Introduction NTS1 NTS2 NTS3 NTS4 Investments (Jersey) Ltd is proposing to develop a fully enclosed composting facility on land at the disused Wisley Airfield near Ockham in Surrey (see figure NTS 1). The modern, purpose-built facility would process 30,000 tonnes of biodegradable waste per year and be accessed via a new access road off an interchange with the A3. The waste would be sourced from Surrey and, if there is spare capacity, neighbouring counties. The planning application s red line and the layout of the proposals are shown in figure NTS 2. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is required under the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999, as amended. An EIA is generally needed for projects that are likely to result in significant environmental effects. When Surrey County Council was asked for its view as to whether these proposals required an EIA (known as a screening opinion ) it returned an opinion that EIA was not required. However, when the subsequent planning application was appealed on the grounds that the Council had failed to determine it in time, an EIA screening direction from the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on behalf of the Secretary of State concluded that EIA was required. The findings of the EIA are reported in an environmental statement (ES). The ES provides the determining authority, in this instance the Secretary of State, with detailed and objective information on the environmental effects of the proposed development. This non-technical summary presents the key findings from the Wisley Airfield composting facility ES. Background NTS5 NTS6 NTS7 In the Waste Strategy for England (2007), the government set ambitious targets for recycling and composting of household waste. It also introduced measures to ensure that adequate infrastructure and facilities are put in place to enable these targets to be met. The Environment Agency has predicted, on the basis of the amount of biodegradable municipal waste that Surrey sent to landfill in 2005/06, that the county will fall short of its 2009/10 landfill target by some 50,000 tonnes. The amount of waste that local authorities such as Surrey County Council can send to landfill, without incurring significant financial penalties, will become progressively lower over the next ten years, so there is an increasing need to divert substantial amounts of biodegradable waste from landfill. The segregated biodegradable waste collected in Surrey is currently treated outside the county in a number of facilities, as there are no composting facilities within Surrey. The Surrey Joint Municipal Waste Management
Strategy (2006) requires local councils within Surrey to collect both garden and kitchen waste by 2010. Estimates based on 2007/08 data suggest that approximately 50,000 tonnes of garden waste and 97,000 tonnes of food waste are available for composting. As the collection of these types of waste is rolled out across Surrey, demand for a composting facility within the county will grow. The applicant NTS8 Investments (Jersey) Ltd is a company specifically set up to purchase Wisley Airfield and promote a variety of developments on it. Wharf Land has a specific interest in promoting the sustainable disposal of waste (1) and, having actively promoted Wisley Airfield for this use during the drafting of the Surrey Waste Plan, is keen to develop such a facility on the airfield now that it is an allocated waste facility site within the adopted plan. The application site NTS9 Wisley Airfield was operational from 1944 to 1972. After lying derelict for seven years, the buildings were demolished in 1979 and the site has been disused ever since, although the runway and areas of hangar hardstanding remain. The application boundary extends to 16.75 hectares, but the proposed building will be entirely contained within 1.5 hectares of existing hardstanding. The site is currently accessed from the A3 via Elm Lane, with a second access point to the east off Ockham Lane. NTS10 The site is well screened to the north by the woodland of Wisley Common and Chatley Heath, and tree cover also runs along the southern boundary. A locally designated site of nature conservation importance (SNCI) covers the western section of the site (see figure NTS 3). NTS11 The airfield is situated in a rural area and is surrounded by agricultural land. There are several designated sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) to the north and Ockham and Wisley Common SSSI is also protected under European law as part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA). The Royal Horticultural Society s (RHS) Wisley garden lies 185m to the north of the site (see figure NTS 3). The proposals NTS12 The composting facility proposals set out in the planning application now at appeal have evolved to take account of post-application consultations, and have evolved further as a result of the EIA process and in response to the Appropriate Assessment produced by Surrey County Council, discussed at paragraph NTS45. The principal changes, described in the following paragraphs, were the inclusion of additional emissions abatement equipment 1 The term sustainable is used within the context set by the government s planning advice in Planning for Sustainable Waste Management, Planning Policy Statement 10, available from http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planning/planningpolicyguidance/mineralsan dwaste/wastemanagement/pps10/
