Swaffham

Prior

Community

Heat

Network

Landscape and

Visual Impact

Assessment (LVIA)

July 2020

Contents

Main Report Introduction Project Description Baseline Studies Identification and description of impacts Mitigation

Plans Plan 1: The Proposals Plan 2: Site Context Plan 3: Site Appraisal Plan 4: Viewpoint Analysis Plan 5: Mitigation

Appendices Appendix 1: Proposed Energy Centre site layout Appendix 2: Proposed Solar Array site layout Appendix 3: NCA 87: East Anglian Chalk. Strategic Environmental Objectives

Annex 1: Viewpoint Analysis (see separate)

Swaffham Prior CHN LVIA Swaffham Prior LVIA

Introduction GIDE Associates Ltd have been appointed to provide the Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) to support the planning application for a Community Heat Network at Swaffham Prior, .

This report is prepared in accordance with the guidance given in “Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (Third Edition)” and District Council’s Renewable Energy SPD (Oct 2014).

Report Structure • Project Description • Baseline Studies • Identification and description of impacts • Mitigation

1. Project Description The proposal is for a Community Heat Network (CHN) for the village of Swaffham Prior within the District of East Cambridgeshire. The construction period for the whole development is expected to take 30 weeks.

Plan 1 below identifies the full extent of the Proposal which is divided into 4 distinct elements; The Heat Network Area, the Heat Collector (“Ground Loop”) Area, the Solar Array and the Energy Centre.

1. Heat Network Area: This comprises the extent of the homes and building supplied by the scheme. Heat will be transferred via subterranean pipes to each household on the network. Once the installation is complete there will be no visible impact from this network although this is likely to facilitate the removal of existing oil and gas tanks from individual properties in due course.

2. Energy Centre: This will be provided in the existing farm building which will be repurposed for this function. Within the building there will be the main heat pumps that connect to the heat collectors and the heat network. See Appendix 1 for Site plan.

Other elements located at the Energy Centre but outside the building include:

• Air Sourced Heat Collector. This comprises a series of three evaporator fans mounted horizontally on beds approximately 1.5m high.

Photo 1: Example of evaporator fans

• Heat Store. This will be erected adjacent to the energy centre and used to store heat energy in form of hot water. The two insulated tanks will be approx. 6m. tall (and not in excess of the apex of the building) and “Juniper Green” in colour.

Photo 2: Example of accumulator tank

• DNO Transformer. This will be located on the righthand side of access drive near the entrance. Dimensions are 2.5m x 2.5m x 2m high.

• Security fencing. This will be green palisade fencing approx. 2 m tall and will enclose the building and other elements except the coach access turning area.

Photo 3: Example of palisade fencing

Swaffham Prior CHN LVIA

• Facility for passenger coach turning and parking. (This facility is provided for the occasional visits to the centre by school parties etc.).

3. Heat Collector (“Ground Loop”) Area. This will comprise an array of boreholes at regular 22m centres currently proposed to be 130 in number to a depth of 200m. The total area of the array is approx. 17.5 hectares. The boreholes will have an outside diameter of 40mm within a drilled shaft 140mm backfilled with clean granular material. Once installed, there will be no visible indicators on the surface that they are there. The intention is to manage the whole of this area as chalk grassland post installation.

4. Solar Array. This element is intended to reduce the scheme’s overall reliance on imported electrical energy to power the pumps and evaporators. It is positioned within the applicant’s ownership on land that is otherwise difficult to drill for boreholes due to the presence of over ground high voltage lines. This area is 1.29 hectares in size. The panels will be 2.33m high and ground mounted in 21 rows of panels approximately 5 metres apart. Alignment of the rows will be on a west-east arrangement facing south. The area will be surrounded by 2 m high deer fencing with 3m tall CCTV’s posted at each corner and an additional one halfway down the eastern side. See plans below in Appendix 2.

