*
IN-VESSEL COMPOSTING STRATEGY
FINAL REPORT INCLUDING FEASIBILITY STUDY BRIEF
Prepared for:
By
ANCER SPA (Midlands) Ltd Development, Regeneration and Planning Consultants
MARCH 2010
Midlands office: Royal Oak Business Centre 4 Lanchester Way NN11 8PH Tel: 01327 300355 Fax: 01327 300330 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ancerspa.co.uk
NORTH STAFFS COMPOSTING STRATEGY FINAL REPORT
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 3
2. STRATEGIC CONTEXT 4
3. WASTE INDUSTRY TRENDS 5
4. IN-VESSEL SITE SEARCH EXERCISE 7
5. PROJECT OBJECTIVES & FACILITIES BRIEF 10
6. PREFERRED SITE 11
7. FEASIBILITY STUDY SCOPING BRIEF 14
8. IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME 15
APPENDICES
1. EXCELSIOR WORKS SITE LOCATION PLAN & SURROUNDING LAND USES
2. EXCELSIOR WORKS SITE COMPONENTS PLAN
3. EXCELSIOR WORKS INDICATIVE SITE LAYOUT PLAN
4. EXCELSIOR WORKS SITE PHOTOS (FEB 2010)
5. SURROUNDING AREA PHOTOS
* Front cover shows architects perspective of proposed Wakefield
waste management park.
2 NORTH STAFFS COMPOSTING STRATEGY FINAL REPORT
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 ANCER SPA was appointed in October 2009 by the North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership to prepare a strategy for the provision of an In-Vessel composting facility to serve the North Staffordshire conurbation.
1.2 Stoke on Trent City Council is currently proposing to commence a new 10 year composting service contract in April 2010 for green garden waste, food waste and cardboard. Because it was not previously possible to find a suitable processing site in Stoke on Trent, the contract specification included the requirement that the contractor will be responsible for providing either a transfer facility or a processing facility in Stoke on Trent. The composting service contractor procurement exercise has been undertaken and the preferred contractor is proposing a system whereby the waste is taken to a transfer site within Stoke at Mossfield Road and then bulked up for carriage to an existing In-Vessel facility at Ashbourne in Derbyshire.
1.3 However, from a long term sustainability point of view, it is acknowledged that this proposed system is not ideal and so it is proposed that the contract has a break clause after three years to allow adequate time for the possible development of a processing facility within the North Staffordshire Conurbation area for green garden waste, food waste and cardboard.
1.4 To align with current collection arrangements for combined green garden waste, food waste and cardboard, the most appropriate processing system is the provision of an ‘In-Vessel’ composting facility (IVC) to produce sterile and weed free compost compliant to Publicly Acceptable Standard 100 (PAS100). In-Vessel composting is an industrial form of composting biodegradable waste that occurs in enclosed reactors. Odours and emissions are prevented by tested environmental control technology.
1.5 The client’s brief had the following requirements:
• To advise on the feasibility of siting the facility on a location within or near (10 mile radius) the City and the possibility of securing a relevant planning permission and waste management permit.
• To advise on the cost and timetable by which this site can be brought into use.
• To advise on the probability of securing a partnership agreement with the neighbouring authorities in the short, medium and long term.
• To advise on the cost implications of interim arrangements by pursuing the option of locating within or near the City.
• To advise on the potential for hybrid facilities comprising not only an In-Vessel facility but also the suitability of other processes such as Anaerobic Digestion.
1.6 In November 2009 our Interim Report was produced which identified a ‘long list’ of potential IVC sites in various categories, recommended a ‘short list’ of potential sites and set out a number of strategy options to provide a context for the appraisal of the short listed sites.
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1.7 In December 2009 a supplementary report was produced which provided additional information including indicative costs in relation to a sample of short-listed sites to facilitate further discussion on the alternative strategy options for the In- Vessel composting facility.
1.8 Copies of those reports which comprise background information are available by request. This report summarises the findings of those reports and then goes on to recommend a preferred site and also outlines the scope of a feasibility study to investigate how that site could be developed.