and a dedicated crossing point for the footpaths that bisect the proposed access road. The building NTS13 The building housing the composting process will be 160m long by 70m wide and the highest point of the roof will be 11.7m above the floor level. It will contain a waste reception area, the composting tunnels, and a maturation, screening and bagging area. Mounted on the roof above the composting tunnels will be five stacks associated with the emissions abatement equipment located beneath. The stacks will be 20.9m above the floor of the building and protrude 9.2m above the highest point of the roof (see the building elevations in figure NTS 4). NTS14 The external aspect of the composting building has taken design aspects from local agricultural buildings. External colours will be a mixture of greens and greys to blend with the backdrop of woodland, with a grey roof. An accompanying landscaping strategy, including native planting and a sculpted bund, has been devised to integrate the scheme into the surrounding area (see figure NTS 5). Access NTS15 A new road off the Ripley interchange with the A3 will be constructed to access the proposed composting facility. The road would be a two-way having a width of 7.3m. There will be a footway / cycleway on one side and a footway on the other. A new clear span bridge will carry the access road over the Ockham Stream (see figure NTS 2). Two footpaths would cross the access road; to provide a defined crossing point for these footpaths a raised table will installed (see figure NTS 2). Site fencing with pedestrian and vehicular gates will control access to the facility. NTS16 To accommodate the traffic associated with the proposals, modifications will be made to the existing southbound A3 off slip road and Ockham Road arm of the Ripley interchange, as agreed with the Highways Agency. The Transport Assessment of the proposals has shown that these modifications will have beneficial effect on congestion at the interchange. The process NTS17 The facility will receive biodegradable waste from municipal and commercial sources, such as restaurants, caterers and supermarkets. The waste will typically comprise garden, botanical, kitchen, catering and animal wastes. A diagram illustrating the composting process is shown in figure NTS 6. NTS18 Waste will be delivered to the site in vehicles that are either sheeted or specifically designed to transport waste. Delivery vehicles will be weighed at a weighbridge and will tip their loads in the enclosed waste reception area. The material will be shredded and then stored for a maximum of 24 hours before being loaded into the composting tunnels by a wheeled loader.
NTS19 The in-tunnel (vessel) composting process has two phases. In phase 1 the shredded material will be placed into a tunnel and aerated to promote microbe activity and temperature increases. This will occur for a minimum of a week. The composting material is then removed from the first tunnel and placed into a second tunnel. The mixing that takes place during this process aids the composting process. NTS20 In phase 2, the compost is placed in another tunnel and subjected to a steam treatment to raise the temperature to a minimum of 74ºC for four hours to comply with guidance for the treatment of biowaste. As for phase 1, the material is held in the tunnel for the minimum of a week, reaching a minimum of 60 o C for 48 continuous hours. The two-week process meets the requirements of the Animal By-products Regulations. NTS21 Once the two-week tunnel phases are complete the partially composted material is fully sanitised. It is then transferred to an enclosed maturation area by wheeled loader where it is placed in long piles called windrows for further composting and maturation. Material can be held here for between 42 and 84 days, depending on the final end use of the compost product. NTS22 While maturating, water will be added to the material during turning to maintain microbial activity and reduce the potential for dust and bioaerosol emissions. Once the maturation process is complete, the material will be screened to remove non-biodegradable elements, bagged and then stored prior to being taken off-site. NTS23 To control emissions from the composting process the air ventilation systems for the waste reception area and the maturation area will use a combination of abatement equipment to remove airborne biological particles (referred to as bioaerosols), odour and ammonia. Air extracted from the tunnels will be treated through similar equipment before passing through a chamber containing inert media that filter odours from the air through the action of micro-organisms known as biofilters. These biofilters remove further odour, dust and bioaerosols. NTS24 Wash-down water and leachate from the reception area, composting tunnels and maturation area will be drained via underground pipework and pumped into a fully-sealed leachate storage tank. Rainwater from the roof of the building will be collected and stored separately and, where possible, used in the dampening of the maturing compost material. Alternatives NTS25 An alternative sites assessment was undertaken to identify potential alternative sites for waste facilities and examine their suitability for development against a range of criteria. This was designed to determine whether the Wisley Airfield site was among the most suitable sites in Surrey for a biodegradable waste composting facility. A long list of 463 potential sites was drawn up based on a review of existing studies, development plans and lists of existing waste sites and industrial estates.