Photo 4: Example of ground mounted solar panels “side-on” with deer fencing

Photo 5: Example of ground mounted solar panels “front-on” with deer fencing

Photo 6: Example of ground mounted solar panels screened by hedgerow

2. Baseline studies Plan 2 shows the context of Swaffham Prior within the surrounding landscape.

Overview The village is located approximately 12km north east from the centre of Cambridge and 7.5km west of Newmarket and sits approximately 1.8km outside the Cambridge Greenbelt. It is linked to surrounding villages via the B1102 which runs between Stow cum Quy and Burwell.

A major feature of the local area is the Devil’s Dyke. This is a 12km long linear earthwork from the 6th or 7th century and runs south east to north west approximately 650m. to the north of the village. The Devil’s Dyke is a designated Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Approximately 2.8km to the east of Swaffham Prior is Newmarket Heath SSSI although this is detached from the study area by the A11 which runs along its western edge.

Swaffham Prior also has a number of listed buildings (Grade 1 and 2) as well as a Registered Park and Garden at Swaffham Prior Hall. These are not considered to be effected by the proposals at Goodwin Farm.

The whole area also falls within a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone and the majority of it also falls within a Water Source Protection Zone II Outer Protection Zone which provides for additional protection for groundwater drinking water.

Existing vegetation: Local tree and hedge vegetation cover is naturally relatively sparse although the very gentle topography means that it often has a significantly stronger impact on the local landscape than it would necessarily appear from plan. This is particularly so in and around the village where the roadside trees, hedgerows and copses coalesce with garden vegetation to provide strong local screening. The agricultural land to the south east of the village has a more open character however, with only occasional cut hedgerows interrupting some views. Whilst it has traditionally been an open landscape, it is fair to say that this has been acerbated over recent decades with additional tree and hedgerow loss increasing its scale even further.

Topography: Swaffham prior is located on a slight ridge, with the highest point of the village approximately 30m AOD near the water tower and Foster’s Mill. The land slopes gently

Swaffham Prior CHN LVIA down to to the west of Mill Hill and down to the Proposed Site to the east which is at 20–25m AOD, before then rising very gently again towards the south east and Vicarage Farm and the A11. The land also rises up to a small hill to the north-east of the Proposed Site to a height of c. 35m AOD, this limits views to the north-east and Devil’s Dyke.

Settlement: Swaffham Prior is a relatively compact village with the main core of properties focussed on the High Street and connected roads. Properties with an aspect looking eastwards are limited and predominantly on the east side of the B1102 on Mill Hill and on Heath Road. Heath Road also includes a number of farms and a commercial property.

Landscape Character: The land to the south east of Swaffham Prior is a large scale, open and relatively simple landscape, identified by the Cambridgeshire Landscape Guidelines (1991) as part of the “Chalklands” and characterised by its “complex history of settlement and the impact of people on the landscape over the centuries” and as “a broad-scale landscape of large fields, low mechanically trimmed hedges and few trees”. Traditionally it would have been a strong sheep rearing and corn production area but now it is generally dominated by large-scale cereal production. Small pockets of species rich chalk grassland still prevail, but these tend to be quite fragmented and small in scale.

Natural ’s National Character Area (NCA) characterisation identifies the area as part of the East Anglian Chalk (NCA 87) which also highlights the “smooth rolling chalk hills with large regular fields enclosed by low hawthorn hedges, with few trees, straight roads and expansive views to the north” along with its rich history and man-made influences.

The NCA’s overall strategic objectives for this area include the maintenance of sustainable but productive agricultural land use whilst expanding and connecting the chalkland assemblage of semi-natural grasslands; along with the conservation and promotion of landscape character, by maintaining, enhancing and expanding existing natural features. A full summary of the Strategic Environmental Objectives for the East Anglian Chalklands can be found below in Appendix 3.

Whilst Swaffham Prior also sits very close to the adjoining Fens National Character Area, (NCA 46), this exerts very little influence on the nature of the study area.

The Proposed Site “The Proposed Site” specifically refers to the land at Goodwin Farm, defined by the Energy Centre and associated structures, heat collector area and the solar array (Plan 3).

