a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) will improve the current quality of water discharging to surface water features, and hence the quality of the water held within these features. Therefore effects on surface water quality are considered to be permanent slight beneficial. 3.6 Geology and Contaminated Land The baseline conditions for the Site were established through a number of phases of investigation, with subsequent interpretation and risk assessment. Quantitative risk assessment has identified contaminants of concern that may pose a risk to human health and/or controlled waters for which further investigation and/or remediation will be required. The high contamination risk rating found within the Former Chattenden Barracks area (which comprises the Former Chattenden Barracks and the area to the south to the Four Elms roundabout), reflects the more intensive historic use in these zones, than elsewhere. These areas will require remediation. The Lodge Hill Training Area is the largest and northern-most portion of the overall Site. In some parts of the Lodge Hill Training Area, little contamination was present although this needs confirming with more site investigation and if necessary remediation will be undertaken. In other parts, elevated contamination was encountered, which will require remediation with the exception of areas of ancient woodland and heritage buildings. These areas will remain undisturbed. The remediation strategy for the Site will ensure that across the Site, the top 600mm of soil is suitable for its proposed use. Underlying hotspots of contamination will be removed and treated in accordance with accepted criteria, to protect human health in the operational phase of the development. Where necessary, ponds in low-lying areas will be designed to prevent contamination from potentially contaminated soil leachate and / or from perched groundwater seepage, for example by the incorporation of a lining. The potential impacts to construction workers from contaminants in soils and groundwater will be mitigated through the adoption of appropriate health and safety practices, which will be outlined in the CoCP. Good practice construction measures would also be put in place to mitigate the impacts to the environment and off-site human health associated with the remedial Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 9

18 works and construction works, e.g. impacts from dust / air pollution, noise and odour. The residual impact during the construction phase is assessed to be temporary slight adverse neutral. The health of future residents and occupiers during the operational phase will be protected by the remedial measures put in place during the construction phase. The health of future building occupiers will also be protected by the incorporation of appropriate ground gas protection measures (where necessary). Concrete in building foundations, and buried services will also be protected through appropriate design and ongoing investigation. As a result of existing contamination being addressed, the residual permanent impacts for future users of the Site are assessed to be permanent moderate to large beneficial. Provided that any imported soils are determined suitable for use and that use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and adoption of best practice construction techniques (outlined above) are followed, the impacts related to construction and operation of the Off-Site Mitigation Area and Potential NCL are considered as neutral. 3.7 Transport and Access The potential impacts of traffic and transport associated with the proposals and the predicted associated effects on sensitive receptors in the area have been considered. Traffic modelling for the study area has demonstrated that the existing highway network will not be able to accommodate the forecast traffic flows by model year 2026, either with or without the Proposed Development, which will result in significant delays for drivers. An interim road improvement at the Four Elms Roundabout and on Dux Court Road would therefore be constructed at the start of the Development, and this would be followed by a more extensive package of highway improvements (including Sans Pareil and Anthony s Way roundabouts) to be implemented at the appropriate time, to be secured by way of planning condition and/or Section 106 Agreement. Off-Site pedestrian, cycle and bus infrastructure is planned to encourage non-car travel, including a high quality dedicated bus service connecting residents to strategic destinations and the most significant bus and rail interchanges in the Medway towns. There will be a user hierarchy within the Proposed Development Site with pedestrians having the highest priority. An Interim Travel Plan (included in the Replacement Transport Assessment) has been prepared to demonstrate how non-car use will be promoted. A dedicated construction route is to be provided directly from Four Elms Hill to minimise the impact on sensitive receptors and to ensure construction and operational movements are separated for safety reasons. There are clear benefits arising from the Proposed Development with respect to reduced pedestrian delay, and reduced fear and intimidation experienced by pedestrians as a result of traffic. 3.8 Landscape and Visual Impact The Proposed Development has been designed to mitigate and reduce adverse landscape and visual impacts from the surrounding area. Generally the built aspects of the development are pulled away from the Site boundary along the sensitive higher ground of Chattenden Ridge and the blocks of irreplaceable ancient woodland. The residential density and scale relates to the existing topography; the taller buildings and higher densities are generally located on the lower ground within the visually discrete areas. In the visible areas of higher ground, the buildings are generally limited to one and two storeys. Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 10