NTS26 Several sieving stages were undertaken to exclude sites on the basis of operational, planning or environmental constraints. These included site size, the presence of a national environmental designation on site, restricted land uses, proximity to the primary road network, access and the ability of the site to be brought into use for a new waste facility. NTS27 Five sites remained following the sieving exercise, including the Wisley Airfield site. This indicates that the Wisley Airfield site is among the most suitable sites in Surrey for a waste management facility. Assessment methodology NTS28 The initial stage of the EIA was the receipt of the screening direction from the Secretary of State, issued via PINS. Where an ES is required to be submitted at the appeal stage, its scope is taken to be the issues laid out in PINS screening direction. The issues raised are as follows: a) The potential impact of biopathogens on the Ockham and Wisley commons SSSI, as a component part of the Thames Basin Heaths SPA and the heathland habitat of three particular bird species protected by the European Community Birds Directive, namely the Dartford warbler, the nightjar and the woodlark. b) The potential impact of biopathogens on the RHS s registered historic garden at Wisley. c) The potential impact on pollution levels with respect to odours, nutrient nitrogen, biopathogens, dust and light. d) The visual impact of the proposed development, especially from Elm Corner and RHS s Wisley garden. NTS29 Desk-based / modelling work and field studies were employed to establish the relevant existing environmental conditions on and in the vicinity of proposed development site. The potential effects of the proposed development were evaluated using a method that compares the sensitivity and importance of a receptor (somebody or something with the potential to be affected) with the likely magnitude of change, to establish the significance of the effects. Measures were then proposed to mitigate (avoid or reduce) any potential adverse effects. Environmental effects Air quality NTS30 The potential air quality and climate change impacts from the proposed composting facility at Wisley Airfield were examined, with particular reference to the effects of: Bioaerosol (biological airborne particles) emissions on human health Odour and dust emissions on local amenity Ammonia and nitrogen oxides (NO x ) emissions on the Thames Basin Heaths SPA and Ockham and Wisley Common SSSI
The generation of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which is the main gas that contributes to climate change, as a result of the transport of Surrey s biodegradable waste NTS31 The main potential emissions relate to those from the composting process that would be released from the stacks mounted on the roof of the building and those from vehicles carrying the biodegradable waste to the site. NTS32 A range of good practice mitigation measures will be used during the construction process to minimise dust generation, including damping down earthworks and stockpiles, restricting speeds on haul roads and sweeping them regularly, washing wheels of vehicles leaving the site and sweeping public highways if necessary. With these measures in place, no significant dust effects are predicted. NTS33 Once operational, air will be drawn into the building housing the composting process by the emissions abatement equipment. This will effectively prevent any dust from escaping from the building when the doors are open for vehicle ingress or egress. NTS34 Emissions from the composting facility and associated traffic were modelled using specialist computer software and following best practice guidelines set out by the government (Defra) and the Environment Agency. NTS35 The bioaerosol and odour concentrations predicted at residential properties and the RHS s Wisley garden were predicted to be well below the Environment Agency s maximum guideline values. No human health effects are therefore predicted. NTS36 The ammonia concentrations within the SPA/SSSI resulting from the composting facility are predicted to be less than the Environment Agency s threshold for a likely significant environmental effect. This means that ammonia emissions from the facility will not have a significant effect on the vegetation of the SPA/SSSI. NTS37 The facility will not emit nitrogen oxide gas; the only source of this pollutant relating to the proposals will be the vehicles serving the site. The modelling results show that nitrogen oxide emitted from traffic generated by the facility will make an insignificant contribution to the already very high background concentrations at the SPA/SSSI s boundary with the A3. This traffic is not predicted to have a significant effect on the vegetation of the SPA/SSSI. NTS38 The amount of carbon dioxide emitted as a result of current arrangements in Surrey for transporting biodegradable waste to composting facilities, the majority of which are outside of the county, was estimated and compared with emissions from the altered transport arrangements that would result from a new composting facility at Wisley Airfield. By enabling biodegradable waste to be treated within the county, the proposed facility at Wisley Airfield will reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from the transport of Surrey s biodegradable waste by approximately one third.