This area comprises two rectangular arable fields (Agricultural Grade 2 – “Very Good”) of roughly similar size with a total area of c17.5 hectares. The area is flanked by hedgerows on the western (adjacent to Heath Road), northern and eastern sides. A dominant feature of the area is high voltage overhead powerline that runs roughly north-south and bisects the eastern corner of the site.

A public footpath also runs from west to east from Pulpit Corner in Swaffham Prior to the Devil’s Dyke and bisects the northern half of the site.

There are no other features to note on site except a hard standing and the existing contemporary, utilitarian brick farm building in the north-west corner at Goodwin Farm which is to house the Energy Centre. This barn is approximately 18m x 19 m and 6m tall at the apex.

Views and viewpoints Because of the open character of the area, views can be broad and expansive, with long views possible from higher ground especially looking towards the east. However, the relatively flat ground also tends to increase the effect of foreshortening and even subtle changes in landform and the influence of mid-ground hedgerows, trees and building etc. can reduce visibility from lower ground.

The location of the proposed Energy Centre is relatively close to the village and as such tends to merge within the fabric of village edge. However, the solar array location is further away from the village in more open landscape and therefore more liable to stand out.

As already stated, a notable feature of the area is the high voltage overhead power line and pylons that cross the site. The tall pylons and high cables contrast strongly with the low lying, widespread nature of the landscape and interrupt the skyline as such, they are a significant existing intrusion into the area.

Plan 4 identifies key receptors, and visual influences. These receptors relate to -

1. Static views from residential properties on Mill Hill (principally numbers 2 – 26 and properties at Pulpit Corner) – see VP 1 in Annex 1: Viewpoint Analysis. Where garden trees and shrubs do not intervene, residents have a somewhat elevated aspect that allows expansive views eastwards across the Proposed Site and beyond to the rising ground and Newmarket, in particular from upper floors.

2. Static views from the residential property at Bye’s Farm on Heath Road – see VP2 in Annex 1: Viewpoint Analysis. Whilst existing garden trees and shrubs are likely to screen views from ground level, the upper storey will have clear views of the Proposed Site and in particular the solar array.

3. Transitory views from Devil’s Dyke – see VP 3a and 3b in Annex 1: Viewpoint Analysis. The historic and environmental significance of this feature makes it particularly sensitive to landscape change. Views towards the Proposed Site are possible from a stretch of approx. 1000m. for those walking northwards on the Devil’s Dyke path. The views are however part of wider panoramic aspects across the whole landscape. As such the Proposed Site is only likely to be seen as a relatively small element within the wider landscape including the village edge and development on Heath Road. Whilst being in the opposite direction to the Proposed Site (and not therefore taken in within the same views), it should also be noted that there is an existing solar farm located on the Heath Road that runs from Burwell to Exning already visible from the Dyke.

4. Transitory views from the public footpath from Swaffham Prior to the Devil’s Dyke – see VP 4a and 4b in Annex 1: Viewpoint Analysis. This path cuts across the Proposed Site and directly faces the solar array and passes in close proximity to it.

Swaffham Prior CHN LVIA 3. Identification and description of effects The following considers the potential impacts of the various elements of the Proposed Site in relation to the key viewpoints identified above. A summary is included below in Table 1.

1. Heat network area: The heat network area is within the village itself and as such does not impact on the any of the identified key viewpoints/receptors. As the whole heating supply network will be sub-ground once installed there are not anticipated to be any longer-term impacts other than potentially some minor local improvements to the village scene with the removal of existing oil and gas tanks.

During installation, trenching will be required throughout the village as individual properties are connected. This is likely to impact on a high number of local residents albeit for a relatively short period.

