H DEVELOPMENT CONTROL AND REGULATORY BOARD 16 TH NOVEMBER 2006 REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICES APPLICATIONS UPON WHICH THE COUNTY PLANNING AUTHORITY IS CONSULTED BY THE DISTRICT COUNCIL SWIP LTD – REDEVELOPMENT OF FORMER COLLIERY SITE TO INCLUDE STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION USES (CLASS B8), SMALL BUSINESS UNITS (CLASSES B1(C), B2 AND B8), A COUNTRY PARK, LANDSCAPING OPEN SPACE AND THE FORMATION OF A NEW ACCESS - NAILSTONE COLLIERY, WOOD ROAD, NAILSTONE (HINCKLEY AND BOSWORTH DISTRICT) 2006/0980/04 – Received by L.C.C. on 14 th September 2006 SWIP LTD – CHANGE OF USE OF LAND TO COUNTRY PARK, LANDSCAPING, OPEN SPACE, ACCESS AND PARKING IN CONNECTION WITH DEVELOPMENT OF NAILSTONE COLLIERY SITE, WOOD ROAD, NAILSTONE (NORTH WEST LEICESTERSHIRE DISTRICT) 2006/1530/07 – Received by L.C.C. on 26 th October 2006 Background 1. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and North West Leicestershire District Council have consulted the County Planning Authority (CPA) to seek its formal views in the context of strategic planning policies for the area. The Councils have also consulted the County Planning Authority on this proposal, in the context of the established protocol for assessing the need for developer contributions towards service facilities. 2. The application proposes a mixed redevelopment of the former Nailstone Colliery site in order to bring it back into beneficial uses, address ongoing contamination problems, remediate extensive areas of brownfield land, create new employment uses and a country park. Location of Proposed Development 3. The application site is located off the B585 Wood Road, two kilometres to the north of Nailstone village. The site is bound to the south by the B582 Grange Road, to the north east by Battram village and to the east and west by agricultural land. Coalville is located approximately 5 kilometres to the north. 2 2006/0980/04 & 2006/1530/07 – continued DC&REG. BOARD 16/11/2006 3 2006/0980/04 & 2006/1530/07 – continued 4. The application site lies within the administrative areas of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and North West Leicestershire District Council. It also falls within the boundaries of the National Forest. The site comprises approximately 143 hectares of land. All of the land proposed to be brought forward for Class B1, B2 and B8 uses lies within the administrative boundary of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Part of the proposed country park and associated car parking and access are located within North West Leicestershire District. 5. The land rises from the lowest ground levels on the south western farmland of 139m aOD, through the brownfield area (152m aOD to 158m aOD) to the highest level of 172m aOD at the north eastern spoil banks. 6. Public rights of way (Q83, Q84 and S42) run along the south and west of the application site. Access for the site is gained from the former disused colliery access on the B585 Wood Road. Description of Proposed Development 7. The application site extends to 143 hectares in total. The former Nailstone Colliery site extends to approximately 55 hectares and lies at the centre of the application site. The application is in outline and proposes the remediation of the site and a mixed-use redevelopment including B1(C), B2 and B8 uses, the creation of a country park, associated public open space and access and parking provision. Whilst submitted in outline format, the application proposes the development of approximately; • Up to 93,109 sq. m. B8 development; • 1,862 sq.m. small business units B1(C), B2 and B8; • Details of the proposed means of access to the site; and • The creation of a country park and associated extensive areas of open space. 8. The overall design includes the creation of lakes in the areas from which clay capping material would be excavated and the provision of a country park within a woodland setting around a central area of development land. Design, external appearance, siting and landscaping are, however, reserved for subsequent approval. It is claimed that the proposal would create 500 new jobs. 9. Nailstone Colliery site is the largest unrestored remaining former colliery within the North West Leicestershire Coalfield. The central brownfield plateau is made up of disturbed ground and hardstanding with a crescent of large spoil banks and capped lagoons on its north western, northern and north eastern margins. The spoil banks have been partially restored. Around the southern and south western margins of the brownfield area are remnants of Nailstone Wiggs Wood and settlement ponds. The remaining areas of the site comprise farmland (mainly managed as arable land) to the north, east and south of the brownfield area. The eastern area (across Wood Road) is also largely farmland. DC&REG. BOARD 16/11/2006 4 2006/0980/04 & 2006/1530/07 – continued 10. A wide ranging public consultation exercise was carried out on the proposals by consultants on behalf of the applicant. Details are set out in an accompanying document entitled ‘Statement on Public Consultation.’ It is claimed in the document that there is a strong level of public support for the proposals. 11. The site can be split into four geographically distinct zones and the proposals have been developed with different aims for the four zones; • Northern Park Area • Southern Park Area • Eastern Conservation Area • Employment Area 12. The northern land and spoil mounds would make up the largest and most actively used area of the park. To the south, the land around a proposed fishing lake is intended for quieter recreational pursuits. On the land on the opposite side of Wood Road, a nature conservation area with restricted public access and an emphasis on the creation of new wildlife habitats is proposed. The employment area will focus on the brownfield footprint of the former colliery. 13. Under the provisions of the Town and Country (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988 as amended by the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999, the applications are accompanied by an Environmental Statement. 14. The Environmental Statement is based upon an indicative master plan (option one). This master plan represents one of three layouts submitted as part of the application. The environmental assessment process identifies the impacts and mitigation associated with option one. Where the impacts and mitigation vary for options two and three, these are identified. A separate Non-Technical Summary is also provided. 15. The Statement presents the findings of the Environmental Assessment into the proposed redevelopment of the application site. The Environmental Statement is supplemented by technical reports which form the appendices as follows: • Planning Supporting Statement; • Design and Access Statement; • Transportation Assessment; • Ecological Assessment; • Landscape Assessment; • Noise and Vibration Assessment; • Air Quality Assessment; • Hydrology, Hydrogeology and Drainage Assessment; • Outline Remediation Strategy; • Employment Land Study; and • Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Assessment. DC&REG. BOARD 16/11/2006 5 2006/0980/04 & 2006/1530/07 – continued 16. The Planning Supporting Statement describes the site and surrounding area and provides a description of the proposed development. The relevant planning policy and the planning merits of the proposal are also outlined. 17. The Design and Access Statement supports the information incorporated within the planning application package in order to provide detail about the scale and nature of development. Three masterplan options have been submitted to demonstrate how appropriate proposals can be brought forward on the site. The three masterplan options show the same proposals for the country park area but alternative proposals of how the central area of the site could be developed within the brownfield footprint for employment uses. The Environmental Assessment has been based on option one. Options two and three have also been fully tested. Where the impacts of these options differ from option one, this has been identified and any necessary mitigation is proposed. 18. A detailed Transportation Assessment has been submitted as part of the Environmental Assessment. The assessment concludes that the proposed development is acceptable in highway terms and is well located to take full advantage of local transportation infrastructure and to create a development that is readily accessible by a choice of means of transport. The following measures have been proposed; • Revised junction arrangements at the Ellistown Terrace Road/B585 Victoria Road/ B585 Station Road and B585 Wood Road/B585 Station Road. It is proposed that this could involve the introduction of traffic signals at these junctions; and • A package of mitigation measures has also been identified to enhance access for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport and to encourage travel by non-car modes. The table below shows the associated traffic generation for the development. Land Use Gross Floor AM Peak (07.00-09.00) PM Peak (16.00-18.00) area (sq.m) Arrive Depart Arrive Depart B1(c) 1 860 27 7 4 20 B8 93 000 171 101 200 193 Total 94 860 199 108 204 213 HGV proportions of all traffic movements are illustrated in the table below. Land Use AM Peak (07.00-09.00) PM Peak (16.00-18.00) Arrive Depart Arrive Depart B1(c) 5.56% 5.56% 5.56% 5.56% B8 31.80% 50.48% 48.42% 36.13% 19. The merits of this information will be assessed by the Highways Authority through their own formal consultation with the Borough and District Council. At the time of writing this report the Highway Authority is awaiting further traffic flow data and has not yet come to a formal view on the proposal. DC&REG. BOARD 16/11/2006 6 2006/0980/04 & 2006/1530/07 – continued 20. In terms of protected species and other species of conservation value, an Ecological Assessment of the site found the presence of great crested newts, a main badger sett, little ringed plovers and hares.