19 Woodland planting will be provided around the majority of the Site s perimeter, providing a visual buffer and integrating the Proposed Development with the surrounding landscape. The majority of the Development would be sited within a shallow valley between two ridgelines and therefore largely hidden from view. Lodge Hill is most visible from the south, with views towards the southern slopes of Chattenden Ridge on the higher ground. There would be minor to negligible visual impact from the east of Lodge Hill within the settlement of High Halstow, where the topography and proposed woodland planting along the perimeter would screen the majority of views towards the Proposed Development. Chattenden Ridge provides a visual buffer, blocking views from the north towards the Proposed Development. The character of the ridgeline has been respected with the Development pulled away from the ridge. There will generally be permanent changes to the landscape character from the existing military training uses to the new townscape of the Proposed Development. The increased scale and density of the Proposed Development will significantly change the internal character of the Site. The structure of the Proposed Development has been designed to incorporate a strong landscape green grid creating a positive environment. There would be a loss of some scrub vegetation, which contributes to the Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill SSSI designation, which would have a slight adverse effect. However, the most sensitive landscape features are still being retained and protected, including the prominent steep wooded Chattenden Ridge and the extensive blocks of ancient woodland, which are important landscape features that contribute to the landscape character. It is considered that there will be an overall positive impact on the landscape character as a result of the Proposed Development at Lodge Hill. The adverse impacts associated with the Proposed Development are generally limited to temporary impacts during the construction phase. Once the Proposed Development is completed, the negative impacts will change to beneficial. The Proposed Development has been designed in accordance with landscape planning policy and Medway Landscape Character Assessment guidelines delivering many positive benefits. The proposals for the Off-Site Mitigation Area adjacent to the western boundary include scrub and grassland planting and pond creation. These respond to the local landscape character assessment with the protection to the openness of the land. It is also anticipated that the proposals would not have an adverse effect on views, with the landscape appearing unchanged from long distance views to the south of the Site. The proposals for the NCL to potentially be located in Shoeburyness/Foulness will include the creation of small woodland copses and scrub planting. Due to the flat low lying nature of the land, Potential NCL views from Great Wakering would be limited, although it is anticipated that there would be visibility from the surrounding footpaths. It is considered that the proposals would have a minor adverse effect on the landscape character, due to the loss of farmland and the introduction of scrub and woodland. However, the proposals are all landscape and ecology led, with no proposed built form. The woodland would be planted in small groups across the site, rather than one woodland, reducing the potential effects. The creation of Nightingale habitat land would be appropriate to the local area in context with the adjacent Foulness Special Protection Area (SPA), which provides habitat for important bird species. It is therefore considered that these proposals would not cause significant adverse effects on the landscape and visual amenity of the local area. 3.9 Community and Socio-Economics The likely community and socio-economic impacts of the Proposed Development at Lodge Hill can be broadly split into two categories the impacts of the new population and new community Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 11

20 provision on the area (community impacts); and the impacts of the employment opportunities and additional expenditure on the wider area (economic impacts). In relation to community impacts the provision of up to 5,000 new homes including 30% affordable housing (of which 28% would be provided on-site), would be a major beneficial impact and would make a significant contribution to the achievement of Medway s housing targets. The new homes would be occupied by around 11,640 people, with a high proportion of children and young people in the early years of the Development. Community provision has been planned to meet the needs of the new residential population. In some instances such as recreation, sport, secondary school provision and potentially healthcare, the proposals would provide a benefit beyond the Site boundary as the catchment areas for these types of facilities is wider than is the case for primary school facilities for example. These mean that the new population would have a negligible impact in terms of capacity of services in the local