2 STRATEGIC CONTEXT
2.1 Waste Core Strategy
2.1.1 A Joint Waste Core Strategy between Staffordshire County Council and Stoke- on-Trent City Council is to set out a vision, objectives and spatial strategy for the development of waste management facilities in Staffordshire County and the City of Stoke-on-Trent over the next 15 years.
2.1.2 The Waste Planning Authority has had recent discussions with the CLG concerning the content of the Core Strategy and it has been agreed that the preferred strategy should not include reference to the identification of specific strategic sites and instead it should rely on locational criteria policies. These policy criteria to assess the suitability of sites have the aim of ensuring that they are compatible with other adjoining or nearby land uses, complement existing activities, form part of integrated waste management facilities and secure higher environmental standards preferably by enclosing operations within buildings.
2.2 Regional Spatial Strategy
2.2.1 The West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy (WMRSS) is currently under review. The latest revision seeks to ensure that Waste Planning Authorities make sufficient provision of facilities to manage an equivalent amount of waste to that arising from within its area. The recent EiP report adds that provision should be made for facilities close to the source of the waste produced, take account of cross- boundary flows, encourage proposals that reduce waste and make more efficient use of resources.
2.3 AWM Landfill Diversion Strategy
2.3.1 In October 2009, Advantage West Midlands launched its Landfill Diversion Strategy with the aim of reducing the amount of waste taken to landfill, stimulating economic growth in waste industries and accelerating the drive to create a world- class waste infrastructure for the region. It forecasted that the organic treatment need for green and food waste incorporating open-windrow composting, In-Vessel composting and Anaerobic Digestion by 2025/26 for Staffordshire is 297 ktpa and 93 ktpa in Stoke on Trent. Staffordshire has permitted organic treatment capacity for green and food waste of approximately 283 ktpa and some of this capacity is currently non-operational or pre-operational. It can be seen that given the forecasted organic treatment need, additional facilities are required in the Stoke on Trent area to reduce export elsewhere.
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2.4 Renewable Energy & WRAP
2.4.1 The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) has developed a program that aims to maximize the cost-effective production and environmental benefits of biogas production, maximize the potential of biogas to reduce carbon emissions and the opportunities for injection of methane into the gas grid, and to maximize the potential of biogas to help to reduce the carbon footprint of water treatment infrastructure. The programme comprises grants towards the costs of constructing Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facilities, and is being administered by the Defra Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP). To date some five grants have been awarded a total of some £10m.
2.4.2 Another driving force behind generation of renewable energy from AD is the Renewable Obligation Order that places an obligation upon licensed electricity suppliers in the UK to source an increasing proportion of electricity from renewable sources. A Renewables Obligation Certificate (ROC) is issued for each megawatt hour (MWh) of eligible renewable output generated and suppliers must demonstrate that they have met their obligation by presenting ROCs or otherwise they have to pay a financial levy to a Government fund.
2.5 Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Joint Municipal Waste Management Board
2.5.1 The JMWB is a partnership of all of the local authorities in Staffordshire. It has the objective of reducing the liability of the cost of waste management on the Council Tax payer and by good management, recovers the maximum resource value from the waste commensurate with legal requirements, best value and environmentally beneficial principles. In 2007 the JMWB produced the Integrated Municipal Waste Management Strategy for Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent (2020 Vision) which included a ‘Zero Waste to Landfill by 2020’ consultation exercise.
2.5.2 This Integrated Strategy encourages joint working arrangements including the use of the Hanford Incinerator by Stoke CC and Newcastle under Lyme BC. However, formal joint arrangements for composting have not been pursued with each Staffordshire authority making its own arrangements, with some using the Etwall facility and others using the Ashbourne facility, both in Derbyshire. This limited progress on collaborative arrangements is possibly because of differing existing collection and disposal contract arrangements, and the focus of attention being on other projects such as the proposed Energy from Waste plant at Four Ashes.
2.5.3 Staffordshire Moorlands has a composting contract until 2012 and Newcastle under Lyme has contract until 2015, which suggests the possibility of convergence to a joint approach over the next five years.
