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Valad Developments () Ltd and Sainsburys Supermarkets Ltd

Talbot Green Town Centre (Phase 1)

Design and Access Statement

September 2012

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Design and Access Statement

Document Control

Document: Design and Access Statement

Project:

Client: Valad developments Llantrisant) Ltd & Sainsburys Supermarkets Ltd

Job Number: A064211

File Origin: W:\A064000-A064999\A064211 Talbot Green Town Centre\September 2012 Sainsbury's full application\120900 DAS report.doc

Revision: -

Date: September 2012

Prepared by Checked by Approved By PJW PJW PJW

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Design and Access Statement

Contents

1 Introduction...... 3 1.1 The Site ...... 3 2 The Development...... 4 2.1 A Vision for a New Town Centre ...... 4 2.2 The Phase 1 Development...... 4 3 Assessment ...... 6 3.1 Planning Policy Context ...... 6 3.2 Historical Background...... 6 3.3 Physical Context ...... 7 3.4 Natural Context ...... 9 3.5 Movement and Traffic ...... 10 3.6 Constraints...... 11 3.7 Opportunities...... 12 4 Concept Development ...... 14 4.1 Design Approach ...... 14 4.2 Design Principles...... 14 4.3 Landscape Concept...... 17 4.4 Movement Strategy...... 17 4.5 Illustrative Masterplan...... 18 4.6 Consultations...... 18 5 Phase 1 Design ...... 20 5.1 Amount...... 20 5.2 Scale...... 20 5.3 Design Elements ...... 21 5.4 Elevational Treatment and Materials ...... 21 5.5 Roof Scape...... 22 5.6 Drainage ...... 22 6 Movement and Access...... 23 6.1 Introduction ...... 23 6.2 Routes ...... 23 6.3 Pedestrian...... 23 6.4 Bus Movement...... 24 6.5 Parking ...... 24 6.6 Dedicated Service Yard ...... 24 6.7 A473 Junction...... 24 6.8 Signage...... 26 6.9 Disability Provision...... 26 6.10 Emergency Access ...... 27 6.11 Other Access Features ...... 27 7 Community Safety...... 28 7.1 Car Park...... 28 7.2 Pedestrian/Vehicular Interaction ...... 28 7.3 Night time activity...... 28 8 Environmental Sustainability ...... 29 8.1 Introduction ...... 29 8.2 BREEAM Pre-Assessment...... 30 8.3 Energy Strategy...... 30 8.4 Ecology ...... 33 8.5 Flooding...... 33

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1 Introduction This statement should be read in conjunction with the documents accompanying the application, notably the Environment Statement (October 2011) and Environmental Statement Addendum (August 2012), collectively referred to hereafter as “the ES”, and other specialist reports. The purpose of this statement is to examine the character and structure of the development in accordance with the requirements for Design and Access Statements as set out in Planning Policy Technical Advice Note 12: Design and the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure)(Wales)Order, 2012. This report provides an overview of the early design work for the wider town centre proposals, exploring what the place might become, as set out in the Design and Access Statement and Addendum DAS, prepared by Holder Mathias Architects with input from the Valad design team, accompanying the outline planning application for the wider town centre proposal (LPA ref 11/1330/13). This DAS utilises and builds upon that work, repeating and reiterating relevant sections and providing further detail in respect of phase 1 of the town centre (i.e. the development the subject of this full application), as appropriate. Full acknowledgement is given to Holder Mathias Architects in this regard. It provides an analysis of the site as existing, the constraints and opportunities which arise from that site and the commercial and other drivers governing the overall concept. 1.1 The Site The Strategic Site is situated to the west of , just south of the historic medieval hill town of Llantrisant. It lies at the southern end of Cynon Taf County Borough. The forms a physical and psychological barrier in these parts: directly south of the M4 is the rural Vale of , whereas to the north lie the former valleys of the Rhondda. Llantrisant Talbot Green commands a unique position straddling these two contrasting areas. The phase 1 site itself comprises part brown field industrial land (the former industrial buildings having been removed) and part Greenfield land forming the north-western extent of the Pant Marsh SINC. The site measures approximately 8.6 hectares. The Council’s Local Development Plan identifies a Strategic Site (SSA8). The town centre forms one part of this site and the supermarket and phase 1 development forms one part of the town centre. The masterplan for the town centre has taken into account linkages to other areas contained in SSA8 as part of the strategy for long term growth and community cohesion. Valad Developments (Llantrisant) Ltd and the own the majority of land within the Core Town Centre and considerable tracts of land further to the east. They have entered into a contract with Sainsburys Supermarkets Ltd in respect of the application site. Other adjacent landowners are Leekes, whose department store currently fronts Road, and County Borough Council, particularly in its capacity as highway authority.

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2 The Development 2.1 A Vision for a New Town Centre The vision for the wider town centre is set out in detail in the DAS accompanying application 11/1330/13. This confirms that an opportunity exists on land to the south of the A473 to create a new social, economic, cultural and entertainment focus for the expanding area; in other words, a new town centre that would be easily accessible and built on sound sustainable principles. This development would become a vibrant new heart for the surrounding community, complementing the existing facilities in the surrounding villages. In this context the area has been identified by the Welsh Assembly Government (through the Wales Spatial Plan) and by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council (through its Local Development Plan) as a strategic area for growth. The new town centre will include: • shopping: a supermarket (the subject of this application), a relocated Leekes, an additional department store, and other town centre type shop units • cultural and entertainment quarter: cinemas, hotel and restaurants • business space: offices • town centre living: apartments and town houses • educational facilities: better linkages bringing the school into the town centre • public realm and open space: of a high quality. The town centre and the phase 1 supermarket part of it will seek to create/contribute to a sustainable mixed development which reflects the local context and circumstances. The development has been benchmarked under the key headings identified by the Welsh Government in Technical Advice Note 12: Design, namely: • Access • Character • Community Safety • Environmental Sustainability • Movement 2.2 The Phase 1 Development The phase 1 development, the subject of this application, will comprise a Sainsbury’s supermarket measuring 11,000sqm GEA with a net sales area of 7,230sqm (Competition Commission definition of sales area), of which 4,130sqm will be convenience floorspace and 3,100sqm will be comparison floorspace. An eight-pump Petrol Filling Station (PFS) with kiosk (100sqm) and jet wash facilities will also be provided. Groundwater levels in this part of the site require this to be served by above ground fuel tanks which will be located to the east of the PFS forecourt and appropriately screened. The store will be served by a 573 space surface level car park (comprising 503 standard spaces, 35 parent and child spaces and 35 disabled spaces). A dedicated area will also be provided for motorcycle parking in the north west corner of the car park while cycle parking will be provided beneath the front elevation canopy with 23 cycle racks providing space for 46 cycles. A customer recycling area will also be provided in the north of the car park, with dedicated pull-in area. A link road forming a southern arm from the Glamorgan Vale roundabout will provide vehicular access to the PFS, supermarket car park and bus stop via an internal roundabout. This will provide two east bound exit lanes at the approach to Glamorgan Vale roundabout, albeit the highway design will allow this to be expanded to three lanes to accommodate the wider town centre scheme in due course. Minor modifications

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are proposed to the east and west bound exits from the Glamorgan Vale roundabout as necessary, associated with the above. Further highway works are required comprising a new priority junction onto the A473 between Glamorgan Vale roundabout junction and the A4222 (Cowbridge Road) junction to allow access/egress to the supermarket’s service yard. While this junction will be designed to accommodate access to the northern town centre service yard and a multi-storey customer car park as part of the wider town centre scheme in due course, during phase 1 it will solely serve the supermarket service yard. Associated landscaping works include, specifically, landscaping of the above ground fuel tanks to the east of the petrol station, feature/strategic landscaping adjacent to the A473 and planting along the southern boundary of the car park to provide some enclosure and to ultimately form part of the Linear Garden of the wider town centre scheme in due course. Re-profiling of land to provide an approximately level development plateau at 48m AOD and flood alleviation works comprising an earthen bund of c.280m length at c.46m AOD to the east of are also proposed.

