2B Volume 2B Preliminary Environmental Information Contents 7. Two Village Bypass PEI 8. Northern Park and Ride PEI 9. Southern Park and Ride PEI 10. Freight Management Facility PEI 11. Yoxford Roundabout PEI 12. Highway Improvements PEI 13. Project Wide Cumulative PEI 14. Related Assessments and Approaches References Abbreviations Key Terms Volume 2B Preliminary Environmental Information 7. Two Village Bypass PEI 7.1. Introduction to PEI 7.1.4. The two village bypass would be open to public use alongside construction traffic associated with the project. 7.1.1. The route of the two village bypass would bypass the After completion of the power station, it would be retained villages of Farnham and Stratford St Andrew with a new as a lasting legacy of the project. There would be no single carriageway road to the south (see Volume 1 Figure decommissioning or ‘removal and reinstatement’ phase. 2.12). Once operational, the bypass would form a new section of the A12. 7.1.5. The preferred proposals are likely to have some effects on the environment during construction and 7.1.2. The proposed route runs approximately 2.4 operation. The likely significant adverse and beneficial kilometres (km) across predominantly agricultural land to the effects for the construction and operational phases are south of the existing A12, departing the A12 to the west of explained below. The scope of the preliminary assessment Stratford St Andrew via a new three arm roundabout near includes landscape and visual, terrestrial ecology and Parkgate Farm. It would bend south around Nuttery Belt ornithology, amenity and recreation, geology and soils, and continue around Pond Wood and Foxburrow Wood, land quality and agriculture, terrestrial historic environment, then continue north crossing local roads and a couple of noise and vibration, air quality, groundwater, surface water, Public Rights of Way (PRoWs), before re-joining the A12 flood risk, and traffic and transport and no topics have with a second roundabout to the east of Farnham at the been ‘scoped out’ of the assessment. The chapter concludes A12/A1094 Friday Street junction. The scheme proposed is with a short comparison between the road-led and rail-led described in further detail in Volume 1, Chapter 12. strategies as relevant to the two village bypass. 7.1.3. The road would be 7.3 metres (m) wide with 1m 7.1.6. This chapter presents each of the topics relevant hardstrips, 2.5m wide verges, earthworks where needed to the site in turn, under the following sub-headings: and a 5m berm. EDF Energy is consulting on a wider area (a) Baseline Environment, (b) Environmental Design and during this Stage 3 consultation including the buffer zone Embedded Mitigation, (c) Preliminary Assessment of Effects, shown on Volume 1, Figure 2.12, as the design and (d) Additional Mitigation and Monitoring, (e) Preliminary landscaping mitigation has yet to be fully finalised, and Assessment of Residual Effects and (f) Completing the in particular EDF Energy would wish to engage with land Assessment. owners in relation to works which might accommodate the access works for their retained land. Stage 3 - Volume 2 Preliminary Environmental Information | 375 Chapter 7 | Two Village Bypass PEI 7.2. Landscape and visual • Late enclosure with a pattern of tree belts and straight hedges; 7.2.1. The figure for landscape and visual is presented in • Landscape parklands; Volume 3 as Figure 7.2.1. • A focus of settlement in the Estate Sandlands landscape; a) Baseline environment • 19thC red brick buildings with black glazed pantiles in the 7.2.2. The proposed bypass route would be approximately east; 2.4km long and cover an area of approximately 61.1 hectares (ha). It would slope down from its western end • Lark valley buildings are frequently of brick or flint with where it would leave the A12 at a new roundabout, to a low tiled or slate roofs; point in the Alde valley. It would cross the River Alde on a • Tree belts and plantations throughout; bridge, before beginning to cut into the landscape and rising to a high point south-east of Farnham Hall. At the eastern • Occasional and significant semi-natural woodlands and end of the route, the bypass would tie back into the A12 at ribbons of wet woodland; and another new roundabout. • Complex and intimate landscape on valley sides”. 