3 WASTE INDUSTRY TRENDS
3.1 AWM’s Landfill Diversion Strategy identifies various waste technology processes as an alternative to landfill, including: Organic (composting), Dry Recycling (segregation and reprocessing) and Recovery (including energy from waste, combined heat and power schemes and mechanical and biological treatment). The
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principal processes for organic composting that are appropriate for urban areas are as follows:
In-Vessel (IVC)
3.2 Our Interim Report explained the different types of enclosed or In-Vessel composting technologies which includes the following:
• Tunnels • Vertical Towers & Silos • Rotating Drums • Agitated bays and beds • Housed windrows.
3.3 It is evident that it is possible to put all of the component elements of any of these technologies within one or a group of connected buildings. Negative pressure (suction) can be used in the buildings to prevent odours escaping and to improve working conditions inside the building. Air can also be passed through scrubbers and bio-filters and rapid open/shut doors can help to maintain negative air pressure. Under these circumstances the Environment Agency will consider the approval of Environmental Permits for such facilities in urban areas provided they are no closer than 250m from residential properties or high density employment locations.
3.4 Relevant examples of recently constructed IVC facilities can be found at Sharpness in Gloucestershire and Waithlands at Rochdale.
Anaerobic Digestion (AD)
3.5 AD involves the break down of biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen by micro-organisms called methanogens. It is already widely used to treat wastewater in the UK and can also be used to treat other organic wastes, including domestic and commercial food waste, manures and bio fuel crops. The system chosen will largely depend on the feedstock to be processed. For example, 'high solid materials', such as a garden and food waste mixture, tend to be processed at a higher temperature.
3.6 The process of anaerobic digestion provides a source of renewable energy, since the food waste is broken down to produce biogas (a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide), which is suitable for energy production. The biogas can be used to generate electricity and heat to power on-site equipment and the excess electricity can be exported to the National Grid. Other possible uses for the biogas currently being explored in the UK include injection to the gas grid and using it as a vehicle fuel. A further by-product of the process is bio fertiliser, which is rich in nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements required for healthy plant growth and fertile soil.
3.7 There is evidence that the waste industry is moving towards AD because of the energy generation potential and the value of ROCs, an example being Biffa’s proposals for an AD facility at Poplars Farm, Cannock.
3.8 AD plants have initial higher capital costs than IVC plants.
Mechanical & Biological Treatment (MBT)
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3.9 MBT uses mechanical and biological processes to separate and prepare un- segregated waste into component fractions, including a compost-like output. The finer fraction obtained through the shredding and screening contains a higher proportion of bio-degradable organics which can then be ‘composted’ by other processes. This can include wetting prior AD to produce bio-gas and a wet digestate that is biologically stable material for use as a soil improver.
3.10 Such a multi-function resource recovery park is proposed at South Kirkby in Wakefield. MBT plants have initial higher capital costs than AD facilities.
Implications for Composting in North Staffs
3.11 AD is still a relatively new technology in the UK and there is concern that the process is sensitive to the feedstock inputs and may struggle to cope with a mix of garden waste, food waste and cardboard, which is the current combined collection arrangement in Stoke on Trent. As it stands, for AD to be pursued for Stoke on Trent, given the current technology, there would need to be a separate collection of food waste which would involve additional collection costs and may encounter public resistance to yet more bins and collection days. It is also the case that there would unlikely to be sufficient volumes of domestic food waste alone to sustain a local AD facility.
3.12 The alternative of MBT would probably require a large scale plant capable of handling 100,000 tonnes of waste per annum and would cost some £50m to build. Given that there is already the Hanford EfW plan in Stoke on Trent, the provision of a major MBT could only be justified if it were to be a sub-regional facility utilizing a range of domestic and commercial waste from a relatively wide area.
3.13 MBT would also probably involve a return to un-segregated waste collections (except newspaper, glass and plastic bottles) and this could be said to go against the strategy of encouraging the public to minimize waste and recycle at source.
3.14 Our conclusion is that given Stoke on Trent’s current collection arrangements and contemporary technology, then IVC is the most appropriate composting technology for the City Council. However, that is not to preclude the possible addition of, or an upgrade to, an AD facility in the future, should the technology be proven, with joint provision arrangements with adjoining authorities and the addition of commercial waste volumes becoming a realistic proposition.