Natural heritage NTS39 The assessment considers the potential for ecological and nature conservation effects as a consequence of the proposed composting facility. It includes desk-based assessment and fieldwork (undertaken between 2006 and 2009), identifying potential ecological effects and mitigation measures to address any such effects. NTS40 The assessment considered effects on the Wisley Field SNCI, which encompasses the proposed development site, wet woodland and farmland habitats and the following species: bats, badgers, slow worms, adders, grass snakes, common lizards, smooth newts, common toads and frogs, brown hares, and breeding and overwintering birds. NTS41 Of these habitats and species, only the SNCI would be subjected to an adverse impact, which would result from the passage of heavy goods vehicles through the SNCI. This is considered to give rise to a slightly significant adverse effect on the intrinsic value of the site. NTS42 However, it is considered that the proposed landscaping strategy would give rise to a slightly significant beneficial effect on the populations of breeding and overwintering birds. Information for Appropriate Assessment NTS43 The requirements of the European Council Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora (42/43/EEC) have been transposed into UK law through the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c) Regulations 1994 (as amended), most commonly referred to as the Habitat Regulations. These regulations afford a high level of protection to sites classified as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) or designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). NTS44 This legislation requires public bodies, such as councils and PINS, to follow a strictly defined procedure to ensure that a proposed development will not adversely affect the integrity of a SPA or SAC. This process is commonly known as an Appropriate Assessment. NTS45 Surrey County Council considered that there was a likelihood that the proposed facility would give rise to significant effect on the integrity of the Thames Basin Heaths SPA, Natural England agreed with this opinion. Therefore Surrey County Council undertook an Appropriate Assessment of the proposals as set out in the planning application, and concluded that unless a series of identified mitigation measures were incorporated into the proposals, it could not be determined that the proposals would not give rise to an adverse effect on the integrity of the SPA. NTS46 The proposals described above have been developed to incorporate the mitigations measures put forward by Surrey County Council. During the planning appeal the inspector will be required to undertake an appropriate assessment of the proposal before him/her, and cannot recommend the
granting of planning permission unless it can be concluded that the amended proposals will not give rise to an adverse effect on the integrity of the SPA. NTS47 The ES provides an assessment of the effects of the amended proposals on the SPA, to assist the inspector when undertaking the appropriate assessment. The conclusion presented in the ES is that the proposed composting facility, as described above, will not give rise to a significant effect on the integrity of the SPA either alone or in combination with other proposed developments. Landscape and visual NTS48 Both desk and field studies were undertaken to evaluate the landscape in and around the proposed development site and to identify potential views and visual receptors. A number of these were selected to provide representative views from various locations, including Elm Corner, the RHS s Wisley garden and public rights of way. NTS49 The proposed development site comprises large areas of open hardstanding, and has an open, remote and derelict character. It is not covered by any statutory national landscape designations, although it is within the green belt. NTS50 The proposed facility would sit within a natural bowl created by higher land to the north and south. The proposals seek to use the levels and hardstanding of the proposed development site to minimise the loss of grassland and reduce the visual impact. The proposals will cause a noticeable local landscape change, but it will not alter the wider landscape character due to the site s limited visibility. Overall, the effects on the landscape are not considered to be significant. NTS51 There will be a slight visual change from the western edge of properties at Elm Corner, the junction of the footpath and bridleway to the south east of the site and the footpath to the west of the