2. Energy Centre: The existing barn which will be re-purposed as the Energy Centre is only partially visible from the back of residential properties on Mill Hill (no’s 2 – 26 and Pulpit Corner), as it is well screened by existing trees and hedgerows with only the roof partially visible at present. The Air Source Heat Collector and Heat Store will occupy the same ‘footprint’ as the existing hard standing area around the barn. The two heat storage tanks, at 6m. tall, are approximately the same height as the apex of the barn so the tops are likely to be visible but not necessarily out of keeping within a farm setting. The total installation period is expected to last 30 weeks. During this time there will be construction activity, and this might lead to some additional noise and machinery movement during working hours. However, within the context of its former use as a farmyard this is not anticipated to make any significant difference and the visual impact is also considered to be low. Post-construction, the visual impact is considered to be very low. (NB It is however noted that the Energy Centre will be visited by school parties and a bus parking area is required. The top of a coach might be visible from Mill Hill during these times but the existing hedgerow will help screen the majority – allowing the hedgerow to grow taller should mitigate the issue further in time).

Bye’s Farm has a more direct view towards the proposed Energy Centre, although this is not the house’s main aspect and is likely to only be viewable from one side window. Views from here are therefore likewise expected to be limited as the proposal is likely to be seen as just an extension to the existing farm building seen against the back cloth of the village edge. As such the visual change is likely to be quite low both during construction and post-construction and therefore the visual impact is considered low for both. Additional screen hedging around the Energy Centre will also help mitigate views further.

Views from the Devil’s Dyke are distant (approx. 1.5km away) and whilst the existing barn is visible it is seen within the context of the wider village margins and is not possible to discern any detail. The visual impact is therefore considered to be very low both during construction and long-term.

Views from the footpath will be impacted and there will be some obvious visual change. Acknowledging the proximity and increased activity during construction, this period is considered likely have a moderate visual impact. However, in the context of the transitory nature of the footpath corridor, its current farm use, renovation of the barn itself and the use of additional screen planting, the overall impact is considered to be low in the longer-term i.e. post-construction.

3. Heat Collector Area: During the installation period a maximum of four drilling rigs will be in place along with other associated construction equipment. A certain amount of disturbance is therefore inevitable. This is considered to have a likely moderate impact on properties on Mill Hill and Bye’s Farm and the footpath. Longer views from the Devil’s Dyke will be less significant because of distance and likely to have a very low impact.

Post installation, the boreholes will be out of sight and have no visual impact. The proposal is to restore the whole area (approximately 16 ha.) from arable land to chalk grassland. This is recognised as a local environmental priority with the potential to offer significant benefits both ecologically and visually.

4. Solar Array: As has been described the proposed solar array is located away from the village in more open landscape and therefore can be seen to be more visually sensitive. This is particularly so in relation to views from properties on Mill Hill where current open, uninterrupted long view eastwards towards Newmarket will be affected – albeit that they are already somewhat compromised by the overhead powerlines. Visual disturbance is likely to most during construction when it is considered there will be a high visual impact. Post construction impact is assessed to be moderate. This is on the basis: a) That the panels are located out in an open field and will intrude into wider expansive views b) That the slightly elevated viewpoint means that a larger proportion of the panel area will be visible (compared to if it was just on flat ground for example).

However, these will be mitigated somewhat by: I. The direction of the panels will mean they are seen end rather than face on, thus helping to break up their overall “mass” II. The spaces between the panels will have had time to green up and further help reduce the mass effect, III. Additional screen planting (hedgerows) on the eastern side of the solar array. In this context it is important to note East Cambridgeshire Renewable Energy SPD highlights that “the impacts of ground mounted panels can be mitigated with effective screening. Where new hedging is proposed the expectation is that native species will be provided as part of the development”.

Bye’s Farm is the closest property to the solar array and the rear of the property will have direct views towards the panels but again already affected considerably by the overhead powerlines. Whilst views from the lower level might be restricted by garden trees and shrubs there will nevertheless be views from upstairs rooms where the panels are likely to be seen virtually “face-on”. Visual disturbance is likely to highest

Swaffham Prior CHN LVIA during construction when it is considered there will be a high visual impact. Post construction impact is assessed to be moderate. This is on the basis of: a) The proximity of the proposed solar array to the house and the impact on immediate views b) The panels will be seen front-on and therefore likely to have greater visual impact.

