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8 week date Application No. Date of meeting Report No. 26.07.11 GR/20 110320 05.10 .11 Northfleet Embankment East, Northfleet, Kent. Engineering operations comprising land raising and the creation of a development platform including demolition of five additional buildings on a phased basis and revised land raising design. South East England Development Agency (SEEDA). Recommendation: To be set out in a supplementary report. 1. Site Description The application site comprises the former AEI/GEC/Henley cable factory site in Crete Hall Road Northfleet to the west of the Gravesend Town Centre and is part of the site known as Northfleet Embankment East. The application site extends to an area of approximately 18 hectares. The site includes part of the former Northfleet Power Station site which has been used more recently for timber storage and recycling. It excludes the existing Red Lion Public House site at the western end of the site, and the former Old Sun Inn at the north eastern end of the site, which is now used as offices. The site is within a quarried chalk pit and during the 19 th century was the site of Rosherville Pleasure Gardens. Existing levels range from three metres above Ordnance Datum (AOD) to 7.5 metres AOD with some isolated areas (principally old foundations) at 2.5 metres AOD. The site adjoins the river Thames to the north and there is a jetty (Henley Jetty) that serves the site midway along the river frontage of the site. The river flood defence wall runs along the northern edge of the site. The concrete walls are approximately 6.8 metres AOD. There is a gate that provides access to the jetty. The site runs up to the cliff edge on the southern boundary. At the top of the cliff some 27 metres above the ground level of the site are mainly local authority housing (flats and houses) in Fountain Walk and a nursery school. Within the southern boundary chalk cliff face there are a number of man made tunnels (The Henley Tunnels) which provided passages and rooms used as air raid shelters for factory workers during World War II and these are of some historic interest although they are not listed. The site adjoins the land used by Stema shipping for the storage and distribution of aggregates at Red Lion Wharf to the west. Beyond that is the Kimberly Clark paper manufacturing complex. Vacant land to the south west is the site of a permission to Lidl to construct a regional distribution centre. To the east of the site is an established residential area centred on Landsdowne Square, Burch Road and Pier Road on a chalk spur which has remained un-quarried and extends north to the river. To the north east of the site and located on the river frontage at The Shore is Old Sun Wharf, currently used for storage and distribution of aggregates by Fleetmix. Most of the former industrial buildings on the cable factory site have been demolished over the past 18 months, and the site has been cleared and some re-grading carried out. There are five buildings still remaining on the site, which can be regarded as undesignated heritage assets, and which include the former Fleetway Building at the north eastern end of the site, which was a printing works built in the 1900’s with various alterations from 1910-1870; the former Plastic Works building, a three/four storey brick building at the western end of the site, built approximately 1913/14 with alterations in 1932; a former cable works building, located in the centre of the site built approximately 1910 with alterations 1915-1930; the former power house building, also centrally located and of the same period (although the switch gear has now been removed); and the former research and development building built 1925 with extensions from 1926-1951 and which is located at the northern part of the site fronting the river. The river frontage of that latter building features a large glazed tile plaque bearing “Henley’s Cable Works Research Laboratories” although some of the tiling has been truncated and removed by the later insertion of windows. In addition a sixth building, the Henley office building, an Art deco style building of three storeys with a central tower finished in white render with faience plaques is located at the north eastern end of the site and is to be retained. This part of the site is within the Landsdowne Square Conservation Area. There are two Grade II listed structures adjoining but not within this application site, the Rosherville Quay walls, steps/draw dock and WW II mine watching post at The Shore and the cliff top entrance comprising platform, terrace walls, tunnel and stairs to the former Rosherville Gardens next to Fountain Walk Crete Hall Road dissects the application site running west to east from Kimberly Clark before running north to The Shore and then linking with Clifton Marine Parade and the Imperial Business Estate. Crete Hall Road connects with Rosherville Way which links with Thames Way to the south via a short tunnel through the chalk spine under the A226 London Road. A public right of way (NU5) runs parallel to the river along The Shore on the north side of the site but is then routed north-south from the river edge to join with Crete Hall Road. 2. Planning History Henley Telegraph and Cable Works were first established at this site in 1906 and extended south into the former Rosherville Gardens by the 1920’s. There have been a significant number of planning applications relating to extensions and other development associated with the use of the site for the manufacture of cables since the 1950’s. The factories included some 69 buildings, the uses of which varied between offices, cable manufacturing and coating treatments, workshops, plastic moulding shops and storages. The majority were demolished to slab level in 2010 with some additional demolition to remove concrete slabs and near surface underground structures between January and March 2011. The former Northfleet Power Station located in the western part of the application site was first opened in 1963 but closed in 1991 and was demolished in 1994. Planning permission was granted in March 2002 for a B8 warehouse on the site of the former Power station but that scheme was never implemented. 3. Proposal Proposal in General and Reasons for Proposal This application is for engineering operations comprising land raising and the creation of a development platform and has recently been amended to include the demolition of five additional buildings on a phased basis and revised land raising design. The applicants advise that land raising is necessary for flood protection purposes and for the creation of a suitable platform for future development and is the first stage in the redevelopment of the land at Northfleet Embankment East which will be the subject of a later detailed Master Plan to guide future land use. They advise that the existing riverside embankment and concrete seawall is in a poor state of repair and there is a risk of breaching. Extent of Land Raising and Source of Material The land raising across the site would be up to a minimum finished level of 6.54 metres above Ordnance Datum. This would, according to the applicants, create a safe development platform for housing or other potentially vulnerable land uses. The amount of excavated material to be brought to the application site to raise the land to the required levels for flood protection will be approximately 276,320 cubic metres. This represents an increase of 46,320 cubic metres over the estimated quantities as set out in the original submission which is the result of raising land in areas where buildings are now proposed to be demolished. The actual amount of fill will vary across the site but generally levels will be raised between one and three metres. The land raising will be carried out on a phased basis with phases 1 and 2 being to the south of Crete Hall Road, phase 3 being the land to the north of Crete Hall Road and up to the river frontage and phase 4 being the former Northfleet Power station site. A lorry parking area at the western end of the phase 1 site and a raised platform area are within the application site but are outside the area proposed for land raising. Some variation to the design will be required at a later stage dependent on the precise layout of uses on the site. There may be a need to vary the platform land raise level to take account of the need to place sub-base materials beneath pavements and floor slabs and to place clean topsoil cover in areas of gardens and landscaped areas in any future development on the site. There will be a site access across Crete Hall Road in the position of an original crossing between the sites to enable movement of material. The retaining walls that currently exist on the site adjacent to Crete Hall Road will be retained and a bund formed either side at a height of approximately 7.0 metres sloping down towards the retaining walls thus about 3.5 metres above the height of the existing road level. The land raising material will come from the Crossrail construction works in London and will comprise London Clay and sprayed concrete lining. The majority of material delivered to the site will be suitable for use within the development platform and only minimal pre-treatment will be required.