Ringstead Grange, near Ringstead, Northamptonshire Proposed Development of a Quarry Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Report Reference: CE-RS-0397-RP01a - FINAL March 2012 Produced by Crestwood Environmental Ltd. Ringstead Grange Farm Quarry Mick George Limited CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 3 1.1 Background ..................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Appointment and Scope of Work .................................................................................... 3 1.3 LVIA Structure ................................................................................................................. 3 1.4 General Terminology....................................................................................................... 4 1.5 Summary of Proposals .................................................................................................... 4 2 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................. 6 2.1 General ............................................................................................................................ 6 2.2 Baseline Situation – General .......................................................................................... 7 2.3 Baseline Situation – Landscape Aspects........................................................................ 7 2.4 Baseline Situation – Visual Aspects ............................................................................. 10 2.5 Assessment of Landscape Effects ................................................................................ 11 2.6 Assessment of Visual Effects ........................................................................................ 16 2.7 Assessment of Cumulative Effects ............................................................................... 21 3 THE BASELINE SITUATION ............................................................................................ 23 3.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................... 23 3.2 Site Location ................................................................................................................. 23 3.3 Landscape Character .................................................................................................... 23 3.4 Landscape Characteristics ............................................................................................ 32 3.5 Historical Land-use and Cover...................................................................................... 37 3.6 Landscape Quality ........................................................................................................ 38 3.7 Landscape Policies and Designations .......................................................................... 39 3.8 Landscape Value .......................................................................................................... 45 3.9 Visual Baseline .............................................................................................................. 46 4 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT .................................................... 48 4.1 Assumptions .................................................................................................................. 48 4.2 Predicted Sources of Impact ......................................................................................... 48 4.3 Mitigation Measures ...................................................................................................... 48 4.4 Landscape Impact Assessment .................................................................................... 50 4.5 Visual Impact Assessment ............................................................................................ 53 4.6 Comment and Conclusions ........................................................................................... 72 5 GLOSSARY ....................................................................................................................... 74 APPENDICES: Appendix 1 Figures L1 to L12 Landscape and Visual Impact (Ref: CE-RS-0397-RP01a - FINAL) Page 1 Ringstead Grange Farm Quarry Mick George Limited LIST OF TABLES: Table 1 Duration for Proposed Development ..................................................................... 3 Table 2 Categorisation Guidance for Landscape Quality ................................................... 9 Table 3 Categorisation Guidance for Landscape Value ..................................................... 10 Table 4 Sensitivity of Landscape Receptors ...................................................................... 13 Table 5 Magnitude of Landscape Effects ........................................................................... 14 Table 6 Significance of Landscape Effects ........................................................................ 15 Table 7 Sensitivity of Visual Receptors .............................................................................. 17 Table 8 Magnitude of Visual Effects ................................................................................... 19 Table 9 Significance of Visual Effects ................................................................................ 20 Table 10 Categorisation of Cumulative Effects .................................................................... 22 Table 11 Predicted Sources of Impact ................................................................................. 48 Table 12 Mitigation Measures Incorporated into the Proposals ........................................... 49 Table 13 Principal Representative Viewpoints ..................................................................... 53 LIST OF DRAWINGS: Figure L1 Site Setting Figure L2 Landscape Setting Plan Figure L3 Visual Analysis Plan Figure L4 Photograph for Viewpoint 1 Figure L5 Photograph for Viewpoint 2 Figure L6 Photograph for Viewpoint 3 Figure L7 Photograph for Viewpoint 4 Figure L8 Photograph for Viewpoint 5 Figure L9 Photograph for Viewpoint 6 Figure L10 Photograph for Viewpoint 7 Figure L11 Photograph for Viewpoint 8 Figure L12 Photograph for Viewpoint 9 Landscape and Visual Impact (Ref: CE-RS-0397-RP01a - FINAL) Page 2 Ringstead Grange Farm Quarry Mick George Limited 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background 1.1.1 The Site, located on land at Ringstead Grange Farm, is around 520m south of the village of Ringstead (at its closest point) in Northamptonshire and covers an area of 64.3 ha. The market town of Raunds lies around 530m south-southeast of the Site Boundary at its nearest point. The Site lies on an area of relatively flat land at the top of the eastern and southern slopes of the River Nene Valley. 1.1.2 The Site will be operated by Mick George Ltd, who is „the Applicant‟. 1.1.3 The Applicant is seeking planning permission from Northamptonshire County Council to establish a limestone quarry with the restoration of the Site, via infilling with inert material to a landform and afteruse typical of the locality with agricultural fields, delineated with species rich hedgerows, with areas of calcareous grassland, ponds and broadleaf woodland, which will be established with appropriate aftercare measures (the Proposed Development). 1.1.4 The Proposed Development of a limestone quarrying will be developed with the anticipated timeline as illustrated in Table 1: Table 1 Duration for Proposed Development Operation Duration Establishment 6 months Mineral extraction 14 years Importation of fill material and restoration Up to17 years Aftercare Period 5 years 1.1.5 The Site‟s location and main areas relating to the Proposed Development are indicated on Figure L1. 1.2 Appointment and Scope of Work 1.2.1 Crestwood Environmental Ltd. is an environmental consultancy employing two landscape architects, including a chartered landscape architect with extensive experience in the minerals and waste management industry and of undertaking Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments (LVIAs). 1.2.2 The Company has been instructed by Mick George Limited, to undertake a LVIA, and to produce a restoration masterplan and details for the Proposed Development to accompany the planning application(s). This report describes the Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment which has been undertaken. 1.3 LVIA Structure 1.3.1 This report is divided into the following sections as described below. Section 2 (Methodology) describes the terminology used to define the status of views and the landscape around the Site and the procedure used to assess the impacts. Landscape and Visual Impact (Ref: CE-RS-0397-RP01a - FINAL) Page 3 Ringstead Grange Farm Quarry Mick George Limited Section 3 (The Baseline Situation) provides a description of the existing features within the Site, elements that affect the visibility of the development and the character of the landscape at the Site and locality. It provides an analysis of landscape quality and value and summarises the landscape designations and landscape planning policies relevant to the Proposed Development. Section 4 (Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment) presents the results of the landscape and visual assessments, illustrating discrete and cumulative impacts on specific visual and landscape receptors and the significance of these impacts. Section