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3 Assessment 3.1 Planning Policy Context Introduction This section provides an overview of planning policies associated with the proposals. A more comprehensive study is set out in an accompanying Environmental Statement or covering letter accompanying the application. National policies Llantrisant is identified in the Wales Spatial Plan as one of three Principal Towns earmarked for future development and expansion within the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. A Principal Town is an area that will see significant new development; in Llantrisant’s case this is listed as housing, employment and retail. Furthermore, Llantrisant/North West Cardiff is identified as a “Strategic Opportunity Area” (SOA). Planning Policy Wales, 4th edition (PPW) sets out national planning policy on various topics. These include sustainability, the economy, transport, housing, retailing and town centres, protection of natural heritage, infrastructure and services and , all of which will be relevant to the redevelopment of the subject site. PPW promotes resource efficient settlement patterns and states a preference for the use of previously developed land. The use of good design is promoted in order to ‘protect and enhance the quality of the environment…help to attract business and investment, promote social inclusion and improve the quality of life’. Town centres are promoted as the most appropriate location for retail, leisure and office locations in order to assist with reducing the need to travel and any new retail floorspace is required to accord with the sequential approach to site selection. Local policies Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council has prepared and adopted a Local Development Plan covering the period from 2006 to 2021. The strategy adopted in the Plan is to divide the County Borough into two halves and allocate a number of Strategic Sites in each. One such Strategic Site is allocated in the Llantrisant/Talbot Green/Mwyndy area, thus correlating with the Wales Spatial Plan’s upgrading of Llantrisant into a principal settlement and the Llantrisant/NW Cardiff Strategic Opportunity Area. The Strategic Site allocation covers c.88 hectares of land and relates to the following development: 500 dwellings, 32 hectares of employment land, 23,200sqm (net) of retail floorspace, including a food store, 10,000sqm (net) of leisure floorspace a primary school, library/community facility and informal amenity space. The town centre allocation of the Strategic Site contains all of the retail and leisure floorspace, the library/community facility and 100 of the residential units. The allocation recognises that the town centre will also contain some employment provision as part of its mixed use development, but this is separate from the 32 hectares of specific employment allocation, which is located around Mwyndy Cross. The residual 400 dwellings and primary school are allocated at Cefn-yr-Hendy. 3.2 Historical Background This section outlines the key historic developments in the locality. Talbot Green sits in a shallow valley near the rivers Clun and Ely and in the shadow of Llantrisant, the medieval hill-town. A settlement has existed on this site from at least the beginning of the 6th century, when the poet Aneurin wrote of 'the white houses of Glamorgan' when referring to Llantrisant. It was seized in the 13th century by Richard de Clare who built Llantrisant Castle as well as nearby Caerphilly. It is thought that de Clare established the borough of Llantrisant although the Royal charter was not granted until 1346.

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The medieval hilltop church is a prominent landmark to this day affording panoramic views of the area. The church is dedicated to three Celtic saints: Saints Illtyd, Gwynno and Dyfodwg. A church was built and dedicated by the Normans in 1096 on the earlier Celtic site. The church was rebuilt by Richard de Clare in 1246 in the Norman style and in the 15th century the tower was added. Its interior houses an effigy of a 13th century warrior, believed to be Cadwgan, lord of . Other nearby hills also contain historic landmarks. The fort of to the east of Llantrisant was the site of a battle against the invading Saxons in 873. To the west is Graig hill, the town’s highest point, topped by the stone remains of a 13th Century windmill known locally as “Billy Wynt”. By the early 19th century the tower was in ruins and in 1893 it was restored as a folly. Industrial activity has been recorded at nearby Mwyndy (“Stone House”) as early as the 1750’s, but possibly as far back as the Tudor period. Haematite () and mines were sunk and by 1770 over five hundred men were employed there. The more recent development history of Llantrisant and its surroundings is in many ways a microcosm of the rise and fall of South Wales as a whole. Rapid industrial expansion in the 19th century was followed by a steady and inexorable decline in the 20th century. First the coal mines closed, then the railways were shut, and new factories were built in an effort to refocus the economy. From the mid-20th century onwards new fast roads were built and there followed a period of urbanisation based upon use of the private car. Retail parks and industrial estates were constructed along with suburban housing aimed at the Cardiff housing market. The Llantrisant Talbot Green area today is essentially a collection of edge of town retail and business units surrounded by expanding residential areas, many of which are dormitory suburbs to Cardiff and elsewhere. 3.3 Physical Context Overview The site comprises relatively flat land, part of which used to house large industrial premises and part of which comprises the undeveloped Pant Marsh. The only building which now remains on the wider town centre site is Leekes department store, a large and successful local business. Leekes is situated on Cowbridge Road, which is bisected by the disused railway and the A473. North of this single lane two-way carriageway is a post-war residential area eventually leading to the attractive stone-built high street of Talbot Green. Further south along Cowbridge Road is another attractive village, . The Cefn yr Hendy woodland forms an attractive natural feature between the town centre site and Pontyclun, and the only formal pedestrian link is currently via Cowbridge Road. Built context Llantrisant Talbot Green comprises a number of distinct and separate areas, which could be termed Character Areas. Talbot Green Village Centre A single bustling high street (Talbot Road) of 19th century two storey buildings with a variety of local businesses, with some small scale post-war buildings such as a bus station and doctor’s surgery. Primarily built of local stone, brick, slate and tiled roofs, the street is very much a linear east-west artery with limited north-south crossing routes for vehicles or pedestrians. Pontyclun Village Centre Cowbridge Road in this location contains two-storey stone-built cottages clustered either side of the railway station. The 19th century architecture forms longer unbroken line than at Talbot Green. Towards the

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southern end is an attractive village green. Some streets lead off either side of the high street towards residential areas. East of here is the Cefn yr Hendy area, which has seen much recent expansion and will expand further through a land allocation in the LDP. It is very much a conventional estate with housing from the 1970s, 80’s and 90’s. Talbot Green Big Box Retail This is edge of town-style development. It is characterised by large buildings and surface car parks. Pedestrian links are generally poor in all directions due to heavily trafficked roads. Talbot Green Residential This area of two storey inter-war and post-war housing, mainly semi-detached, was designed in an estate fashion with winding roads and cul-de-sacs. There are pedestrian links in all directions. Cowbridge Road Formerly the principal high street, this is now little more than a road fronted by an assortment of two and three storey buildings and surface car parks presenting a fragmented frontage. It consists of a variety of building types including light industrial, residential apartments, some houses, a council depot and a primary school, adding to a lack of coherence. Cowbridge Road forms a strong north-south line with limited connections for pedestrians in other directions. Most east-west links are dead ends. The original north/south vehicular route was severed by the A473 bypass. Llantrisant Hill Town A cluster of small 19th century cottages following a medieval pattern of narrow streets congregates around a public square and, behind it, an ancient church. Due to its elevated location Llantrisant is relatively isolated from the surrounding area, although the village and its church form the principal landmark for miles around. The A473 This road, and the disused railway alongside, currently forms a barrier to pedestrian and vehicular movement in a north-south direction. The footbridge presents the only crossing point. Apart from the Cowbridge Road Junction, the speed limit on this section of road is currently derestricted. It is currently lined on both sides with large trees. It is unrelated to its surroundings, nor do any adjacent sites have any relationship within the wood. Built Character There is a clear contrast between the fine grain of 19th century development and the mono-use vehicle-led planning of the 20th century. Both Pontyclun and Talbot Green village centres consist of a rich mixture of uses sitting cheek by jowl in a walkable environment. Contrast that with the large expanses of residential dormitory suburbs, industrial estates and retail parks. The new town centre will aim to provide a greater, more concentrated critical mass of uses resulting in a higher density of development which is able to support services such as enhanced public transport. It will also seek to create a new urban grain on this site which has hitherto consisted of large industrial units bearing no relation to their context. Services infrastructure It is not anticipated that any services infrastructure will pose a significant problem for development, since this site previously accommodated low density industrial uses. Contamination The areas of former industrial land within the site include some ground contamination from the old Purolite chemical factory. A ground survey by Environ found some contamination, and remediation work to the

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ground has now been carried out. There are numerous mine shafts and some known contamination from lead workings on land further east, which is outside the site. 3.4 Natural Context Topography The application site is situated within a flat river valley adjacent to the Afon Clun river, sitting at approximately 48m elevation. South of the site is an area of former industrial land included within the wider town centre proposals, Y Pant secondary school and the Coed yr Hendy woodland which rises to an elevation of approximately 85m. To the north are the landmark twin hills of Llantrisant (150m) and Y Graig (175m), with the Rhiwsaeson fort on another hill to the north-east at 167m. To the north-west is Mynydd Garthmaelwg, a large hill rising higher still to some 255m and covered by Llantrisant Forest. The site can be regarded as the extreme northern edge of the gentle hilly landscape that is typical of the Vale of Glamorgan. Immediately to the north, and beginning with Llantrisant hill town, is a much steeper and more rugged landscape, with characteristically narrow valleys known as ‘cwms’. Significant landscapes There is a small line of trees within the application site which are the subject of Preservation Orders (TPO). The impact on these is set out in section 8. Other than a solitary brick chimney standing on what is today a green hillside, there are no nearby listed structures. The council has highlighted as important the panoramic view from Llantrisant church looking south. Large retail sheds dominate the middle ground. The central view encompasses a large swath of mainly green land including the wooded Coed yr Hendy hillside, the Pant Marsh and the proposed Mwyndy employment area. Much of this area is designated in the LDP as Special Landscape Area (SLA). This SLA was reviewed as part of the LPD process using a methodology developed to accord with LANDMAP and thus taking a holistic approach to landscape assessment. The Council’s approach in this regard is set out in two of the documents forming part of the LDP evidence base (“EB48: Development of Criteria for Special Landscape Area Designation for South East Wales Local Authorities 2007” and “EB49: Proposals for Designation of Special Landscape Areas in Rhondda Cynon Taf, 2008”. As such, the application’s further assessment of landscape and the implications for and mitigation of the development on that landscape have been carried out in accordance with LANDMAP and are set out in the ES. Landscape character There are significant and varied areas of green space in the immediate vicinity, each with its own character. Pant Marsh SINC is an area benefiting from SINC status reflecting the presence of the Marsh Fritillary butterfly. It is prone to flooding and characterised by low level planting and small trees. The only current public access to the Pant Marsh is from the informal footpath on the north bank of the river. Part of the Marsh forms part of the application site. Coed yr Hendy is a dense deciduous forest with significant undergrowth, bisected by an overhead high tension power line. The woodland is visible from various locations because it rises up a hillside. It is a designated Ancient Woodland and Site of Interest for Nature Conservation. Paths currently provide limited access through the woods. Y Pant School has wide open playing fields in front of the school buildings, with Coed yr Hendy forming a wooded hillside backdrop. There is a small limited wooded area immediately behind the school buildings. Ecologically, school playing fields are insignificant. As with all schools public access is limited, and the site is fenced off from the surroundings. Dense perimeter planting means most of the school site is not even visible to the outside world at present.

