Local Impact Report Stafford Borough Staffordshire County Council Council
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Meaford Energy Centre Development Consent Order for the construction, operation and maintenance of a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Station Local Impact Report Prepared jointly by; Stafford Borough Staffordshire County Council Council September 2015 CONTENTS Section Page 1.0 Purpose of the Report 1 2.0 Site Description and Surroundings 2 3.0 Details of the Proposal 3 4.0 Relevant Planning History 4 - 5 5.0 Policy Framework 6 5.1 National Planning Policy Framework 6 - 7 5.2 The Plan for Stafford Borough 7 - 11 5.3 Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Joint Waste Local Plan 11 6.0 Assessment of Prospective Impacts of the Project 12 6.1 Socio-Economic 12 - 16 6.2 Transport and Traffic 16 - 17 6.3 Air Quality 16 - 17 6.4 Noise and Vibration 17 - 20 6.5 Ground Conditions 20 - 24 6.6 Flooding and Drainage 24 6.7 Waste and Minerals 24 - 25 6.8 Landscape and Visual 25 - 28 6.9 Ecology and Trees 28 - 32 6.10 Historic Environment and Archaeology 32 - 37 6.11 Public Rights of Way 37 - 39 Appendices Appendix 1 Relevant Planning history Appendix 2 The Plan for Stafford Borough Appendix 3 Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Joint Waste Local Plan Appendix 4 List Descriptions Appendix 5 Conservation Area Appraisals MEAFORD ENERGY CENTRE (COMBINED CYCLE GAS TURBINE POWER STATION) LOCAL IMPACT REPORT 1.0 PURPOSE OF THE REPORT 1.1 This report is prepared jointly by Staffordshire County Council and Stafford Borough Council. It provides an evaluation of the local impacts of the Meaford Energy Centre Development Consent Order for the construction, operation and maintenance of a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Station. 1.2 The report has been prepared in accordance with the Planning Inspectorate Advice Note on Local Impact Reports. 1 2.0 SITE DESCRIPTION AND SURROUNDINGS 2.1 The Meaford Energy Centre proposal is located substantially within the wider Meaford Business Park, which benefits from outline planning permission but is yet to be built out. 2.2 The Meaford Business Park site is set within low-lying land forming the Trent Valley, which runs in a north-south direction. The Meaford Business Park lies between the River Trent to the west and the Trent and Mersey Canal to the east. Further to the east, the West Coast Main railway line runs generally parallel with the canal, whilst the A34 dual carriageway runs in a north / south direction on higher land further to the west of the River Trent. 2.3 Access to Meaford Business Park is currently gained via a temporary diversion route from the A34 through Barlaston and Meaford Road to the north. The main entrance into the Meaford Business Park site is from its northwest corner from Meaford Road, which is known as the Northern Access Road. 2.4 The diversion route is a consequence of Staffordshire County Council undertaking highway improvement works to form a new southern access into the Meaford Business Park site. The works include forming a new roundabout at the junction of the A34/Meaford Road, improvements to Meaford Road up to a new four arm roundabout at the junction of Meaford Road / Washdale Lane. A 350m long northern arm off the new Meaford Road / Washdale Lane roundabout would then form the new southern access into the Meaford Business Park site. These highways works are scheduled to be substantially complete by June 2016. 2 3.0 DETAILS OF THE PROPOSAL 3.1 The scheme put forward by Meaford Energy Limited is for a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power station fuelled by natural gas, which would have a generating capacity of up to 299 megawatts of electrical output. 3.2 The proposed development is located on the site of the former Meaford coal-fired power station, which was decommissioned in 1990 and demolished in 1996. The former power station site is around 48ha in size and now forms the Meaford Business Park site. 3.3 The Meaford Energy Centre will only take up a portion of the overall business park allowing for the completion of the remainder of the site in accordance with the planning permission. 3.4 The proposal is described in detail in the Environmental Statement, although paragraphs 3.5 to 3.8 below provide a brief outline. 3.5 The power station complex would be located within the southern portion of the Meaford Business Park site. The proposed gas connection would be located on the western side of the West Coast Main railway line, with the gas connection pipeline running underground within the Meaford Energy Centre site and then above ground over the canal and the railway line bridges. 3.6 Electrical output from the power station would be exported to the adjacent Barlaston sub-station via underground cables. 