4 IN-VESSEL SITE SEARCH EXERCISE
4.1 The study brief specified the following requirements that a site should satisfy:
- Within 10 miles of the centre of the North Staffs conurbation.
- A capacity to accommodate the processing of 20,000 to 40,000 tonnes per annum.
- A site area of 1.5-2.5 hectares or 4-6 acres.
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- A 500m exclusion zone in terms of proximity to residences, if it includes any open air processes/storage or a 200m-250m exclusion zone if the processes are enclosed fully within buildings or plant;
- Employment areas should comprise primarily general industrial (B2) uses with few offices (B1).
- Sites should generally be flat;
- Have good access to the strategic highway network
- There should be a high likelihood that planning permission and waste management permits would successfully be obtained.
4.2 Our research has shown from examples elsewhere that a building footprint of between 2,500 – 4,000m 2 is required to accommodate and IVC including reception and dispatch of material for a capacity of 20-40,000 tonnes per annum. It is assumed that a similar sized site would be required for an AD facility comprising a reception building, digester tanks, gas storage and electricity sub-station.
4.3 The stipulation that sites involving any open composting operations should be at least 500m away from residential properties excludes most potential sites in the North Staffs conurbation. Therefore we made the assumption that any proposed IVC or AD plant, equipment and operations in the urban area must be enclosed within buildings with appropriate air handling equipment. On this basis, sites can be considered if they are in whole or part further than 200m from residential properties.
4.4 On this basis our surveys identified over twenty sites that had the potential to accommodate an IVC. Our Interim Report showed the location of these sites and a table comprising a summary description of each site. The Report categorised the potential sites as follows:
Industrial Estate Sites
4.5 The historic growth and character of the North Staffs conurbation leads to the inter-mingling of industrial and residential properties which rules out such fragmented industrial areas for reason of proximity to residential properties. However, there are some industrial areas such as Sneyd Hill, Fenton and Newstead in Stoke on Trent and Chemical Lane/Longbridge Hayes and Parkhouse East in Newcastle under Lyme that are relatively large and more cohesive in their industrial character and so offer more potential for a composting facility.
Industrial Estate Properties
4.6 On the assumption that the In-Vessel or AD equipment can be installed within an existing building, then consideration can be given to vacant industrial/warehouse buildings that are on the market. This may include old and new buildings provided they are of adequate size and height, i.e. > 2,500m2 (27,000 sq ft) in floorspace. There is usually a regular turnover of such buildings in the area and so this is an issue that needs to be continually revisited. However, there may be some older vacant buildings that remain vacant for long periods, although the new rating levy on vacant commercial buildings may reduce the number of such properties.
Quarries or Landfill Sites
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4.7 There are some former quarries/marl pits that are used for landfill or materials recycling purposes that may be able to accommodate a composting facility in addition to their current activities. The following are examples with such potential:
New Employment Areas
4.8 The North Staffs conurbation has a number of new strategic employment areas such as Chatterley Valley, Etruria, Trentham Lakes and Sideway that have been planned and developed to provide higher quality employment sites and buildings. As a result of the recession, the pace of development on these areas has stalled and the developers are reconsidering their options in the face of slow demand. There may be the potential for developers considering new renewable energy initiatives on such employment areas to incorporate a composting facility within a comprehensive resource recovery/energy generation complex. There are an increasing number of examples of such schemes in the UK and abroad that produce high quality attractively designed buildings that can enhance rather than detract from the image of new high profile employment areas.
Cost Comparisons
4.9 Our Supplementary Report undertook further appraisal of the following sample of sites from these different categories of site:
Former Carless Yard, Chemical Lane, Longport, Newcastle under Lyme (vacant privately owned industrial site)
Unit C, Chemical Lane, Longport, Newcastle under Lyme (vacant privately owned industrial building)
Excelsior Works, Garner Street, Cliff Vale, Stoke on Trent (Council owned vacant site and buildings)
Meaford Power Station, Meaford Road, Stone, Stafford (vacant large privately owned site)
4.10 This exercise demonstrated that leasing an appropriate site and building in the North Staffs urban area for a private operator to install an IVC within it is feasible and would cost the City Council approximately £200,000 per annum.