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Afon Clun is a small stream/river with an overgrown footpath to one side. It is quiet, secluded and semi- rural. Public access is limited to a footpath, which at its eastern end becomes boggy and prone to flooding. Mwyndy is a predominantly rural area with low hills, hedgerows and farmland. It is split in two by the A4119 dual carriageway. The area is peppered with locally designated SINC sites. There are various public rights of way of a rural nature, and some limited country lanes with vehicle access. The A4119 is difficult to cross on foot. Ecology The project team has carried out exhaustive ecological surveys as set out in the ES, not only of the site itself, but also of a much wider area of land that is owned by Valad and the Welsh Government. The findings of these studies have helped inform the scheme’s development. There are extensive SINCs (Sites of Interest for Nature Conservation) in the vicinity of the site and part of the Pant Marsh SINC is within the site itself. The area contains significant areas of swamp, marshy grassland, damp semi-improved neutral grassland, wet scrub/woodland and riverbank habitats. The site also contains a number of rare or locally important species as described in the Environmental Statement. There are no SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) or other statutory protected areas within or near to the application site. The western part of the application site is brownfield and of little ecological value. Flood risk The “Development Advice Maps” accompanying TAN15 Development and Flooding indicate a large swath of category C2 (without significant flood defence) flood plain which follows the line of the Afon Clun river. Part of the site lies within this area, as does the whole of Y Pant School. These areas therefore cannot accommodate certain categories of “highly vulnerable” development such as housing. However, retail is not classified as a highly vulnerable form of development and, subject to appropriate assessment of the consequences of flooding, should be acceptable. Not surprisingly, the Pant Marsh also sits squarely in the flood plain. The Council commissioned a Strategic Flood Consequences Assessment (SFCA) of the LDP’s strategic sites, including the Talbot Green/Mwyndy strategic site. This study concluded that the site was capable of development subject to a site specific FCA being carried out. Specialist consultants Atkins Environment & Water were commissioned to produce a more detailed computer model to predict an accurate flood risk boundary, taking into account future climate change. Atkins also calculated the options for mitigation measures and a full Flood Consequences Analysis forms part of the ES. 3.5 Movement and Traffic Regional Context At Talbot Green the A4119 directly south to the M4 at Junction 34, and to the north it continues up the valley towards . Pontyclun railway station is relatively near, within reasonable walking distance of the site. The short branch from Pontyclun to via Talbot Green, which skirts the north of the development site, is currently recommended for protection by SEWTA (the South East Wales Transport Alliance) as a potential passenger rail link and is safeguarded as such in the LDP. However, part of the line has been granted planning permission for interim use as a community cycle/foot path. Private vehicles At Talbot Green the A4119, running north-south from the M4, is bisected by the east-west A473. Part of this road has recently been upgraded in the form of the bypass. The council have plans for further dualling of this road in the future, between the Glamorgan Vale roundabout and the A4119 roundabout.

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Whilst the Glamorgan Vale roundabout is currently a 3-arm roundabout, it was constructed with the intention that a fourth arm could be added to facilitate traffic from the application site. RCT’s highway evidence, written by Hyder and submitted as part of the LDP evidence base, states that most vehicular traffic using a new Town Centre in this location would approach from the east and therefore access via the A473. Cowbridge Road crosses the A473 further west. It is a historic north-south route connecting the Vale of Glamorgan and the Rhondda valleys. Construction of the A473 in the 1990’s cut Cowbridge Road in half. RCT’s report and the project team’s own research estimates that about a quarter to a third of future traffic to the Town Centre would access from this direction. Public transport Local bus services currently run out of Talbot Green bus station, with a frequency along Cowbridge Road averaging nine buses per hour. The general preference is that the new town centre include a number of new bus stops rather than a relocation of Talbot Green bus station. The phase 1 development, the subject of this application, includes a bus stop adjacent to the supermarket car park allowing bus access to the development without the delays associated with entering the car park itself. Pontyclun railway station with fast hourly services to Cardiff is only ten minutes’ walk from the Town Centre site. The disused mineral railway that runs around the northern boundary of the site is safeguarded in the emerging LDP as a passenger line and a potential future location for a train halt has been identified west of Cowbridge Road. Pedestrians and Cyclists North-south links along the historic Cowbridge Road have been hampered by the disused railway as well as the A473. This road has taken on the character of a bypass and does not have pavements. A footbridge is the only way of crossing it and the railway. The footbridge is the only safe means for Y Pant pupils to reach the school from north of the A473. Car orientated retail parks and housing estates based on cul-de-sacs do not readily connect with each other, with the result that orientation can be difficult. Many of these areas have been designed without the benefit of modern design criteria and, as such, pedestrian connectivity is limited. Various paths and rights of way cross the area. The challenge will be to protect important ecological and landscape attributes whilst providing access to the town centre. The woodland of Coed yr Hendy provides no formal pedestrian linkages with limited access. Further east, the land quickly becomes agricultural green fields. Cycle accessibility is limited to on-road riding; however, there are many plans to improve the off-road network in the area. 3.6 Constraints Introduction The development, while commencing the regeneration of the locality by providing phase 1 of the wider town centre, needs also to address the sensitive setting especially with regard to safeguarding ecological assets, providing access and recognising the flooding potential. Barriers The disused railway which runs parallel to the northern boundary to the site currently forms a barrier to north-south movement. Likewise the A473 strategic highway which runs parallel to the railway has the character of a bypass and reinforces this northern barrier.

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To the south, the existing school also acts as a barrier to movement. As with all schools, its playing fields are fenced off. South of the school is the Coed yr Hendy woodland, which is ecologically sensitive, as is the Pant Marsh to the east. Public access to these areas is currently limited to some overgrown and unpaved paths. Clearly a new town centre on this land and, as far as possible phase 1 of that town centre, will need to transcend the barriers that separate it from the surrounding communities. Careful attention has to be paid to areas of ecological sensitivity or at risk of flooding. The Pant Marsh SINC supports the marsh fritillary butterfly. The flood plain covers a small part of the site. 3.7 Opportunities Socio-economic opportunities The historical analysis on previous pages shows how the local economy, like much of South Wales, underwent a huge transformation during the latter part of the 20th century. Mining and heavy industry, served by railways, were gradually replaced by smaller scale manufacturing. In recent years manufacturing has given way to the service sector. At the same time changes in society mean that fewer women stay at home, people are more affluent than their parents’ generation and they generally travel more, especially by car. Centres of employment are often further from the home, and this in turn gives rise to a demand for retail and other facilities en-route. Despite recent efforts to stem growth in car travel this pattern of dormitory estates and out-of town retail parks generally characterises the wider Llantrisant area today. In Rhondda Cynon Taf this trend has resulted in an imbalance of both trade and people. Every day sees thousands of local residents travel to Cardiff to work and also to spend their earnings. This ‘expenditure leakage’ must be tackled if the Borough is to close the economic gap with the capital. It is partly for this reason that a New Town Centre, including a new supermarket, is envisaged, providing both employment and services to the wider community. Those people who currently commute to work out of the borough would be able to spend the money they have earned in their own community. Employment Part of the new Town Centre’s role, and thus the phase 1 development the subject of this application, should be to enhance and diversify the opportunities for local employment. An Economic Impact Assessment of the proposed development, including the phase 1 supermarket, has been carried out by DTZ (set out within the ES) which concludes there will be a highly beneficial effect. Movement The new town centre including phase 1 needs to make improvements to all transport users in and around the site: cars, delivery vehicles, public transport, cyclists and pedestrians. Current access to the site is effectively restricted to the extreme western edge, along Cowbridge Road. This is where the pedestrian footbridge is located and it is also the only vehicular access into the site. At the council’s suggestion and in accordance with the new LDP, a new eastern access point is envisaged from the Glamorgan Vale roundabout. More detailed studies suggest a service access from the A473 is also essential. Visual Links South Wales is blessed with many green hills, and the Llantrisant area is no exception. Several distinctive hills are visible around the site, which aid orientation and help provide a strong sense of place. Chief among these is Llantrisant itself with its hilltop village crowned with an ancient church. The church is a prominent

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landmark that can be seen from some of the key approach routes, especially travelling north along the A4119 which is aligned perfectly towards the hill. West of the church is Y Graig, a bare hill with the ‘Billy Wynt’ ruin, another local landmark. Coed yr Hendy woods to the south present a pleasing forested backdrop to the town centre site. A well-designed town centre will take advantage of this potential for attractive views giving local character and will respect the adjacent SLA designation and LANDMAP data sets. Sustainability: Building and Energy Wales is one of the few administrations in the world to have a statutory duty in relation to sustainable development. The scheme, One Wales One Planet, states that sustainable development is the central organising principle of the Welsh Government and the public sector in Wales. In Wales, sustainable development means enhancing the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of people and communities, achieving a better quality of life for our own and future generations: • In ways which will promote social justice and equality of opportunity: and • In ways which enhance the natural and cultural environment and respect its limits – using only our fair share of the earth’s resources and sustaining our cultural legacy. The target for this proposal of BREEAM Excellent is in line with the requirements of Welsh Government policy. Further details are provided below in the “Environmental Sustainability” section, below.