3.7 The Environmental Statement explains that, whilst the final power station configuration is not known at this stage, it will be contained within the design parameters set out in the draft Development Consent Order being based on the ‘Rochdale envelope’ principle, which allows for a degree of flexibility in the final form and design of the proposed development. 3.8 An overall construction period of 36 months is anticipated. The construction works will be managed through a Construction and Environmental Management Plan to be agreed with the County and Borough Councils. 3 4.0 RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 The following planning applications are considered to be relevant material considerations:- 98/35897/OUT Outline planning permission with all matters reserved was originally granted in May 2007 for the erection of B1, B2 and B8 buildings, sports facilities, roadways and a new roundabout on the site. This proposal forms the wider Meaford Business Park site. Condition 2 restricted the floor space to 10,000 square metres of B1 use, 40,000 square metres of B2 use and 60, 000 square metres of B8 use. A total of 110,000 square metres of floor space being limited within the buildings and not to exceed 96,500 square metres of footprint within 34.1 hectares of the site. Condition 11 also required the southern access to be served by roundabout with access onto Meaford Road near to Wash Dale Lane 08/10097/REM Reserved matters application to outline permission 98/35897/OUT was then approved in July 2008 for the construction of the roundabout and access road at the southern end of the site (known as Phase 1) at the junction of Washdale Lane and Meaford Road. The proposal also included a balancing pond and associated landscaping. (This proposal was not implemented) 08/09601/FUL Application to vary conditions 3, 6, 7, 12, 16, 17, 19 and 20 of outline permission 35897 to enable the site to be developed on a phased basis was then approved in March 2008. 08/10757/DCON Application to discharge condition 18 on outline permission 98/35897OUT which related to ground contamination was approved in June 2010. 09/12663/FUL Application to vary condition 22 to outline permission 98/35897OUT which related to external lighting was approved in December 2009. 4 10/13609/EXT Extension of time application to outline permission 98/35897/OUT was approved in July 2010 and extended the time period for the submission of reserved matters to July 2015. 14/21379/EXTO Extension of time application to outline permission 98/35897/OUT, as previously extended under planning approval 10/13609/EXT, was then approved in May 2015. This permission extends the time period for the submission of reserved matters to May 2022. The Unilateral Undertaking secures the approved floor space and footprints set out in condition 6 which repeats the requirements of condition 2 to outline permission 98/35897/OUT. This condition is considered to be particularly relevant as it includes the footprints of buildings both within the Meaford Business Park and Meaford Energy Centre sites. S.14/07 Staffordshire County Council planning permission for the construction of a new access, together with associated highway improvements including a new roundabout, footpath/cycleway, lighting and landscaping at Meaford Road, Stone. Approved 16 January 2015. Works have commenced. 15/22560/REM Reserved matters application to outline permission 14/21379/EXTO (appearance, landscaping, layout and scale) for Units 1 and 2. This application is currently pending consideration. 15/22557/REM Reserved matters application to outline planning permission 14/21379/EXTO (layout, scale, appearance and landscaping) for the development of an estate spine road and associated drainage. This application is currently pending consideration. 4.2 Copies of the relevant officer report, decision notice, legal agreement and plans (not to scale) for all applications, except 08/10757/DCON as this documentation is not available, are attached as Appendix 1. 5 POLICY FRAMEWORK 5.1 National Planning Policy Framework 5.1.1 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was introduced in March 2012 and sets out the Government’s planning policies. 5.1.2 Paragraph 3 points out that the Framework does not contain specific policies for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, as these are determined in accordance with the decision-making framework set out in the Planning Act 2008 and relevant National Policy Statements for major infrastructure. The paragraph goes on to advise however, that in determining such projects other matters that are considered both important and relevant can also be taken into account, and this includes the NPPF. 5.1.3 The presumption in favour of sustainable development lies at the heart of the NPPF, and Paragraph 14 advises that this should be seen as a golden thread running through both plan-making and decision-taking. Paragraph 7 identifies three dimensions to sustainable development:- economic, social and environmental.