4.11 With regard to the Meaford site, Advantage West Midlands would like to see some 10 ha of the site developed as a multi-function Resource Recovery Park (RRP) serving the North Staffordshire sub-region. AWM would prefer any composting facility to include AD as it could be used to generate power for the rest of the development.
4.12 However, Meaford is some 6 miles from the centre of Stoke and consequently would involve significant additional transport time and costs. Its more remote location would limit its potential wider economic benefits of local job creation and an educational resource for the community.
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5 PROJECT OBJECTIVES & FACILITIES BRIEF
5.1 Taking into account the findings of this study, the client has now had the opportunity for further consideration of the project requirements and has set the following objectives:
Site Ownership
The site should be in control of the City Council, either freehold or long leasehold, so that there is flexibility to respond to future developments in waste technology, collection arrangements, government policy/fiscal incentives and industry trends. It is evident that the waste sector is undergoing rapid change and current arrangements could be viewed as obsolete within a decade.
Site Location
The site should be located within the North Staffordshire urban area on an easily accessible site in proximity to principal roads. This is not only because a relatively central location would be more sustainable in terms of transport miles, but also because it would also have a ‘presence’ as a demonstration project to the local residential and business community of modern day environmental best practice.
Waste Function
The first priority is to provide an IVC facility with a capacity to accommodate the processing of 20,000 to 40,000 tonnes per annum and thereby serve the whole of the North Staffordshire conurbation including Newcastle under Lyme.
The site should have the scope for expansion to provide additional waste recycling and depot facilities in future phases. This is to allow for future developments in technology such as AD and renewable power generation and to provide flexibility in the Council’s depot arrangements. The ultimate aim should be to provide the flexibility to accommodate a multi-function resource recovery facility, if it is required.
Additional capacity would allow for school, hospital and commercial waste as well as household waste, and this extra income would help to pay for the capital cost.
Other Benefits
The project should be a demonstration facility in terms of maximising resource recovery from waste and encouraging recycling and waste minimisation amongst the local community and businesses.
The educational potential of the development should be maximised to include a classroom and exhibition facility.
Links should be established with higher education and research institutions including Staffordshire University to explore the potential development of a resource recovery and renewable energy local supply chain focused on the facility
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6 PREFERRED SITE
6.1 Our site search exercise identified that the City Council owned site with the most potential is the former Armitage Shanks Excelsior Works at Garner Street, Cliff Vale. In relation to the project objectives and facilities brief it has the following characteristics:
Site Ownership
6.2 Stoke on Trent City Council acquired the vacant Excelsior Works site in June 2008 as an initiative to regenerate the Cliff Vale employment area and to provide an opportunity for the relocation of displaced businesses from areas of the North Staffordshire Urban Core the subject of housing redevelopment.
6.3 Part of one building on the site has been let to a local business Easycorp; otherwise the remainder of the site is vacant.
Site Location
6.4 The general location of the 5.34 ha (13 acre) Excelsior Works site is shown on the attached Appendix 1 plan. It has access to Garner Street which in turn connects to the A500 via Etruria Road from the north and via Shelton New Road from the south. It is well located to serve the whole of the North Staffs conurbation.
6.5 The surrounding land uses in this Cliff Vale employment area comprise: • to the north: mainly transport warehouses and yards comprising the former Twyfords complex, Warburton Transport and Sherwood Trucks leading up to the Etruria Road.
• to the east: the West Coast mainline railway, the SCA warehouse and a gasometer;
• to the south: “Shelton New Road”, AB Chemicals and the Railway Enterprise Centre. beyond which lies the A500 (“The Queensway”); and,
• to the west: “Emery’s” Builder’s Merchants, the Olympus Engineering factory which is under construction, Sneyd Building Contractors and a scaffolding yard
6.6 The closest residential properties are located over 200m away at the following locations: • to the west of the A500 Queensway at Scrivener Road
• to the east of mainline railway at Etruscan Street
• to the south east of the mainline railway at Penstock Drive
6.7 In each case these residential areas are well screened from the Excelsior Works sites by the A500, the railway and the large industrial buildings such as SCA and Olympus Engineering. Appendix 5 provides photos of the surrounding area. However, it order to ensure residential amenity is protected in accordance with Environment Agency guidelines, it is recommended that all composting related
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activities, whether IVC or AD, and also other waste treatment activities, take place within fully enclosed buildings with appropriate air handling equipment.