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4 Concept Development 4.1 Design Approach General The design approach to the town centre as a whole is set out in the DAS supporting application 11/1330/13. That approach envisaged a supermarket would be built early on, in order to enable the remainder of the project. This was to compete with the nearby Tesco Extra and it was recognised that in order to achieve this it would need to be of a similar size, provide a similar offer and to face east in order to be visible to traffic along the A473. A further consequence is that it requires a surface car park. The proposed development reflects that approach and is fully in accordance with the overall design concept of the wider town centre proposal. Sustainability Appraisal A sustainability appraisal workshop was held early in the town centre design process in order to appraise and optimise the contribution of the scheme to various sustainability indicators and requirements. A masterplanning process was identified as part of this comprising three key stages and ten separate steps. The first key stage “Working Together” comprises establishing the multidisciplinary team to assess the site, working with partners to define the scope of the project and appointing masterplanning consultants. Each of these steps has been actioned with iterative assessment ongoing. Key stage two, “Creating the Vision” comprises establishing the baseline and collaborating to agree sustainable development objectives (as discussed above). Key stage three, “Delivery of Sustainable Development Design”, comprises five stages including the testing of alternative solutions, developing the preferred solution, submission to the Design Commission for Wales (DCfW), formulating a delivery strategy and marketing of the development. The appraisal workshop also signalled Welsh Government requirements in relation to equality ,diversity and the . A project of this nature and size will of itself contribute enormously to local employment opportunities and diversity and equality objectives. In addition to an equality and diversity impact assessment, opportunities for the use of the Welsh Language and a Welsh signage strategy will be pursued, as part of the Delivery Strategy (Key stage 3) and in addressing the community benefits such as recruiting the economically inactive, which might be delivered in the procurement process. 4.2 Design Principles Background The scheme development for the wider town centre established 20 Design Principles to govern the future shape of the masterplan and to serve as a benchmark of best practice against which all subsequent plan layouts can be assessed. The principles are organised under four broad headings: Uses, Movement, Urban Structure, Sustainability. Uses Development Area The siting of the proposed phase 1 supermarket development is fully in accordance with the development area set out within the wider masterplan. Diversity The proposals will provide one of the mix of uses set out within the masterplan; retail in the form of a supermarket.

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Phasing and Layout The masterplan recognised that land for the supermarket had to be released early in the development programme and that a successful complement to the existing Tesco Extra store will require an appropriate size and visibility. It was further noted that a new Leekes store would logically sit alongside a new supermarket. This suggested that the two large format stores would gravitate towards the eastern end of the site. The proposal is in accordance with this vision. Retail Circuit The proposed development respects the circulation pattern for the wider town centre helping to ensure the legibility of the scheme as a whole. However, as the phase 1 development will be single destination, this design principle is not of direct relevance. Movement Circulation The phase 1 development will provide routes through the car park and along the front of the store such that customers can circulate within the site in an appropriate fashion. Furthermore, as the proposed development forms phase 1 of the wider town centre it helps enable wider circulation when the town centre is complete, including the reinstatement of Cowbridge Road as an urban high street with active frontages, traffic calmed with a friendly pedestrian environment. Link Road The phase 1 development will create the first length of the new road which will ultimately circulate around the south of the town centre. Connections The site is well located with sufficient routes available to maximise pedestrian permeability and connectivity to the development from the neighbouring residential areas. Public Transport The site benefits from a number of existing services that pass the site. These services provide regular and convenient links to Talbot Green Bus Station that would remain as the local public transport interchange facility. Public transport will be integrated into the proposals with a bus stop conveniently located adjacent to the car park. The existing railway station at Pontyclun is a short walk from the site. Car Parking Surface level parking for convenient access to the supermarket is proposed as well as a dedicated service yard, in accordance with the masterplan for the town centre. Urban Structure Views The proposal has sought to minimise any adverse impact on the swath of natural green landscape identified in the Indicative Concept Plan when viewed from the hilltop church at Llantrisant. Site Frontages The site is bounded to the north by the strategic A473, to the west by Cowbridge Road and the remainder of the town centre site and to the east by the Pant Marsh. The form and nature of the built frontages will

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endeavour to enhance their context in the immediate term and facilitate linkage with surrounding areas to be developed as part of the remainder of the town centre in due course. Gateways Located at one of the principal approaches to the town centre, the phase 1 development has been designed to ensure an appropriate visual presence and establish a sense of image and place, in accordance with the masterplan. Public Realm The masterplan noted that a high quality public realm will be established through the quality of space between buildings and by providing spaces and routes that are safe, uncluttered, active and identifiable. The proposed development achieves this by providing a wide route in front of the store which will facilitate customers using the surface car park but also other visitors walking into the development from the remainder of the town centre, once complete. Furthermore, the southern boundary of the car park will be landscaped, in accordance with the masterplan, as this will form the northern boundary of the ‘Linear Garden’ referred to in the masterplan when the remainder of the town centre comes forward. Scale and Appearance The scale, height, massing and appearance of the phase 1 supermarket development is in accordance with the masterplan. Sustainability Integration The proposed supermarket development will reduce the need to travel and increase choice to those with limited ability to travel. Ecology While inevitably including the development of part of the Pant Marsh, the proposal includes the management of two SINCs (including the Pant Marsh) for a period of 25 years. The ES confirms that there are no unacceptable ecological impacts. Flooding Some of the proposed development land sits in an area at risk of flooding. Mitigation works will be undertaken to minimise this risk and allow the wider town centre to come forward in accordance with adopted policy. Ecological Footprint The masterplan provides an opportunity for an exemplar sustainable development, the phase 1 element of which will achieve BREEAM Excellent. Adaptability Whilst the supermarket has a specifically defined floorplate and building form, the building could accommodate other large format uses, thus being reasonably adaptable for alternative uses in the future, if required. Furthermore, the highway infrastructure proposed has been designed specifically to accommodate the remainder of the town centre development, albeit this is not necessary for the phase 1 development. As such, the internal approach to the Glamorgan Vale roundabout has been designed to accommodate an additional lane of traffic (which will be hatched off in phase 1) and the A473 junction has been designed to serve the northern town centre service yard and a multi-storey customer car park (the spurs for which will be blocked off in phase 1).

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4.3 Landscape Concept The meeting of two landscapes As noted within the Natural Context Appraisal earlier in this document, the site lies at the meeting point of two significant landscape characters. The landscape characters are the gentle hilly landscape that is typical of the Vale of Glamorgan rising up from the south, in contrast to the Rhondda Valley descending from the north, incorporating Llantrisant hill town, which is a steeper and more rugged landscape. The Concept The landscape concept for the wider town centre, addressing the meeting of the two landscapes, is described in the DAS accompanying application 11/1330/13. The joining of the two contrasting landscapes is celebrated by ‘the seam’. This is described as a distinctive and unique public realm element that will run through the heart of the new town centre and which also joins the ecological area in the east with the green space and potential future rail link in the west. The seam travels along the southern boundary to the supermarket surface car park and the landscaping proposed along this boundary fully accords with the wider vision and the inclusion of the ‘Linear Garden’ in this location. The function of the Linear Garden, which would be provide as part of the wider town centre development and does not itself form part of the phase 1 supermarket, is to create visual quality along the adjacent car park but also to provide a useable edge that people can sit on and populate. In addition to ‘the seam’, the importance of boundaries is described in the wider town centre landscape concept. Boundaries are a large part of the history of Llantrisant both through the tradition of Beating the Bounds and the meaning of Llan as an ‘enclosed piece of land’. This lends the concept to express strongly, distinctively and attractively the boundaries and edges of the scheme. This is accentuated by the importance of quality along the edges of the site to visitors coming down the A473 and to the relationship with the natural environment along the eastern edge of the town centre. Accordingly, the eastern edge of the development includes increasing elements of high quality landscaping design to blend in with the Pant Marsh and to appropriately screen the petrol filling station. Landscaping is also proposed adjacent to the link road from the Glamorgan Vale roundabout. The most important function of the northern boundary is to encourage the transformation of the A473 into a town centre street with compelling and visually interesting edges. The masterplan notes that key features will include (inter alia) a mix of hard and soft treatments reflecting the overall concept. The northern boundary of the supermarket site has a wide swathe of landscaping, including trees adjacent to the northern elevation of the supermarket itself. 4.4 Movement Strategy The broad objectives of the movement strategy are considered to be to: • reduce the number of retail trips made by local residents to destinations outside the area; • enable a successful, comprehensive and sustainable development of the Study Area; • ensure that the town centre becomes fully integrated with the established communities surrounding it; • ensure that the town centre is readily accessible by a variety of modes such as by foot, by cycle and by bus; • encourage the use of non-car modes of travel; • fully meet the needs of the mobility impaired in accessing the development; • provide satisfactory vehicular access to the development; and • balance the desire to reduce car dependency with the commercial needs of the development.