area but at the same time a number of the on-site facilities would provide additional local facilities for the new and existing population - a major beneficial effect locally in their own right, as part of walkable mixed use hubs. The main direct economic impact of the scheme would be through the provision of jobs. The development has capacity for at least 3,970 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) jobs equating to a headcount of just under 5,500. It is anticipated that up to 750 people might work from home. This is a major beneficial effect at the local and district level. The scheme would also make a significant contribution to the delivery of new business floorspace in Medway, providing appropriate space for a range of business types and sizes. The Proposed Development would have further knock on impacts through expenditure by workers, residents and visitors and through the supply chain. This could support an additional 600 jobs in the wider economy. It would also support significant long term employment in the construction phase. The Proposed Development would be phased over a 17 year period, with the delivery of community facilities phased in line with the growth of population and governed by triggers set out in a legal (Section 106) agreement. The phasing of employment opportunities is anticipated to be broadly in line with housing development, although both would ultimately be based on market conditions Waste Management Construction Waste The amount of construction waste arising from buildings and infrastructure works has been forecast using waste benchmarking data from the Build Research Establishment (BRE) and Waste Resources Action Programme s (WRAP) conversion factors. The estimated floor area of the proposals and the cost of infrastructure have also fed into this calculation. Construction and infrastructure waste arisings will reach an estimated 153,250 tonnes in total. Inert waste and concrete will make up the greatest component, 61,885 and 34,237 tonnes respectively with mixed materials around 19,700 tonnes. The detailed design will consider the adoption of Designing out Waste (DoW) principles. This will support the use of materials in a more efficient manner and consider how reuse, recycling and recovery of materials can be incorporated into the design, ultimately reducing waste to landfill. Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 12

21 In addition, an outline Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) has been prepared for the Proposed Development, which will be used to identify the type and quantity of waste that will be produced. This sets out how waste will be managed so that it is reused, recycled, or disposed of appropriately. Overall, it is anticipated that waste generated from construction will have a minor adverse impact, while waste generated from excavation and demolition will have a negligible impact on waste generation in relation to the Proposed Development Operational Waste It is considered likely that the greatest source of additional waste generated will be municipal waste due to the 5,000 proposed dwellings. The total quantity of waste expected to be generated is in the region of 6,418 tonnes per year. This represents some 4.87% of the total waste for Medway and 8.5% of Medway s waste to landfill target (75,000 tonnes per year of landfill waste by 2020). However, it is not anticipated that the additional waste generated by the Proposed Development will have a significant impact on local waste provisions (the impact is considered to be slight or moderate adverse). The proposed business units are anticipated to generate an additional 9.7 tonnes of municipal waste per annum and the proposed retail units are anticipated to generate an additional tonnes of municipal waste per annum. Some additional hazardous waste will be generated by the medical facilities (clinical waste). It is anticipated that the additional clinical waste generated will have a negligible impact on local waste provisions. The detailed proposals for the Site will be developed to ensure operational wastes are managed according to the principles of the waste hierarchy within relevant policy and legislative requirements, with emphasis on waste minimisation and recycling. Based on the information currently available, it is envisaged that there would be a slight adverse environmental impact arising from the Proposed Development in terms of operational waste. This would result from the transportation and disposal / recovery of waste, combined with the decreasing space available at waste facilities Cumulative Effects The potential effect of the Proposed Development together with other consented and planned developments in the area have been considered within the ES. Any cumulative effects from construction, such as noise, vibration, dust and visual impacts are expected to be temporary. Mitigation measures have been identified in the ES to reduce these impacts, which would help reduce the significance and magnitude of cumulative effects. Furthermore, Construction Environmental Management Plans (CEMP) will set out the specific control measures that would reduce cumulative effects from construction. The ecology chapter within Volume 1 of this ES proposes mitigation measures to compensate for habitat loss. This would have the potential to reduce cumulative ecological effects. There are not considered to be any significant cumulative effects in combination with other cumulative projects. Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited Page 13