However, these will be mitigated somewhat by: I. The house is on roughly the same elevation as the panels and therefore their full extent will not be on-view II. The panels will be viewed against the background of the existing hedgerow and rising land behind III. Additional planting (hedgerows) on the western side of the solar array will further help screen the panels and fencing.

The proposed solar array will be partially visible from the Devil’s Dyke for a stretch of approximately 1 km. When walking north. However, the distance (+ 1,000m) and the angle of view are likely to reduce the overall visual impact. However, in view of the sensitivity of the historic viewpoint the visual impact is considered to be moderate during the construction period but post construction once hedgerow screen planting is in place likely to a fall to a low visual impact.

Views from the footpath will impacted from both directions as the path cuts the corner of the proposed solar array. During construction the impact is therefore considered to be high. However, post-construction, it is anticipated that hedgerow screen planting will help mitigate some of the impact. As such post construction the visual impact is considered to be moderate.

Table 1: Summary of potential landscape and visual impacts

Viewpoint 1 – Viewpoint 2 – Viewpoint 3 – Viewpoint 4 - Properties on Bye’s Farm Devil’s Dyke Footpath Mill Hill Construction 1 Heat n/a n/a n/a n/a phase network Post area n/a n/a n/a n/a construction Construction low low very low moderate 2. Energy phase Centre Post Very low low very low low construction Construction moderate moderate very low moderate 3. Heat phase source significant Post area very low very low very low long-term construction improvement Construction high high moderate high 4. Solar phase Array Post moderate moderate low moderate construction

4. Mitigation Plan 5 provides a mitigation plan for the Proposed Site. The aim of this is to provide additional screening to reduce the overall visual impact of the proposal as well as enhancing the wider opportunities for conservation and wildlife by improving connectivity and creating new habitats. The mitigation proposals comprise:

1. Allowing the existing hedgerow adjacent to the Energy Centre on the Mill Hill side to grow taller. 2. Provision of deciduous hedgerow screen planting (predominantly hawthorn, but with field maple, and hazel etc) as indicated on the plan 3. Repair and restoration of the hedgerow on Heath Road 4. Restoration of the heat source area to chalk grassland - not only significantly enhancing the visual and ecological diversity of the area, but also contributing to groundwater quality objectives.

Swaffham Prior CHN LVIA Plan 1: The Proposals

Plan 2: Site Context

Swaffham Prior CHN LVIA Plan 3: Site Appraisal

Plan 4: Viewpoint Analysis

Swaffham Prior CHN LVIA Plan 5: Mitigation

Appendix 1: Proposed Energy Centre site layout plan

Swaffham Prior CHN LVIA Appendix 2: Proposed Solar Array layout plan

Appendix 3: NCA 87: East Anglian Chalk. Strategic Environmental Objectives

■ SEO 1: Maintain sustainable but productive agricultural land use, while expanding and connecting the chalkland assemblage of semi-natural grasslands, for example by sensitive management of road verges and extending buffer strips along field margins, to benefit soil and water quality, reduce soil erosion, strengthen landscape character and enhance biodiversity and pollinator networks.

■ SEO 2: Conserve the regionally important East Anglian chalk groundwater resource, by working in partnership to ensure that an integrated catchment- scale approach is secured for its enhanced long-term management, including the chalk streams, for the benefit of biodiversity, landscape character and recreational experience.

■ SEO 3: Conserve and promote the landscape character, geodiversity, historic environment and historical assets of the chalklands, including the open views of undulating chalkland, large rectilinear field pattern and linear ditches, strong equine association and the Icknield Way prehistoric route. Improve opportunities to enhance people’s enjoyment of the area while protecting levels of tranquillity.

■ SEO4: Conserve the settlement character and create or enhance sustainable urban drainage systems and green infrastructure within existing and new developments, particularly in relation to the urban fringe and growth areas such as south-east Cambridge, to provide recreation opportunities, increase soil and water quality and enhance landscape character.

Swaffham Prior CHN LVIA