Site Condition
6.8 To date the majority of the buildings on the site have been demolished and the site levelled, but with one principal building (3,000m2) at the south east corner of the site together with a small office building being retained and part converted for use by a local business Easycorp. Some minor outbuildings on the shared boundary with the railway have been retained on a temporary basis for security purposes. The Appendix 1 plan shows the location of the principal retained building and Appendix 4 comprises recent photographs of the site.
6.9 The site is served by three access points including two narrow roads from Garner Street that pass over bridges across the Fowlea Brook and the third being from Cliff Vale Place. The two bridges have recently been checked by a structural engineer who has confirmed that they remain capable of carrying single file HGV traffic, albeit they would benefit from some maintenance improvement works. The northern access road would benefit from minor widening and this can be readily achieved by using that part of the site that fronts Garner Street.
6.10 Services crossing the site have generally been disconnected and removed and supplies are now provided from Cliff Vale Place.
6.11 Buildings have been removed down to a level of 0.3m below ground level and so foundations below that level remain that will need to be taken into account in any redevelopment scheme.
6.12 Environmental and interpretative site reports suggest that the ground issues on site are in line with its previous ceramics manufacture use. The most significant risk identified is that areas have been identified with a potential risk of subsurface contamination, predominantly linked to historic oil and hazardous chemical storage and use. However, we are advised that this is not likely to present a barrier to redevelopment as it is proposed that the site remains in industrial or commercial use.
6.13 The site lies within the Fowlea Brook flood plain that according to the Environment Agency Flood Map has a moderate risk of flooding. In accordance with the guidelines in PPS 25, waste treatment is a ‘less vulnerable’ land use that can be acceptable in flood risk areas. Confirmation will be required as to whether or not the Environment Agency would allow any increase in the impermeable area on the site. It is of course the case that there was previously a significant coverage of the site with buildings and yards. However, sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) may be required to attenuate surface water run-off with bunds and cut off ditches around sensitive plant such as digester tanks and vehicle fuelling areas. A Flood Risk Assessment report will be required for any development proposals on the site.
Waste Function Suitability & Capacity
6.14 Cliff Vale is a traditional employment area that has been in decline since the closure of the Twyfords and Armitage Shanks major factories. It is now home to a number of transport-related and yard type uses. Some of the building are under- occupied, are poorly maintained and present a poor image along the A500 Queensway. However, the current construction of new premises for Olympus Engineering signals a turning point in the prospects for the regeneration of the area. Their new premises comprise a good quality industrial building with ancillary offices
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having a frontage to the A500 Queensway and set a standard for future development proposals for the Cliff Vale area.
6.15 These urban design regeneration objectives, together with the relative proximity of residential properties (200m distance) imply that waste treatment operations on the Excelsior Works site should be enclosed within good quality, attractive but functional buildings. Given the size of the site it is possible to arrange the uses and facilities to minimise the impact of any activities, for example by locating them in the central part of the site.
6.16 There is the potential to locate an office type building on the 0.54 ha (1.3 acre) on that part of the site to the west of the Fowlea Brook, to provide a new imposing frontage to Garner Street. This could provide 2,000m 2 (22,000 sq ft) of floorspace and be used for staff accommodation/parking and educational facilities. It would provide the opportunity for safe access for visiting schools and the public as it would be separate from the main activities and HGV movements on the site.
6.17 For the main part of the site to the east of the Fowlea Brook, with an area of 4.8 ha (11.8 acres), assuming that the existing building remains for continued small business use, then some 4 ha (10 acres) would be available for composting and other waste treatment or depot uses.
6.18 On the assumption that an IVC facility requires a building of some 4,000m 2 floorspace and a future AD facility a similar amount, then a total area of 2 ha (5 acres) would be required for the composting component of the project and the associated HGV parking and circulation space. This could be accommodated on the northern part of the site with an in/out access system using the two access roads off Garner Street.
