Draft Phase 3 Planning Context Report
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Salisbury Plain Army Basing Programme Planning Context Report Consultation Draft Phase 3 Report Date: 19 February 2014 DIO Ops Projects Ramillies Bldg Marlborough Lines Monxton Rd Andover SP11 8HJ Army Basing Programme: Infrastructure Delivery Planning Context Report – Consultation Draft Contributors : DIO Area Project Manager David Underhill DIO Project Manager: David Snelgrove DIO Planning Mark Limbrick, Stephen Harness Study Team: DIO ABP Infrastructure Delivery Team & PSP WYG Author: Jennifer Liu, WYG Contributors: WYG SPTA Team Reviewers: DIO PM & Planning Team; Steve Barrett, WYG Primary Distribution : DIO PM; DIO ID Team; WYG SPTA Team Army Basing Programme: Infrastructure Delivery Planning Context Report – Consultation Draft Contents Executive Summary 5 1.0 Introduction 7 2.0 Proposals for Salisbury Plain 15 3.0 Site Sift Methodology 19 4.0 Site Sift 24 5.0 Socio-Economics 32 6.0 Heritage 45 7.0 Military Base Development 51 8.0 Training 53 9.0 Transport 58 10.0 Engagement Plan 72 11.0 Timescales and Processes 79 Glossary Army Basing Programme: Infrastructure Delivery Planning Context Report – Consultation Draft Appendices Appendix 1 MCA Site Scoring Criteria Appendix 2 Site Sift Stages Heat Maps Appendix 3 Area Wide Site Sift Outputs Appendix 4 Settlement Level Site Sift Outputs Appendix 5 Single MCA Criteria Site Sift Outputs Appendix 6 Site Scoring Methodology Appendix 7 Sensitivity Test Heat Maps Appendix 8 Schedule of Overall MCA Scores and Assessment of Sites Appendix 9 Preferred/Potential SFA Site Plans Appendix 10 Schools Map Appendix 11 Military Base Zoning Plans Appendix 12 Military Base Development – Constraints Tables Appendix 13 Training Plan Appendix 14 Preliminary Traffic Calculations and Transport Figures Appendix 15 Outline List of Media Outlets Army Basing Programme: Infrastructure Delivery Planning Context Report – Consultation Draft Executive Summary The Army Basing Programme (ABP) is the latest in a series of major announcements by the Government towards a major reconfiguration of the British Army. Shortly after the Government took office in 2010 it published the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) which envisaged a reduction of personnel in the Army, the redeployment of British forces personnel from Germany to the UK and a reconfiguration of the Army into five regionally-based multi-role brigades. The Army Basing Programme announced on 5 th March 2013 is based on the new Army 2020 plan outlined in July 2012. Two key principles guided the Review: that the armoured infantry brigades should be centred round a single location, and the Army should retain a UK-wide presence. The Basing Review envisages an Army increasingly consolidated around seven centres in the UK with the closure of a number of bases, a faster withdrawal from Germany and an end to the culture of routine rotation in the UK. The Government has committed £1.8 billion to the new basing plan, of which £1 billion will be spent on new accommodation. The ministerial announcement on 5th March confirmed Salisbury Plain as a major focus of the Reaction Force element of Army 2020, with three Armoured Infantry Brigades based around Salisbury Plain. The Salisbury Plain Training Area is the only place in the country where the Army can carry out certain complex training exercises and the concentration of synergistic units around Salisbury Plain is intended to facilitate these exercises. In total around 4,300 extra personnel and their dependants will be rebased in Salisbury Plain. The key deliverables of the Army Basing Programme in Salisbury Plain are: • extensive new build for single living accommodation (SLA) • conversion of existing SLA blocks • additional messing facilities • extensive new build and some conversion of existing technical accommodation, including workshops, garages, armouries, stores and offices, and • up to 1,400 new houses for military personnel and their dependants. The total number of SFA required is 1,380 and the proposal for the supply of these houses is: 199 No. Purchase commercial stock to de-risk the Army Basing Programme supply, as this number of SFA are required by April 2015 and cannot be procured for construction in time available 1,181 No. Remaining requirement for AB Programme to be included in the Masterplan. DIO is working closely with Wiltshire Council to develop a Masterplan for Salisbury Plain. To support planning applications, the Masterplan will establish the constraints and opportunities for new development, as well as providing an overview of where development will take place. This will include expansion of current army bases, additional training facilities and new housing for service 5 Army Basing Programme: Infrastructure Delivery Planning Context Report – Consultation Draft families. Proposals for any associated infrastructure which may be required, such as additional schools, health and leisure facilities provided by Wiltshire Council, can then be developed. This report sets out the findings of the SFA site sift exercise. The long list of sites identified in previous stages has been