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A number of more specific objectives for the movement strategy were proposed to ensure that the development meets RCT Council and Welsh Government objectives and these are set out in the DAS accompanying application ref 11/1330/13. 4.5 Illustrative Masterplan Introduction As referred to above, a masterplan for the wider town centre site has been produced and presented as part of application ref 11/1330/13. The town centre can be said to consist of seven key Character Areas or urban quarters, three of which are specifically relevant to the phase 1 supermarket development: Eastern End This end of the town centre is characterised by large open expanses of flat land with distant views. It will form a contrast to the relatively tight grain of the internal streets of the remainder of the town centre. The two largest retail stores in the town centre, namely the new Leekes department store and a supermarket, will be crisply designed buildings designed to be seen from a fair distance away. The detailed proposal for phase 1 accords with this vision. Eastern Square Both Leekes and the supermarket will have glazed store frontages at the ground level. Sitting side by side, they form a natural gateway into the heart of the town, facing each other across a small square. Again, the location, orientation and glazing of the phase 1 proposals accords with this vision. Linear Garden A carefully considered landscape treatment including softening canopy of trees acts as a transition zone between the built development and the Pant Marsh to the east. In between the supermarket and Leekes’ car parks is a landscaped garden. Views of surrounding hills, notably Llantrisant hill town to the north-east, will make orientation very straightforward. As set out in the Landscape Strategy, above, while the Linear Garden does not form part of the phase 1 development, the siting of the supermarket car park and the landscaping along its southern boundary is fully in line with this concept and facilitates it’s realisation as part of the wider town centre. Northern Boundary: A473 The landscape strategy outlined previously is to create a setting for the buildings that will be fronting this road. The northern side of the A473 is already heavily landscaped, with a thick band of trees. The buildings fronting the A473, appropriately, are some of the biggest proposed in the town centre. The supermarket, the principal decked car park and some of the retail anchor units form a line parallel to the road and the phase 1 development accords with the masterplan in this regard. 4.6 Consultations As a major strategic site, the wider Town Centre proposal (application ref 11/1330/13) has been subject to numerous discussions with a range of parties, including Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and the Design Commission for Wales. Preliminary contact has been made with the local authority’s Building Control department and the South Wales Police Architectural Liaison Officer. Discussions have also taken place at Local Authority level with Y Pant School, specifically regarding access. A three day community consultation event was held prior to the outline application’s submission in 2011 and there have been ongoing discussions and formal consultation with bodies such as the Wales, Countryside Council for Wales and internal Council departments such as the Highway Department and Public Health and Protection.

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This phase 1 application takes cognisance of all of those discussions and, being in accordance with the outline application, takes on board the feedback gained to date. Furthermore, phase 1 specific discussions have been held with the LPA, including the highway department, and a Sainsbury’s specific public consultation event was held on 30th June 2012 in the Llantrisant and Pontyclun Golf Club in Talbot Green (see separate Statement of Community Consultation document, forming part of the application submission).

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5 Phase 1 Design 5.1 Amount Supermarket The store will comprise the following: • A cc sales area of 7,230 sq m with a building footprint (GEA) of 11,000 sq m. 2,926 sq m of floorspace will be provided at mezzanine level inclusive of 1,370 sq m of sales space. • Back of house facilities extending the majority of the store length with general goods delivery at one end contained within the service area. • The entrance lobby facing both the approach access and customer car park. • Customer WC and baby change facilities are located in the south-east corner of the store at ground level and adjacent to the John Sainsbury’s Restaurant (JSR) at mezzanine level (again, in the south east corner). Car Park The layout of the development car park is optimised for best access and circulation. In total 573 parking bays are provided within the development site. This will include 35 dedicated disabled bays and 35 Parent & Toddler bays, all with safe and easy access to the building entrance points. The disabled bays are located along a central pedestrian link to the store. Parent and toddler bays are also located along a pedestrian link to the store, in the southern half of the car park. A total of 23 'sheffield hoop' cycle racks are provided, with space for 46 bicycles under the store canopy and near the pick up point. Motorcycle parking bays are located within the car park and 14 covered trolley bays are spaced evenly throughout. A recycling facility is located at the the northern edge of the car park. Petrol Filling Station The petrol filling station provides facilities for 8 pumps (16 car bays) along with a 100 sq m area kiosk. Additional services include an air + water refill point and a car wash. Above ground petrol and diesel storage tanks are proposed contained within a concrete bunded and fenced enclosure to the east of the petrol filling station. 5.2 Scale Supermarket The proposed design for the new Sainsbury’s store and provision of surface parking makes efficient use of the available site and respects the wider town centre masterplan. The scale of the store can be accommodated on the site. The store comprises a main volume of continuous size arranged to provide a clear elevation treatment articulated by linear joints to break up the overall mass. Internally the store is a single height to the main sales area with a typical ridge height of approximately 10 metres formed by a low pitched roof. The John Sainsbury's Restaurant is located on a mezzanine floor in the south east corner of the store along with the colleague area, some back of house space and 1,370 sq m of sales space. Along the east elevation to the store is a flat canopy which runs over the entrance lobby to provide a covered area for customers, trolleys, ATM and cycles.

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The facade to the store front is a mix of shop front glazing and reconstructed stone cladding. This finish is carried around onto the northern elevation adjacent to the A473, with composite cladding panels at eaves level. As would be expected from a building of this nature, doors, windows and street furniture will all be of a human scale allowing ease of use, comfort and safety. Petrol Filling Station The petrol filling station includes a flat canopy approximately 5.1 metres in height and a kiosk building which sits below the canopy. The kiosk and the canopy both have a flat roof construction. In terms of scale it is intended that the petrol filling station is subservient to the main building. Three above ground petrol tanks are located to the east of the petrol filling station forecourt within a recessed concrete bund. The individual tanks are approximately 3 metres in height, enclosed in a 3m high timber clad steel fence which will be screened by landscaping to reduce its visual impact. 5.3 Design Elements Supermarket The ground floor entrance lobby links directly to the sales floor. This space will be predominantly naturally lit with large areas of glazing facing towards the customer car park. There will be a glazed wall behind the checkouts to allow views both in to and from within the sales area to the outside. A steel column supported canopy is proposed along the front of the façade providing the necessary shelter for the pick-up point, trolley bays, bicycle parking and customers arriving and leaving the store. The generous overhang will act as a brise soleil and it is to be clad in dark grey to complement the store. Trolley areas are located either side of the entrance with welcome walls and ATM. Along with the sign over the entrance area, a non illuminated sign will be located on the north facade as illustrated on the elevations. Glazing is proposed for the store front facing east as well as the north elevation and at the south-east corner to allow for natural light to the sales floor and the customer cafe, as well as good internal and external visibility. The service area is to be enclosed using a 2.4m timber fence on steel support frame with gates to match. Petrol Filling Station The design elements forming the petrol filling station are functional in nature providing pumps, and canopy shelter and the kiosk. These elements have been kept simple and understated. The layout is designed in such a way that congestion through the forecourt and adjacent road is minimised, by ensuring provision of ample queuing space on the forecourt within the site (as specifically requested by the LPA), and sufficient width between pump islands for 3 cars. The above ground petrol tanks located to the east of the petrol filling station are contained within a concrete bunded and fenced enclosure. 5.4 Elevational Treatment and Materials Supermarket Materials have been chosen to provide the store a feeling of enclosure from its surroundings. The north and east facing walls will be clad in a mixture of reconstructed stone, glazing and (north elevation only) composite cladding panels. The walls to the back of house (west) and south elevation will be formed of grey flat composite metal cladding panels. Large glazed areas are to be formed with an aluminium shop front system; using formulaic panel sizes, integrating the glazing. Polyester powder coated aluminium transoms and mullions will provide a sustainable and modern feel to the glazing.