site. In addition, there will be a moderate change to the view from the bridleway to the east of the site, which is the closest viewpoint. These impacts will reduce over time as the planting provided as part of the landscaping strategy matures and partially screens views. NTS52 There will be no changes to views from the RHS s Wisley garden or from the A3 footbridge in the vicinity of the proposed development site. This is due to the enclosed nature of the site and the limited short-range views available. NTS53 The composting facility would be lit for security in areas round the main building and office, using building-mounted down lights and low level bollard lights within the parking area. The access road would not be lit. This lighting arrangement will not give rise to any significant effects. Other issues NTS54 The ES provides an overview of the environmental issues that had been agreed with the relevant statutory consultees prior to the lodging of the planning appeal. It is considered that there are no significant effects
associated with these issues: ground conditions, flooding and hydrology, traffic and transport. NTS55 The noise assessment was revised during the EIA process to reflect the amendments to the proposals. It was found that noise levels at the identified receptors were below the levels derived from the design criteria recommended by the Environmental Health Department of Guildford Borough Council. It is therefore considered that the proposals will not give rise to any significant noise effects. NTS56 The cultural heritage resource that is the RHS s Wisley garden was considered in relation to the potential harm to its plant collection that may arise due to emissions from the proposed composting facility. As discussed above, the EIA concluded that the proposals would not result in any significant ecological effects; therefore it is concluded that there would be no significant cultural heritage effects. Cumulative effects NTS57 A planning application for a composting facility, which includes composting tunnels, on land at Nutberry Farm, Wisley, Surrey, was made in May 2008 (Surrey County Council Reference: GU08/0825). The proposed site is approximately 1000m to the west of the Wisley Airfield site, adjacent to the northern edge of the Ripley interchange. The similar nature of the emissions and operational characteristics of the two proposals (though, unlike the Wisley Airfield proposals, the Nutberry Farm proposals are not fully enclosed in a single building), means there is the potential that they could give rise to cumulative effects in relation to the following issues: Traffic and transport Landscape and visual Noise Human health risk Emissions of biopathogens and ammonia Vermin NTS58 The EIA examined the cumulative effects of the two composting proposals in relation to each of the above issues, and concluded that while for some of the issues the Nutberry Farm proposal alone could give rise to significant effects, these effects would not be exacerbated by the Wisley Airfield proposals. Therefore no cumulative effects were identified. Conclusions NTS59 The EIA has determined that there is a clear need for biodegradable waste treatment facilities, of the type proposed, within Surrey and that Wisley Airfield is a suitable location for such a facility, as reflected by its allocation for waste uses in the Surrey Waste Plan. NTS60 The EIA has considered a range of environmental issues, most importantly the potential for the proposals to have a significant impact on the Thames
Basins Heaths SPA. The assessment found that there would be no significant effects on the SPA or the RHS s Wisley garden, and that the adverse effects that would arise would on balance be outweighed by the benefits brought about by the provision of a biodegradable waste composting facility within Surrey. Further information NTS61 This non-technical summary has outlined the findings of the EIA for the proposed composting facility at Wisley Airfield. Further details are set out in the ES and its accompanying technical appendices. NTS62 In accordance with the requirements of the EIA Regulations, there is a period lasting for a minimum of 21 days from the date of submission of the ES to the PINS during which the ES is open to consultation. A copy of the ES and its technical appendices is available for inspection at: Guildford Borough Council Millmead House Millmead Guildford Surrey GU2 4BB NTS63 Any comments on the ES should be sent to: Sarah Banwell The Planning Inspectorate Room 4/04 Kite Wing Temple Quay House 2 The Square, Temple Quay Bristol BS1 6PN