FORT HALSTEAD, SEVENOAKS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT VOLUME I – NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY September 2019 CONTENTS – ES VOLUME I NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY
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FORT HALSTEAD, SEVENOAKS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT VOLUME I – NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY September 2019 CONTENTS – ES VOLUME I NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY 01 Introduction 02 Environmental Impact Assessment 03 The proposed development 04 Alternatives considered 05 The Environmental Statement 06 Scoped out topic areas 07 Scoped down topic areas 08 Scoped in topic areas 09 Determination Period 10 How to comment 11 Summary 12 Residual Effects 2 | ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT VOLUME I CBRE NONNON-TECHNICAL-TECHNICAL SUMMARY SUMMARY INTRODUCTION The application site is currently occupied in large part by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and in part by QinetiQ, a Merseyside Pension Fund (‘The Applicant’) is applying to Sevenoaks District specialist defence company, which provide scientific and technical research Council (‘SDC’) for hybrid planning permission to redevelop a site at Fort services to the Ministry of Defence. Due to the current consolidation and Halstead, Crow Drive, Sevenoaks (‘the ‘site’). relocation of DSTL, the majority of the application site will be vacant and The description of development is as follows: available for redevelopment. In detail: Approximately 300 buildings are present on the site, with the main part (excluding the Fort Scheduled Monument) identified in SDC’s Core Strategy Demolition of existing buildings; [1] as a Major Developed Site (MDS) for employment. The MDS coincides NON - TECHNICALSUMMAR Change of use and works to buildings Q13 and Q14 (including with the extent of the built environment and employment-related landscaping and public realm); development on the application site, which covers an area of approximately 40.1 hectares. The boundary of the MDS, is defined in the Allocations and Primary and secondary accesses. Y Development Management Plan [2] pursuant to the Core Strategy. In outline: There are circa 38 buildings that are considered heritage assets of varying Page Development of business space (use classes B1a/b/c) of up to 27,659 sq sensitivity across the application site, these include one Scheduled Monument 2 m Gross External Area; (the Fort) that includes eight separate structures and four listed buildings (two of which are listed Grade II and the other two at Grade II*). Works within the ‘X’ enclave relating to energetic testing operations, including fencing, access, car parking; The Fort Halstead site was granted outline planning permission in 2015 in the form of a masterplan development. Permission was granted for a mixed- Development of up to 750 residential dwellings; use development comprising a business area, 450 residential units, a hotel Development of a mixed-use village centre (use classes of up to 80 beds, a village centre, use of the Fort Area and bunkers as an A1/A3/A4/A5/B1a/D1/D2); historic interpretation centre with ancillary workshop space, and works Development of a one form entry primary school; associated with the development including roads, landscaping, security fencing, formal and informal open space, pedestrian, cyclist and public Change of use of Fort Area and bunkers to Historic Interpretation Centre transport infrastructure, utilities infrastructure, sustainable urban drainage (use class D1) with workshop space; system, cycle and car parking, and for two access points at Otford Roads, pedestrian and cycle routes, public transport infrastructure, car Lane/Crow Drive (primary) and Star Hill (secondary). parking, utilities infrastructure, drainage; The 2015 outline planning permission remains a deliverable option for the Landscaping, landforming and ecological mitigation works. application site. However, emerging changes in local planning policy, have resulted in the Applicant revisiting their proposals for the site. One of the key changes in the surrounding context that arose during this period was the CBRE | ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT VOLUME I NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY emerging Sevenoaks District Council New Local Plan which allocates the site for mixed-use employment and residential development for 300 residential units in addition to the 450 units consented. This has provided the opportunity to increase the residential density on the application site. The Applicant recognised that these additional residential units could provide an opportunity to deliver a development that would be more appealing to a wider audience and bring about a number of benefits for the community. In addition, during discussions with Kent County Council (KCC) regarding the uplift in the residential unit numbers and future schools’ capacity in the local area, KCC requested that a one form entry (1FE) school should be included NON - within the proposed development. For these reasons, the decision was made TECHNICALSUMMAR to redesign the proposals. Y Page 3 Figure 1 Application Site Image: JTP | ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT VOLUME I CBRE NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT This Non-Technical Summary is intended to provide members of the public, and any other interested parties without specialist technical knowledge, with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been carried out in accordance sufficient information to understand the proposals and the principal findings with the Town and Country Planning (EIA) Regulations 2017 (‘the EIA of the EIA, as presented in the ES. Regulations 2017’). The proposed development is of a type set out in Schedule 2, Category 10(b) THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT urban development projects, including the construction of shopping centres The proposals comprise demolition of a number of the existing buildings on and car parks, sports stadiums, leisure centres and multiplex cinemas. the application site. NON The proposed development does not lie within a sensitive area, as defined in The proposals are for a mixed-use development. The full description of - TECHNICALSUMMAR the EIA Regulations 2017; however, it does exceed the relevant threshold for development as it appears on the hybrid planning application is as follows: Category 10(b) projects, in that it exceeds the 1 hectare (ha) site area threshold for non-dwelling house development. As such, the proposals fall In detail: Y within the scope of the EIA Regulations 2017, with EIA being required where Demolition of existing buildings; the development is “likely to have significant effects on the environment by Page virtue of factors such as its nature, size or location”. Change of use and works to buildings Q13 and Q14 (including 4 landscaping and public realm); EIA is a process to protect the environment by ensuring that, when deciding whether to grant planning permission for a project that is likely to have Primary and secondary accesses. significant effects on the environment, a local planning authority does so in In outline: the full knowledge of the likely significant effects and takes this into account in the decision-making process. Development of business space (use classes B1a/b/c) of up to 27,659 sq m Gross External Area; In the interests of undertaking a robust assessment of the likely environmental effects of the proposals, the applicant has chosen to Works within the ‘X’ enclave relating to energetic testing operations, voluntarily submit an Environmental Statement (ES) to accompany the including fencing, access, car parking; planning application. A request for a screening opinion was not submitted. Development of up to 750 residential dwellings; The ES is the product of the EIA process and comprises a series of studies, Development of a mixed-use village centre (use classes surveys and consultations that have informed the design of the proposed A1/A3/A4/A5/B1a/D1/D2); development to seek to minimise its environmental effects and to identify measures to ensure that the proposed development is built and ‘operated’ in Development of a one form entry primary school; a sustainable way. Change of use of Fort Area and bunkers to Historic Interpretation Centre (use class D1) with workshop space; CBRE | ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT VOLUME I NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY Roads, pedestrian and cycle routes, public transport infrastructure, car shared footway/cycleway with a minimum width of 3m wide. An equipped parking, utilities infrastructure, drainage; play area will also be provided in the Village Green. Landscaping, landforming and ecological mitigation works. Full details of the proposed development can be found in Chapter 3, Volume II. Up to 750 mixed tenure homes in a variety of sizes are proposed for the application site which will be located within distinct residential neighbourhoods. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED The Innovation and Education Hub is located along the southern part of the Alternatives are discussed in full in Chapter 4, Volume II. site, wrapping around the Fort and QinetiQ consolidated demise. The Alternative Development Layouts NON - employment area and primary school are an integral part of the Village TECHNICALSUMMAR Centre and its location is easily accessible from every home which will Implemented Scheme encourage activity and vibrance making the commercial uses in this location more viable. The application site has an outline planning permission for a mixed-use Y development of a business area of up to 27,000sqm, 450 residential units The employment areas will include a range of buildings with varying and 80 bed hotel, a village centre and use of the Fort Area and bunkers as a Page footprint areas, providing flexible accommodation for office, research & historic interpretation centre. 5 development as well as light industry. A total of 27,659 sqm