Airdrie - Bathgate Railway and Linked Improvements Bill Part Four – Assessment of Environmental Effects Design Development Proposal Chapter 8 Land Use & Agriculture Environmental Statement Page 95 8.0 LAND USE AND AGRICULTURE Summary Airdrie to Bathgate : The line will be constructed mainly within the rail solum, which has been protected for this land use. The route follows the line of the National Cycle Network (NCN 75). Land use on either side of the route includes: • extensive areas of open ground, including agricultural land, open space/ amenity land, derelict and vacant sites; • settlements, with a range of urban land uses, including residential, commercial and institutional. In addition to the change of use of land, which is currently the cyclepath, land is required to construct the new cyclepath, and to build new stations and upgrade existing stations, including land required for access and car parks. Construction of the railway will require the permanent occupation and a change in use of some 113 hectares of land. The extent of land use change for key land uses is noted below. Land Use Permanent acquisition of land Permanent acquisition Total within limits of Deviation of land outwith limits (ha) LOD (ha) LLAU (ha) Residential 0.43 0.30 0.73 Farm land 26.84 2.70 29.54 Community land 2.82 0.29 3.11 Woodland 6.19 0.53 6.72 Industrial/ Commercial 3.26 1.90 5.16 Other (includes existing 62.85 5.29 68.14 cyclepath) Total 102.37 10.97 113.40 The key land use impact is the loss of the NCN 75 route and the requirement to re- align it within the route corridor. Land take for stations is in the order of 14 hectares. Additional land take will be required for new roads, footpaths, railway communications and power supply. Overall, permanent land use impacts are minor. During the construction period (October 2008 – December 2010) temporary land take will be required for 13 main construction compounds and an additional 40 smaller construction compounds. Temporary land take will also be required for working space at locations along the route where access is required for construction/ demolition work on structures including works at 26 bridges. Temporary land take accounts for some 32 hectares consisting mostly of farmland and land associated with the existing railway path, including embankments and vacant land close to the railway boundaries. Eleven residential properties may be acquired to construct the railway line, five in Plains, five in Caldercruix and one at Bedlormie Toll. The avoidance of the loss of these properties will be investigated during the detailed design stage. Outstanding planning consents and applications along the route include a number of significant residential development proposals whose access and amenity may be affected by the new rail line. Overall impact on land use and agriculture is considered to be minor. Bathgate to Edinburgh: The improvement works will be undertaken mainly within the boundaries of the existing railway. Land use impacts will occur at Boghall, where a site which is currently poor quality agricultural land will be used for the relocated STVA car delivery depot, and at Livingston North and Uphall stations, where additional land is required for car parks. Bridge works at 15 locations will result in Ironside Farrar May 2006/ 6665 Airdrie - Bathgate Railway and Linked Improvements Bill Part Four – Assessment of Environmental Effects Design Development Proposal Chapter 8 Land Use & Agriculture Environmental Statement Page 96 minor, temporary land use impacts. The extent of land use change for key land uses is noted below Land Use Permanent acquisition Permanent acquisition of Total of land within limits of land outwith limits (ha) Deviation LOD (ha) LLAU (ha) Residential 0.04 0.00 0.04 Farm land 5.16 5.58 10.74 Community land 0.00 0.00 0.00 Woodland 0.29 0.10 0.39 Industrial/ Commercial 0.00 0.00 0.00 Other (includes existing 7.73 1.17 8.90 cyclepath) Total 13.22 6.85 20.07 8.1 Introduction 8.1.1 Environmental Scoping The Environmental Scoping exercise, as reported in Section 5.5 of this ES Report was undertaken to: • focus the EIA on the environmental issues and potential impacts which need the most thorough attention; • identify those which are likely to need detailed study; • identify those which are unlikely to need detailed study; and • provide an early indication of where mitigation measures are necessary. The Scoping Exercise considered the nature of the project, the site and the environment in the context of each of the environmental factors and also drew on the knowledge of the planning authorities and consultees to allow key issues to be identified. The conclusion of the Scoping Exercise for Land Use and Agriculture was as follows: Airdrie to Bathgate Bathgate to Edinburgh Issue requiring detailed assessment. Demolition Issue not requiring detailed assessment. No of properties, land use change, loss of agricultural significant land use changes identified, with the land and public and private open space. exception