assessed to rule out heavily constrained sites. The remaining sites were evaluated against a set of weighted criteria to assess their suitability for SFA. Land parcels which had a positive or neutral impact on scoring criteria were given high scores. Next, each candidate parcel was given an overall suitability score which is represented graphically in a heat map. Low scoring parcels were largely discounted and a schedule of possible SFA sites for further investigation was drawn up. Following a Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) of all SFA candidate sites against three themes of Environment (landscape impact, biodiversity, heritage etc.), Accessibility (to services/facilities) and Impact (proximity to duty stations and coalescence of settlements). The results are: SFA SITE SUMMARY AREA Preferred Sites Potential Sites B6 - B7 - B16 - B19 - B9 - B30 BULFORD B23 LARKHILL L15a - L15b - L17a L2 - L13b - L18 PERHAM DOWN & LUDGERSHALL PL3 - PL4 - PL12 - PL13 PL7 - PL18 TIDWORTH T12 - T14 - T15 - T16 T19 SFA SITE SUMMARY PREFERRED & POTENTIAL SPLIT Total No. of No. of Total No. of Sites under Area other Area AREA Area Preferred Consideration Ha Potential Ha Ha Sites for SFA Sites BULFORD 7 54.79 5 45.28 2 9.51 LARKHILL 6 112.92 3 56.46 3 56.46 PERHAM DOWN & 6 141.98 4 70.99 2 70.99 LUDGERSHALL TIDWORTH 5 46.36 4 23.18 1 23.18 TOTAL 24 356.05 16 195.91 8 160.14 (Preferred Site: Scoring meets threshold, may require minor mitigation) (Potential Site: Scoring meets threshold but requires mitigation) The proposals for rebasing in and around the Salisbury Plain Training Area raise a number of issues regarding the local socio-economic infrastructure. The report includes a preliminary socio economic assessment which examines the demand for key social and economic infrastructure. The report also includes chapters on military base development, training requirement, transport and heritage matters. 6 Army Basing Programme: Infrastructure Delivery Planning Context Report – Consultation Draft 1 Introduction 1.1 Overview 1.1.1 In March 2013, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond announced the Army Basing Programme, which sets out the future lay down of the British Army, as units return from Germany. It entails a restructuring to deliver its future operating model, known as Army 2020. The proposals under Army 2020 identified Salisbury Plain as the location for a Reaction Force Brigade Division Headquarters, with three Armoured Infantry Brigades. The proposals will bring approximately 4,300 military personnel and their dependants, relocated to the Tidworth, Ludgershall (specifically Perham Down), Bulford, and Larkhill areas, in a phased programme between 2014 and 2019. The precise locations are to be highlighted as part of the forthcoming Masterplan exercise. 1.1.2 The key deliverables of the Army Basing Programme in Salisbury Plain are: • extensive new build for single living accommodation (SLA) • conversion of existing SLA blocks • additional messing facilities • extensive new build and some conversion of existing technical accommodation, including workshops, garages, armouries, stores and offices, and • up to 1,400 new houses for military personnel and their dependants. 1.1.3 DIO is working closely with Wiltshire Council to develop a Masterplan for Salisbury Plain. To support planning applications, the Masterplan will establish the constraints and opportunities for new development, as well as providing an overview of where development will take place. This will include expansion of current Army bases, additional training facilities and new housing for service families. Proposals for any associated infrastructure that may be required, such as additional schools, health and leisure facilities can then be developed. 1.1.4 A Phase 1 Report (draft version 5, dated 2 October 2013) provided an assessment of the Army 2020 proposals against Wiltshire Council’s emerging and adopted Development Plan. 1.1.5 A Phase 2 Report (draft version 3.2, dated 9 November 2013) provided an overview of the changes proposed for Salisbury Plain covering: the rebasing proposals; the Service Families Accommodation (SFA) requirements, and, changes to the training estate on the Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA). Other MOD proposals, related to the Complex Manoeuvre Environment (CME), were identified and works to the military barrack accommodation which are part of the Army’s enduring requirement were also be identified. A summary of the Phase 2 report, including the long list of SFA sites set out in the report was presented at the initial public consultation which took place during November/December 2013. 1.1.6 This Phase 3 Report provides an update on the work undertaken since Phase 2 and takes into account comments received from consultees during the November/December 2013 consultation. 7 Army Basing Programme: Infrastructure Delivery Planning Context Report – Consultation Draft 1.1.7 The SPTA and surrounding communities and road network is illustrated on Figure 1 – Constraint Key Plan. The study area as set out in Phase 1 covered mainly land within a 10 mile radius from the establishment gates and training area.