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The proposed roof over the sales area and JSR will be grey single ply membrane. A flat roof encloses the back of house and colleague area and finishes with a perimeter coping at eaves level. The fences enclosing the service yard will be formed of natural timber vertical plank on galvanised steel support column and frame. Petrol Filling Station The kiosk will have a flat roof construction; the external walls will be clad, with the shop front being mostly glazed. The petrol station canopy is of flat construction and will cover all of the petrol pumps. Overall character is of a modern and functional, and all colours will be selected to be unobtrusive. The above ground tanks are enclosed in concrete bunded steel fencing with landscaping to reduce visual impact. 5.5 Roof Scape Supermarket A simple low pitched roof encloses the sales area which includes sun pipes spread evenly to allow natural day lighting throughout the store. All mechanical services are confined to above the flat roof back of house area at the rear of the store. There will be two lourvred enclosures for these services as seen on the west elevation. This provides a well ordered and considered solution to the design integration of building services to the roof scape when viewed from the surrounding area. Petrol Filling Station The kiosk will have a flat roof construction. The petrol station canopy is of flat construction and will cover all of the petrol pumps. The new petrol station kiosk would be a low key, flat roof building, with cladding and a glazed façade towards the pump islands and activity zone of the site. The proposed forecourt canopy will be a light weight and open design to minimise its visual impact on the surrounding area and adjacent roadway. 5.6 Drainage Foul It is proposed to discharge the foul flows generated by the proposed development into the existing public sewer in the vicinity of the internal roundabout. Welsh Water consent will be required to confirm that the proposed flows can be discharged into the existing sewer in the form of an agreement under section 106 of the Water Industry Act 1991. Surface Water It is proposed to discharge the generated surface water flows into the Afon Clun. Discharge rates generated by the development will be restricted to Greenfield runoff rates. The additional volumes generated will need to be attenuated on-site by means of below ground tanks. The attenuation tank can be located under the car park. It is intended to store generated runoff equivalent to a 30 year storm event within the below ground tank and the additional volume generated by the 100 year storm + 30% (an allowance for climate change) will be stored above ground within the customer car park. This above ground storage will be contained within the car park boundary and will not flow onto adjacent land or the highway. An interceptor will be incorporated into the design to prevent pollution from entering the Afon Clun. The runoff from the access infrastructure will be totally retained within below ground pipework. Rainwater harvesting will be incorporated for the new store.

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6 Movement and Access 6.1 Introduction This section reviews the proposals and movement around and access to the development. It reviews detailed issues of an Access Statement, (signage, visibility of entrances, managing level change, disability provision and emergency access) and also addresses the key issue of access from the A473 and the need for both an access from the Glamorgan Vale roundabout and an entrance/exit to and from the service area. This section has been written using a range of Welsh guidance: • TAN 12 - Design • DCfW Design and Access Statements in Wales • A Model Design Guide for Wales An Interim Green Travel Plan is submitted in support of the application and reference should also be made to this document. 6.2 Routes As has been mentioned previously, the masterplan seeks to create a hierarchy of routes adding up to a comprehensive movement network. The primary route is without doubt the A473, however the phase 2 Southern Boulevard will take some of the pressure off this highway link. The phase 1 supermarket development will create the accesses from the A473, both in respect of the main customer access from the Glamorgan Vale roundabout and the service access from a new junction on the A473. Both of these points of access will also serve the wider town centre when it comes forward in due course. A further temporary pedestrian route is proposed alongside the A473 for phase 1 only, described in further detail below. The potential exists for a footpath across the Pant Marsh on top of the flood bund. This path can continue via a bridge across the Afon Clun. The potential exists to augment existing footpaths to the south in consultation with the Local Authority and other stakeholders. The supermarket will have a clearly legible front entrance facing the car park, highlighted by the presence of a foyer structure and a covered walkway through the car park. Other routes through the car park and along the front elevation will be highlighted by a change in surface material. 6.3 Pedestrian For pedestrians, the principal route for locals is the north-south line following Cowbridge Road connecting the villages of Pontyclun and Talbot Green and this will remain so in phase 1. The existing pedestrian bridge over the A473 and rail line will be maintained in phase 1 and a pedestrian link from its landing point on the south side of the A473 will be provided across the new service yard access, along the supermarket’s northern elevation and into the store. This route will be temporary in nature as it will be replaced by routes through the town centre when that part of the development comes forward. Its crossing of the service yard access is not considered to be problematic given that in phase 1 this junction will only be used by occasional service yard vehicles who will be controlled by traffic lights. Other routes accommodated in the design include pedestrian links to and from the Glamorgan Vale roundabout and beyond. The potential also exists to connect into the pedestrian/cycle route which may or may not be formed on the line of the disused railway north of the A473 and to footpaths through the Cefn Yr Hendy woodland to existing and proposed residential settlements south of the Afon Clun. Levels on the site are such that a formal disabled ramp to building regulation standards is not required. The car park will maintain a maximum gradient of 1:60. The public entrance to the building will have a step- free level threshold. Road edges and crossing points, as well as staircase edges, will include tactile surfaces

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as required by law. Public access to the upper floors of the supermarket, will benefit from lifts as well as stairs and escalators. 6.4 Bus Movement A Phase 1 bus stop is proposed at the access to the food store car park which will allow existing services to divert into the development without experiencing significant delay. 6.5 Parking Car parking is provided at surface level and directly to the east of the supermarket building. Customer cars will be led into the eastern feeder aisle and from there will be able to evenly fill the car park. Customers will also have the option to access the petrol filling station from the feeder aisle, either as part of their outward or return journey. 6.6 Dedicated Service Yard The service yard is designed to accommodate electrical transformers, refuse collection and recycling facilities as well as the ground source heat pump. The proposal seeks to conceal these essential facilities, even in phase 1, with the northern eastern corner of the building. The Service Yard area provides access to the largest of vehicles (16.5m articulated vehicle). There will be two designated bays for vehicle docking and the vehicles will be expected to reverse into the docking position. Separate provision will be provided for the Goods On line home delivery vehicles. The service yard access is located away from the customer access and vehicles waiting for entrance to the yard will not block other users. Service yard activity will be subject to active management by Sainsburys. A management plan will also be implemented to ensure the service area operates efficiently. 6.7 A473 Junction Background Extensive discussions have taken place with the local planning authority as part of the outline application for the wider town centre over the nature and form of the proposed access from the A473 to the north service yard. The Issues Concern was initially expressed to the principle of a signal controlled T-junction on the A473, based upon: • the nature of the A473 as a strategic highway; • the potential of establishing a precedent and similar junctions being repeated on other parts of the network; • the technical validity and their impact on the network of a range of access designs should a junction be allowed. To overcome these objections, RCT challenged the town centre developer to demonstrate that: • the circumstance is unique; • the proposal is vital to the commercial viability of the project, • and crucial to the creation of a high quality town centre. Precedent The site has been identified in the Local Development Plan as a strategic development within the borough. It has thus an inherent uniqueness that is unlikely to be repeated elsewhere within RCT. It is fully justifiable

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to view it differently from other potential development sites on the highway network. The Local Authority has gone a long way in accepting this argument, that the project is unique and that such a strategic large scale mixed use scheme is unlikely to be repeated within RCT. Access Options In parallel with the debate on the strategic nature or otherwise of the A473, discussions have taken place on the possible form of an access with three principle options being debated. The developer’s preferred option (which forms part of this application): • has no detrimental impact on traffic flows on the A473; • has marginally less impact in terms of queuing and disruption on the new Southern Boulevard and link road to the A4222 than other options; • enables Cowbridge Road north of its junction with the Southern Boulevard to be turned into a pedestrian friendly “High Street”; • through its alignment (and ability to avoid increasing the size of the food store roundabout), encroaches less into the Pant Marsh SINC; • through its alignment it has less adverse impact on the flooding regime. Commercial Viability Much has been demanded by way of ‘quantifiable’ data to justify the commercial viability argument. No such statistical measurement is readily available. This will only be demonstrated if the underlying commercial weakness of a layout without the additional A473 junction is revealed through a lack of quality tenants and occupiers; an outcome RCT would not wish to see nor the developer risk. Certainly it is the case that the layout designed and preferred by the applicant of this application, Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd, is predicated on the service yard junction with the A473. If visitors were forced to take a route to access a town centre car park that passes the supermarket car park, they are unlikely to drive past those spaces and along an ‘alleyway’ down the side of the supermarket to eventually reach the north town centre car park. They will take the logical option of parking in the supermarket spaces. Thus 1) the supermarket car park will become congested, possibly causing customers to go back onto the highways network to shop at Tesco, and 2) the important foot flow for the north - south shopping street of the town centre, which use of the north car park would promote, will be diminished. Design Development As a result of the above debate it became apparent that the local planning authority required assurances that a suitable urban design solution could be secured against when the town centre came forward. Any such solution needed to be cognisant of stringent highway technical constraints. Technical Issues It has been assumed at this stage that the principle of the proposed access from the A473 has been accepted. The key technical issue now resolved by the respective highway engineers concerned forward visibility and junction inter visibility. It has been agreed by the Council’s consultants, Capita Symonds, that the arrangement illustrated in the visibility constraints drawing forming part of the application will operate successfully. Some concern has been expressed over the potential visibility from properties to the north. The vegetation on the northern side of the A473, results in there being no significant views into the service yard or even of the junction itself. Some of the town centre buildings may be glimpsed above the tree line, but this has always been anticipated.