of the Vehicle Delivery Depot (Boghall), Livingston North and Uphall Stations 8.2 Methodology A rail scheme can impact on a range of land uses affecting, for example, residential and commercial properties, development land, community land and agricultural land. Such impacts require careful consideration particularly where facilities, amenities, landscape and townscape are affected. The main aims of this chapter are to: • address the wider implications for land use within the study corridor; • provide an account of the land use change that will occur as a result of the proposed railway; • establish the key residential, commercial, industrial and other properties which may be affected; • assess the loss of land used by the community; and • assess the effects of the rail scheme’s land take on development land. Ironside Farrar May 2006/ 6665 Airdrie - Bathgate Railway and Linked Improvements Bill Part Four – Assessment of Environmental Effects Design Development Proposal Chapter 8 Land Use & Agriculture Environmental Statement Page 97 The assessment of land use has been undertaken according to DMRB Volume 11, Section 3, Part 6, incorporating Amendment 1 August 2001. The assessment comprised: • Desk study/ literature review: - MLURI land capability maps - Development Plans • Consultations: - West Lothian Council (WLC) - North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) - City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) - Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) • Site visits: to confirm formal and informal land use Information on land use proposals was obtained from engineering drawings for the railway, bridges, other infrastructure elements and the proposed cyclepath, produced by Jacobs Babtie and for the station proposals, drawings produced by IDP Architects. The Parliamentary Plans have also provided information on permanent and temporary land use and land take requirements, (see References). 8.3 Limitations to Assessment SEERAD were consulted and information sought regarding land use and farm units along the route. No consultation response was received. AIRDRIE TO BATHGATE 8.4 Baseline Conditions The route is some 24km from Airdrie Station to the new Bathgate Station. The railway corridor is a narrow strip of land, the overall width depending on embankments and cuttings. The cyclepath follows the railway solum, except for a short offline section, south of Armadale. 8.4.1 Historical Land Use Originally built in the 1850s, the railway carried coal, ironstone and limestone to the numerous works in the Monklands district. Along the western section of the route there are remains of old industries; quarries, coal mines and mining villages, and the current land use reflects the historical uses in the area. All of the main settlements are located to the north of the line. The line was served by stations at Plains and Caldercruix, Blackridge and Armadale. Land use in the eastern part of the route has been historically mainly agricultural, although there are a number of industrial areas associated with mining and quarrying. 8.4.2 Land Ownership Sustrans took lease of the railway land from British Rail (BRB Residuary) upon closure of the line in the mid 1980s. Around this time Sustrans also acquired additional land to allow the path to be taken off the existing solum if required to do so by the reinstatement of the railway. In the mid 1990s Sustrans set up Railway Paths Ltd (RPL) to acquire and manage land on behalf of Sustrans throughout the UK. For the Airdrie-Bathgate section of cyclepath, Sustrans undertook an agreement with BR whereby the railway solum should remain protected for the re-opening of the rail line in the future. BRB Residuary is still the majority landowner, with only a small section of land at Bathgate owned by RPL. Ironside Farrar May 2006/ 6665 Airdrie - Bathgate Railway and Linked Improvements Bill Part Four – Assessment of Environmental Effects Design Development Proposal Chapter 8 Land Use & Agriculture Environmental Statement Page 98 8.4.3 National Cycle Network Route 75/ Airdrie to Bathgate Railway Path The alignment of the proposed Airdrie to Bathgate section of the route is mainly within the rail solum and follows the route of the Airdrie to Bathgate Railway Path, which is part of National Cycle Network Route 75, the Clyde to Forth Cycle Route. The 22-kilometre route is currently a footpath and cyclepath and is also used, in parts, by equestrians. Sustrans has noted that the main purpose of the existing cyclepath is as a transport commuter link. In addition to its role as a long distance route forming part of the National Cycle Network, the cyclepath is also a local recreational resource. It provides links between towns and villages along the route, as well as links from these settlements to recreational facilities and to the wider countryside. For part of the route, between Clarkston and Hillend, the route is also part of the North Calder Heritage Trail, which is a key strategic footpath in North Lanarkshire.