Chelveston Airfield (North) Chelveston Planning, Design & Access Statement Conversion of Existing Former Defence Buildings, Use of Land for Siting of Containers and Installation of New Septic Tank and Water Tank to form Live Fire Training Facilities for Northamptonshire County Council Fire & Rescue Service May 2011 A104205 – CHELVESTON AIRFIELD (NORTH), CHELVESTON PLANNING, DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 3 2.0 Site Description ........................................................................................................... 5 3.0 Planning History .......................................................................................................... 8 4.0 Planning Policy .......................................................................................................... 12 5.0 Planning Analysis ...................................................................................................... 16 6.0 Design & Access Statement ...................................................................................... 28 7.0 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 32 PHILLIPS PLANNING SERVICES LTD ON BEHALF OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE 2 A104205 – CHELVESTON AIRFIELD (NORTH), CHELVESTON PLANNING, DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The following planning, design and access statement has been prepared in support of this planning application for a new fire training facility upon part of the northern section of Chelveston Airfield as shown upon the site location plan. 1.2 The development would comprise the change of use and conversion of four existing former defence buildings within the northern section of the site, the use of existing hardstanding for the stationing of ISO containers and the installation of a new septic tank and water tank. Access to the training facility would be from the B645 Kimbolton Road via the main distribution road within the Airfield perimeter. The southern access would be available for emergency access if required. 1.3 Uses such as that proposed generally require a substantial space to operate safely and without harming amenity. The Fire and Rescue Service has been looking for an appropriate site for 2-3 years and this is the only site which has been deemed suitable. 1.4 Training facilities such as this are vital to ensure firefighters have the ability to train for hazardous situations within a controlled environment. Following the loss of a number of firefighter‟s lives in such situations recently, the need for suitable training facilities has been clearly made. 1.5 This facility would also allow The Service to train using new fire fighting techniques (Cold Cut Cobra) and to relocate their Fire Behaviour Training from High Wycombe. This would materially enhance the training facilities at the disposal of Northamptonshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service at a location which would not result in harm to residential amenity or the countryside and would be more sustainable than current arrangements. 1.6 Chelveston Airfield is considered ideal in that it is isolated from residential properties, is well screened and features existing built development to make effective use of. The training facility would result in almost no additional development by utilising existing buildings upon the site for storage and servicing uses, with the only additions to the site being the siting of additional ISO containers which contain the actual fire training facilities along with a septic tank and water tank. 1.7 Pre–application discussions with Northamptonshire County Council earlier this year indicated general support for the proposal and set out the level of information required to support the application. PHILLIPS PLANNING SERVICES LTD ON BEHALF OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE 3 A104205 – CHELVESTON AIRFIELD (NORTH), CHELVESTON PLANNING, DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT 1.8 The statement is set out as follows: 2.0 Site Description 3.0 Planning History 4.0 Planning Policy 5.0 Planning Analysis 6.0 Design & Access Statement 7.0 Conclusion PHILLIPS PLANNING SERVICES LTD ON BEHALF OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE 4 A104205 – CHELVESTON AIRFIELD (NORTH), CHELVESTON PLANNING, DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT 2.0 SITE DESCRIPTION WIDER AIRFIELD SITE 2.1. This former RAF base, purchased in 2005, comprises some 305 Ha, 144 Ha in Northamptonshire and 161 Ha in Bedfordshire. The site is open, flat and featureless on the highest ground between the Midlands and the East Coast, ideal for its former use. Whilst the site lies in a rural setting it is not in any designated landscape areas. 2.2. The airfield is 2km (1.25 miles) south east of the village of Chelveston and 1.6km (1 mile) north of Yelden in Bedfordshire. The nearest town, Rushden is approximately 4.8 km (3 miles) to the west of the site and is an important market town, strategically located in East Northamptonshire. 2.3. Chelveston Airfield was built in 1940-1 and opened on 15 August 1941. The airfield comprised a standard RAF A-pattern airfield. In mid-1942 the airfield was established as the base for the USAAF 301st Bomb Group, replaced in December by the 305th Bomb Group. During the winter months of 1942/43 the airfield‟s runways and dispersal areas were expanded to accommodate the B17s of the 305th Bomb Group. At the end of the war the airfield was returned to the RAF and from October 1945 to May 1947 it remained a sub-site of 25 Maintenance Unit. The Second World War airfield officially closed in 1947. 2.4. In 1951 it was re-commissioned to accommodate USAF B-47 bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons. This required the construction of a rectangular concrete apron, headquarters building and crash tender shed and a new control centre in addition to a new runway, dispersal and taxiways. On 1st December the based was handed over to the USAF Third Air Force. Between 1951 and 1954 the airfield was entirely re-built. The former runways and taxi-paths partially removed to accommodate the new designs. The airfield remained under the jurisdiction of the USAF until 1st August 1962. 2.5. In 1977 the runways and most of the perimeter tracks were removed to be used as hardcore in the development of Milton Keynes. Later in the year the airfield site was re-commissioned (B/TP/75/1492/A) as a Radio Transmitter site under the 81st Signals Unit. Twenty two tall transmitter masts were located within the central mast compound, consisting of 82 Ha in the centre of the site, and were sectioned off with a 2m high chain link security fence. Although the masts have been removed, much of PHILLIPS PLANNING SERVICES LTD ON BEHALF OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE 5 A104205 – CHELVESTON AIRFIELD (NORTH), CHELVESTON PLANNING, DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT this infrastructure remains, including the extensive reinforced concrete foundations, wooden picket fencing surrounding each mast‟s location. A further, inner area surrounded by a separate high integrity chain link security fence contains a number of good quality modern buildings which housed control rooms, generators and facilities for the recent radio mast site and its operational personnel. The aerial masts on the site of the former airfield remained in use until December 2003. In June 2005 the site was sold by Bruton Knowles selling agents. 2.6. To the south west of the central mast compound lies another communications area known as the Boxer Mast site and storage area, which has an area of 0.3 Ha. A nissen hut, above ground diesel fuel storage tank and a generator house forms part of this closed off section. The 70m radio communication mast was until recently in use by the MOD but has now been acquired by the applicant. It is visible from most view points surrounding the former airfield site and forms a useful visual reference point. It remains in a separate secure compound and can only be accessed by authorised personnel. On the north eastern corner of the site, lie four former defence buildings of corrugated sheeted steel roofing. 2.7. The majority of the site is currently used for livestock grazing by a local farmer. The concrete runways and associated dispersal points have long been removed including the control tower and hangar buildings. Some hangar bases and internal roads and taxi ways remain visible and useable. The various MOD airfield layouts resulted in the whole area of the site being built on and utilised at one time or another and whilst not necessarily visible, large areas of the site have remnants of reinforced concrete and redundant infrastructure remaining. 2.8. Former drainage systems and open lagoons present obvious dangers to the health and safety of any unsuspecting public and former fuel storage tanks and explosive ordnance storage areas present further potential hazards. The site is known to have contained former temporary asbestos buildings and fuel storage tanks with soakaways and oil traps, which have largely been removed. The site is considered brownfield and Previously Developed Land for the purposes of further development, a point accepted by Northamptonshire County Council in their determination of the previous Anaerobic Digestion proposal. 2.9. Outside of the site on the south western boundary lies a residential area formerly comprising married quarters for RAF and USAF personnel