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Furthermore, it has been recognised that the boundaries of the phase 1 development, and specifically those that will be removed when the remainder of the town centre is built, while needing to be of appropriate quality will inevitably have a more temporary feel and are likely to be visually permeable. This is true of the service yard boundaries to the west and south. Design Objectives The overall objective has been to create an urban design form and language that will not only provide a screen to the service yard activities in phase 2, but that will establish a standard that will exemplify the design principles set out above. The applicant has recognised the need to develop the design in principle but does not feel it appropriate to develop a full solution without designing all the adjacent structures and buildings (i.e. in phase 2). The ideas set out in the following Design Option have been agreed as a suitable solution. Others may be developed from this as architectural solutions are explored for the wider town centre. Design Option A 3D diagram was created which identified the various visibility constraints and potential landing zones for possible structures. It has been agreed what areas within the constrained zones might also have screening elements below and above 1m in height. Taking the volume identified in the 3D diagram it was possible to develop a range of screening options and formats, both in building structures and landscape forms. The ideas developed ignored the potential architecture of the adjacent buildings as they were not known (and still are not, in respect of the phase 2 buildings). At the next design stage the fluid shapes of the screens might form part of the phase 2 buildings themselves. The concept is to create an interplay within the screen complex between built structures in natural materials (stone and timber) and artificial materials (render and metal panels) with completely natural features of grassed mounds, shrubs and trees along with sections of landscaped walls. Tree planting along the A473 boundary is proposed as part of the phase 1 supermarket application in order to conform with this concept. The ultimate design of the screen has the potential of transcending the simple screening objective to form a celebratory statement of the existence of the town centre and not least of one of its important entrances. 6.8 Signage The development will incorporate a comprehensive signage strategy to direct all movements by all types of travel. Vehicular entrances to the car park and service area will be clearly signposted, as will the entrance to the store and petrol station. All signage will be bilingual in English and Welsh. 6.9 Disability Provision The supermarket car park will include 35 disabled parking spaces, located adjacent to walkways through the car park, thus allowing easy access to the store entrance (via pedestrian crossings of the western circulation aisle) without mixing with customer vehicular traffic. The entire store is fully accessible to wheelchair users. As set out elsewhere, level thresholds at entrances and lift access to upper floors will be provided, road edges and crossing points will include tactile surfaces and routes through the car park and along the front elevation will be highlighted by a change in surface material. Disabled customer toilets will also be provided. Specialist shopping trolleys are provided for wheelchair users, in addition there will be extra wide checkout aisles. A customer service desk will always be manned to provide additional management for any customer with any special requirements in accordance with Sainsbury’s Supermarket customer policy. A two level

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desk arrangement improves access at the front of the desk for users of wheelchairs. The Customer Service Desk as well as each till point will be fitted with an induction hearing loop. 6.10 Emergency Access Emergency access to the store will be available either via the car park, the A473 or the service yard. Access to the petrol filling station can be gained via the customer access/exit or, remotely, from the entrance road or A473. In this way, virtually every façade of the buildings will offer access to emergency services. The inclusion of several points of access from the road network, from various directions, means that overall access will not be compromised in the event of a blockage or accident. 6.11 Other Access Features Colleague Access These areas are accessed from the sales and back of house areas. The external access to the colleague area is provided on the south and west facades. The facilities include a colleague restaurant and separate male and female changing rooms, showers and toilets. Sainsbury’s Supermarket Ltd operates an open employment policy through their ‘Employment of Colleagues with Disability’ Policy. Petrol filling station A controlled circulation around the filling station is achieved by having dedicated entrance and exits providing one way traffic through the facility. Access to the sales kiosk will be via minimal gradients and dropped kerbs. Facilities for the disabled include a disabled call button at each filling position enabling calls for assistance to be received in the shop attendants’ area. In the event of an emergency, the forecourt will be cleared through the site exit. The one way system will help in this regard. If the fuel tanker is on site it will also use the site exit. The petrol filling station has tanker access via the main entrance to which it will unload at the designated stand at the rear of the forecourt. Egress of the tanker will be via the forecourt.

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7 Community Safety A thriving, well designed town centre will be an attractive and safe place for everybody. The new town centre, including the phase 1 supermarket, will need to cater for the widest possible range of visitors and residents: children, the elderly and disabled, teenagers, as well as able bodied adults. It also needs to be a place where people feel safe and secure. Inevitably there will be some areas which are at higher risk of attracting criminal activity than others. Good design can however minimise the risks associated with such areas. 7.1 Car Park The car park will be well lit, will have long sight lines and avoid dark and hidden corners. It has been designed to be straightforward and efficient, aiding orientation and convenience. Landscaping will be managed to avoid it becoming overgrown, attracting vermin or obscuring views. The car park will be designed to meet ‘Secured by Design’. 7.2 Pedestrian/Vehicular Interaction Where pedestrian areas meet trafficked roads/aisles, there will be clearly marked safe crossing points. Pavements and cycle ways will be sufficiently wide to be used safely. Generally, flooring materials will be carefully specified to ensure they do not present slippery surfaces when wet. 7.3 Night time activity The later opening times of the supermarket (compared to the retail units in the remainder of the town centre) is likely to increase activity levels in the locality and, when the wider town centre is developed, will increase activity at the eastern end of the centre to complement the entertainment uses in the west.

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8 Environmental Sustainability 8.1 Introduction Sustainable development has been at the heart of the Llantrisant Talbot Green project at all stages. Before any design proposals were formulated, Principal Purpose, a sustainability consultant, were engaged to examine existing and emerging policies and strategies. Principal Purpose organised a sustainability workshop for wider town centre team in 2008, along the lines recommended in the Welsh Assembly Government documents Creating Sustainable Places and Working Differently. The results of the workshop are described in the DAS supporting the outline application for the whole town centre (ref 11/1330/13). In particular respect to the phase 1 development, the subject of the current full planning application, it is appropriate to consider Sainsbury’s commitment to sustainability as a company. With around 21 million customer transactions every week, 150,000 colleagues and over 2000 suppliers, Sainsbury’s is ideally placed to make a positive impact on the economy, the environment and society. Throughout their history, they have always worked to be a leader in sustainability and ethics. Sainsbury’s are proud of the contributions they have made over the past decade, for example to grow the market for Fairtrade products, sustainable seafood, to improve animal husbandry, provide healthier choices for customers as well as all the work on running their operations efficiently. Being efficient with energy, water and waste is important as well as looking to a greater use of natural resources. They have championed community investment not least through their support for Comic and Sport Relief and the Paralympic Games. Everyone at Sainsbury’s works to a set of overriding guiding principles – their five values. These values are at the heart of everything they do, ensuring they run their business in an honest, ethical and sustainable way. They are: • Best for food and health • Sourcing with integrity • Respect for our environment • Making a positive difference to our community • A great place to work In October 2011 Sainsbury’s launched their “20 by 20” Sustainability Plan which sets out 20 sustainability targets to be achieved by 2020. This is a £1 billion plan which aims to ensure the company remains at the forefront of sustainability. For more information please see: http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/responsibility/20- by-20-commitments/ Sainsbury’s customers still want products and services that they can trust, without compromising on standards or quality. They are responding by helping customers Live Well, with better quality, more nutritious and sustainable products, For Less – less money than they expect and with less impact on the environment. Over the coming years, it’s clear that shopping habits and therefore business practices need to change further. They need to provide jobs and skills for people in a tough economic climate. They need to treat suppliers fairly, both here and in the developing world and they need to help their customers make more environmentally sustainable and healthier choices. It is not enough to simply reduce their environmental impact each year. They must actively restore biodiversity, natural resources and the habitats on which we all depend. Through their 20 commitments they want to change the retail industry so that it can sustain the natural world, meet their customer’s demands and promote health and well being. On a planet with limited resources, a retail business must be resilient enough to build supply chains that are fit for purpose in the longer term. That means putting sustainability at the heart of every single business decision. “20 by 20” is

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the roadmap towards making this vision a reality, and through scale and these commitments, they will make a positive difference. 8.2 BREEAM Pre-Assessment BREEAM stands for the Building Research Establishment (BRE) Environmental Assessment Method. It is a voluntary scheme that aims to quantifiably improve the environmental performance of buildings by rewarding designs that minimise environmental impacts over the building’s life. BREEAM is the world's most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings. BREEAM assesses the environmental performance of an individual building project using a system of credits. A set of environmental weightings enables the credits to be added together to produce a single overall score. The BREEAM score is calculated by multiplying the percentage of credits achieved in each category by the environmental weighting, then totalling the weighted scores into a single figure. The building is then rated on a scale of PASS, GOOD, VERY GOOD, EXCELLENT or OUTSTANDING. The minimum weighted score required for each rating is shown below.

• PASS - 30 • GOOD - 45 • VERY GOOD -55 • EXCELLENT - 70 • OUTSTANDING – 85 An initial BREEAM pre-assessment workshop was held on 14th May 2010 (during RIBA Stage B) and was facilitated by a BREEAM Accredited Professional. A follow up workshop and update was held on 8th May 2012 and the BREEAM Pre-Assessment report accompanying the application summarises the findings of that workshop. The pre-assessment considered the following scoring scenarios:

• Current - The number currently achieved (“business as usual”); • Scenario 1 - Current, plus credits which can be more easily gained; and • Scenario 2 - Scenario 1, plus credits which can be won but not so easily. On this basis, the following scores are considered achievable under each scenario:

• Current - 62.86 (Very Good); • Scenario 1 - 79.86 (Excellent); and • Scenario 2 - 94.9 (Outstanding). Based on the above, it should be noted that additional credits will need to be targeted in order to achieve an ‘Excellent’ rating – “business as usual” will not achieve this. The BREEAM Pre-Assessment report accompanying the application summarises these extra credits. As a result of the Pre-Assessment, therefore, it is likely that a EXCELLENT rating will be achievable.