7.2.3. The land use within the study area is predominantly arable farmland, with well-defined hedgerow field 7.2.7. The valley of the River Alde, as shown on Figure boundaries and interspersed with scattered woodlands 7.2.1, is characterised as the ‘valley meadowlands’ landscape and copses. However, the valley of the River Alde is character type. The key characteristics are described in the predominantly pastoral with less hedgerows and more Landscape Character Assessment as: drainage ditches as field boundaries. The route would be largely at grade, within shallow cuttings or on low • “Flat landscapes of alluvium or peat on valley floors; embankments, except for the elevated section over the valley of the River Alde. • Grassland divided by a network of wet ditches; 7.2.4. The proposed bypass would cross predominately arable • Occasional Carr woodland and plantations of poplar; fields, with some pasture in the Alde valley, cutting across • Occasional small reedbeds; existing hedgerow field boundaries, local roads and public footpaths. There are also some areas of existing woodland • Unsettled; within the red line boundary for the proposed route. • Cattle grazed fields; and 7.2.5. At a national level, the site and much of the study • Fields converted to arable production”. area are situated within National Character Area 82 (NCA82): South Coast and Heaths (Ref. 7.2.1). NCA82 comprises low-lying gently undulating farmland with areas 7.2.8. A small section of the site to the west, shown on of woodland, heath and forest plantation. The valley of the Figure 7.2.1, can be characterised as the ‘rolling estate River Alde is typical of the transition between this character claylands’ landscape character type. This is a valley side area and the adjacent NCA83: South Norfolk and High landscape of clay loams with parklands and fragmented Suffolk Claylands to the west. NCA83 is a predominantly flat woodland. The key characteristics are described in the clay plateau incised by numerous small-scale wooded river Landscape Character Assessment as: valleys. • “Flat landscape of light loams and sandy soils; 7.2.6. At a local level, the site is predominantly located in the ‘rolling estate sandlands’ landscape character type • Rolling valley-side landscape; as identified in the Suffolk County Landscape Character • Medium clay and loamy soils; Assessment (Ref. 7.2.2) and shown on Figure 7.2.1. The key characteristics are described in the Landscape Character • Organic pattern of fields; Assessment as: • Occasional areas of more rational planned fields; • “Rolling river terraces and coastal slopes; • Numerous landscape parks; • Sandy and free draining soils with areas of heathland; 376 | Sizewell C • Substantial villages; 7.2.12. The western end of the route falls within a locally designated landscape that covers the River Alde valley. • Fragmented woodland cover, both ancient and This wraps around to the north of Farnham, immediately plantation; and adjacent to the eastern end of the proposed route, as well as along the valley of the River Fromus to the east. These are • Winding hedged and occasionally sunken lanes”. referred to as Special Landscape Areas (SLA), and cover a relatively large proportion of the study area. 7.2.9. The locations of different groups of people within the 2km study area (judged to be appropriate to cover b) Environmental design and embedded mitigation all potentially material impacts during construction and operation) who may experience views of the proposed i) Construction development are shown on Figure 7.2.1. The key visual receptors within the study area include the following: 7.2.13. During the construction of the road, mitigation to help to manage and reduce potential landscape and visual • The settlements of Stratford St Andrew, Farnham, Benhall effects would be difficult to achieve. However, potential Green and Little Glemham. mitigation measures during construction include providing localised screening and areas of new planting early on, • Transport routes including the existing A12 to the east allowing such screening and planting to become established and west, and the A1094 at the eastern end of the throughout construction and for the operational stage. Early proposed route. planting would be likely to include locations in the vicinity of • Recreational routes including four footpaths crossing the residential properties such as Farnham Hall. proposed route (E-243/001/0, E-243/003/0, E-243/004/0 7.2.14. In addition, where possible, the construction and E-243/006/0 as discussed in Section 7.4 of this compounds would be located in close proximity to existing chapter on amenity and recreation); further footpaths east road infrastructure, in areas already disturbed by roads and and west of the proposed route towards its eastern end; traffic. Existing vegetation would be retained around the and Sustrans Regional Cycle Route (41/42) and Suffolk compound areas to reduce visibility of the compound. Coastal Cycle Route following the same alignment, running in a north south direction along existing minor 7.2.15. Existing woodlands, scrub and hedgerows within roads at the western end of the route. the site and adjoining the site boundaries would be retained • Dispersed farmsteads along the route, with the closest where possible. residential properties being at Friday Street Farm to the north-east; Mollett’s Farm to the north-west; Farnham 7.2.16. Four PRoW (all footpaths) would be diverted for Hall, Pond Barn Cottages and Hill Farm to the south of the construction of the road (E-243/001/0, E-243/003/0, Farnham; and Parkgate Farm and properties along the E-243/004/0 and E-243/006/0 as discussed in Section 7.4 A12 at the western and of the route.