6.19 The residual south eastern part of the site with a site area of approximately 2 ha (5 acres) could be used for other materials recovery such as plastics and glass or other Council depot uses and could accommodate another building of some 4,000m 2. It would have access via Cliff Vale Place, though it could use the central egress out on to Garner Street.
6.20 Appendix 2 provides an indicative site components plan that shows one approach to development of the site:
Plot A – Retained small business accommodation (0.8 ha)
Plot B – Staff and visitor accommodation (0.54 ha)
Plot C – Composting facility (2 ha)
Plot D – Resource recovery or depot facility (2 ha)
6.21 Appendix 3 provides an indicative site layout plan that demonstrates diagrammatically the potential capacity of the site.
6.22 The total proposed floorspace is some 17,000m2 (183,000 sq ft). This is significantly less than the previous building footprint on the site of over 25,000m2, primarily because of the requirement for external yard areas for refuse vehicle circulation and parking and also the bespoke nature of the previous Armitage Shanks buildings. This reduction in building footprint could assist in negotiations with the Environment Agency over flood risk mitigation requirements.
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7 FEASIBILITY STUDY SCOPING BRIEF
7.1 If it is accepted that the Excelsior Works site in Garner Street has the potential to meet the City Council’s requirements in relation to the project brief, then the next stage would be to undertake a feasibility study that has the following components:
A. Baseline surveys and investigation of site technical constraints Ground conditions and archaeology Flood risk and drainage strategy Services capacity Highway and junction capacity Environmental impact baseline evidence, e.g. noise, air quality, nature conservation etc Network rail boundary safeguarding reservation Investigation of best practice advice / examples of IVC and AD plants Waste stream audit for sources and volumes
B. Confirm the detailed project requirements Phase 1 IVC capacity and preferred process plant. Associated refuse vehicle parking requirement. Staff accommodation and visitor floorspace and parking requirements Phase 2 capacity increase including AD and renewable energy generation Staff accommodation and visitor floorspace and parking requirements Depot relocation requirements Capacity to accommodate other council requirements to relocate other civic facilities to the site. Priority resource recovery uses Strategy for the retained small business accommodation including proposals for the existing tenant Input from HE and FE institutions.
C. Scheme Design Outline site layout and access options. Phase 1 building design Phase 1 building and plant specification External works, fencing, landscaping and signage Assessment reports: environmental, transport, economic etc Sustainability criteria including BREEAM rating and renewable energy
D. Cost Plan Site preparation and servicing Phase 1 buildings IVC plant Depot relocation Collection vehicle and staffing implications Income projections
E. Funding strategy and delivery mechanism Capital and revenue requirement Site value appropriation Sale of obsolete assets Government grants and fiscal incentives, e.g. WRAP Prudential loans
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Developer JV Plant provider lease Contractor procurement
F. Community Consultation Strategy Local residents Local businesses Wider business community HE and FE institutions Waste industry Local authorities, and regional agencies
G. Planning Application Pre-application consultations Outline planning application Phase 1 reserved matters
7.2 There will inevitably be an iterative element to this process, for example with the outcome of the community consultation and planning application process leading to amendments in scheme design and hence costs and funding requirement. Nevertheless it is important that adequate technical evidence is in place prior to a planning application being made and a cost plan being produced.
7.3 For budgeting purposes a broad brush estimated cost of the feasibility study exercise up the point of submission of the outline planning application is circa £100,000 (excluding planning application fees).
8 IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME
8.1 The following is an indicative programme to demonstrate the timescale involved in a project of this nature on the preferred site:
(i). Council Approval to Feasibility Study Brief & Cost - April 2010.
(ii). Appoint Project Team and Technical Consultants - May 2010
(iii). Feasibility Study Report - August 2010
(iv). Community Consultation - Sept 2010
(v). Outline Planning Application - Nov 2010.
(vi) Developer/Contractor Procurement - March 2011
(vi) Phase 1 Reserved Matters Planning Application - July 2011
(vii) Phase 1 Development Completion - Sept 2012
8.2 The implication of this programme is that the interim composting service contract needs to run for 3 years from April 2010.
ANCER SPA 2nd March 2010
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