8.3 Energy Strategy As part of the phase 1 supermarket development proposals, Sainsbury’s appointed their advisors, Synergy, to prepare a Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Assessment of the development. The aim of this

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report is to provide guidance for consideration of the design team in their decisions regarding the selection of technologies that may be installed at the proposed development. To provide the guidance the report addresses the criteria required of a LZC technology feasibility study as defined by the BRE Environment Assessment Method (BREEAM) as given in section Ene 5: Low or Zero Carbon Technologies. The considerations include the following: • Energy generated by LZC source per year; • Financial Payback; • Land use; • Local Planning Criteria; • Noise Generation; • Feasibility of exporting heat/electricity from the system; • Lifecycle cost / impact (in terms of carbon emissions); • Available Grants; • All technologies appropriate to the site and energy demand of the development; and • Reasons for excluding other technologies. The Synergy report notes that: • 91% of main construction suppliers are accredited to a recognised Environmental Management System. • The development will achieve a level of performance equivalent to that required under the Considerate Constructors Scheme. It is normal practice for contractors working on Sainsbury’s projects to commit to a ‘higher than satisfactory’ performance; which will be the ultimate goal. • The rate of runoff of surface water from the site will no worse than the original conditions before the development, taking into account predicted climate change impacts over the lifetime of the development. • Sainsbury’s target is to achieve a 50% reduction in mains water use per square meter of sales floor by March 2012 verses a 05/06 baseline. This will be met by encouraging improved efficiency, using more rainwater and eliminating leaks. The major water consuming appliances in the building will be taps, water closets (w.c’s) and urinals. To minimise water consumption Sainsbury’s will install percussion taps, waterless urinals and low flush w.c’s. • Rainwater harvesting will also be installed at the store. • Sainsbury’s now buy 5% of electricity directly from renewable sources through power purchase agreements rather than from a green energy tariff. They hope to increase this to 20 per cent by 2020. • Sainsbury’s have signed up to the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) voluntary agreement on halving construction waste to landfill. Sainsbury’s goal is to recycle 90% of construction waste on 100% of sites. By working closely with their construction suppliers, they have so far achieved over 90% diversion of construction waste from landfill. The Synergy report clearly demonstrates Sainsbury’s commitment and approach to reducing the carbon emissions of the proposed store at Talbot Green through a combination of Lean, Clean and Green measures. The first step in this process quantifies the estimated carbon savings as a result of the extensive energy efficiency measures utilised by Sainsbury’s, such as: • Sun-Optics Roof Lights. • Building shell Air Leakage rates in excess of Building Regulations requirements. • Use of daylight linked (via Shopfront glazing) dimming control systems to the main sales area.

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• High Efficiency lighting exceeding Building Regulation requirements for both ambient and display lighting. • Night Time / Out of Hours lighting levels reduced to 20% in lieu of 30%, as previously. • LED Car Park and External lighting with efficiency exceeding Building Regulation requirements. • Presence detector and Daylight Sensor operated lighting in staff facilities area. • Cold air is removed from the chilled aisles and utilised to cool certain areas of the store specifically the checkout and GM areas of sales floor. • Induction type extract canopies to the bakery, prep rooms, staff and customer kitchens optimise fresh air intake. • Inverter Dives on HVAC Plant, with Economy Settings. • CO2 Air Quality sensors to optimise the fresh air supply to the sales floor. • Compliant or better Specific Fan Powers for mechanical plant. • Use of weir screens on refrigeration to improve their efficiency. • Use of Night Blinds on all Sales Area Refrigerated Cabinets. • A full store Building Management System (BMS) that pre authorises all use of energy in the building removing the chance of human error. • A comprehensive building control strategy that reflects the different building usages throughout the day. • Web –Based Sub-metering on all major energy loads to manage usage and future maintenance. • Rainwater harvesting system to flush public and staff toilets – subject to further on site appraisal during detailed design phase. Sainsbury’s estimate (using data from operational stores) that these measures will result in a reduction in their Carbon Footprint (per ft2) of 40% over the baseline data. Any further reductions in energy use from that gained through energy efficiency measure alone must be obtained through the use of renewable and/ or low carbon technologies. Sainsbury’s have researched a range of these technologies as part of their store specification and are trialling a number of advanced technologies in stores where site conditions and resources allow. Many renewable technologies are expensive and do not deliver significant carbon reductions based on investment value. Regardless, Sainsbury’s have considered a range of renewable and low carbon technologies for the proposed development at Talbot Green with a view of utilising those where commercially and technically viable. Combined Heat and Power was not suitable for energy profile of stand-alone Sainsbury’s store (as would be the case during phase 1 of the wider town centre) as the excess heat produced would be wasted. The same was true for ‘tri-generation (a combination of CHP and absorption chilling). Accordingly, a closed circuit ground source heat pump system has been chosen. This captures natural energy through boreholes hundreds of metres beneath the ground, providing the store with on-demand heating, hot water and cooling from renewable sources. Connecting both the sales area refrigeration system and the stores heating system to the water loop will increase the efficiency of the systems as one system rejects heat to the water loop and the other would be drawing heat from the water loop. In addition Air Source Heat pumps will be installed. These are considered a de-centralised and renewable technology under the European Directive on Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources ratified by European Council and Parliament in March 2009. These would cater for the space heating and cooling requirements to designated areas within the Sainsbury’s store at Talbot Green. Even cold air is full of energy and the proposed Air Source Heat Pumps use the freely available heat in the ambient air to provide efficient heating and hot water at air temperatures as low as minus 25oC. An air source heat pump extracts heat from the outside air in the same way that a fridge extracts heat from its inside. It can extract heat from the air even

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when the outside temperature is as low as minus 15° C. An air-to-air system produces warm air which is circulated by fans to heat the internal space. Other ‘green’ measures included in the development are: • Low-flush WC’s • Waterless Urinals • Percussion Taps • Purchase their electrical energy from suppliers that produce 5% of electricity from renewable sources via Power Purchase Agreements rather than green energy tariffs. • Use BRE Green Guide A-B rated materials. • Timber used to be 100% FSC or PEFC accredited. • Main Contractor to be registered under the Considerate Constructors Scheme • Use of porous Block Paving and Tarmac systems • Electric Car Charging Points. • Installation of a Bee Hotel. Synergy calculate that the anticipated annual energy consumption for the store following the introduction of the energy efficiency measures and based on the use of a Ground Source Heat Pump is 3,782,284 kWh per annum. The anticipated carbon emissions for the store following the introduction of the energy efficiency measures and based on the use of a Ground Source Heat Pump is 1,955,440 kg CO2 per annum The report demonstrates that by using a combination of a Ground Source Heat Pump to provide the heating and hot water requirements to the store and Air Source Heat Pumps to the customer restaurant and back of house area would provide 33.56 % of the total anticipated energy usage of the store from on-site renewable sources. This equates to an annual CO2 reduction of 30.66 %. 8.4 Ecology The principal area of ecological concern is the Pant Marsh SINC, as previously described. The requirement for a new road access via the Glamorgan Vale roundabout means that some development in the Pant Marsh is inevitable. The challenge therefore has been to minimise as far as possible any adverse impact on the ecology. The principal means of minimising impact on the Pant Marsh has been to keep the new link road as far north as possible. This alignment results in the road passing through a line of trees subject to preservation orders (TPO). The consensus reached with Council officers is that the marsh is more important than the trees, therefore the priority must be to maximise the area of unaffected marsh, even if this means sacrificing the trees. Part of this application also involves enhanced ecological management of the marsh, and also of another nearby SINC area at Coed yr Hendy woods. The proposals have been consulted upon as part of the outline application for the town centre and CCW have responded raising no objection on ecology grounds, subject to a 25 year management of these two SINC areas. Accordingly, the ES Addendum makes clear that a 25 year period is now proposed. 8.5 Flooding A detailed flood model has been prepared by Atkins, exploring the impact of the development on the wider area. They have considered various scenarios including a 1 in 100 year flood event and an extreme 1 in 1000 year flood. It has been clear from early stages of design that some degree of flood mitigation works will be required to compensate for loss of storage in the Pant Marsh and avoid a detrimental effect on surrounding areas, namely the school and some areas of housing downstream from the site. The solution proposed is to construct a flood defence bund within the Pant Marsh, near its boundary with the school. The bund will serve to reduce/impede the conveyance of water down stream during flood events. This

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solution not only keeps the town centre site itself (including the phase 1 supermarket site) flood-free but also provides significant benefits to the school, which is currently at high risk of flooding. The bund varies in height and width according to the ground level. It has been carefully designed to avoid altering the hydrological nature of the Pant Marsh and its alignment also minimises adverse ecological impact, by avoiding species-rich grassed areas. The ES Addendum illustrates the beneficial impact of the bund on surrounding areas in the event of a flood. The details demonstrate, with the proposed flood bund, that allowing the Pant Marsh to flood to a greater depth would lessen the impact of flooding on the school whilst leaving other areas unaffected.

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