Prologis and E.ON ‘B Station’ site, Hams Hall, Coleshill Planning Statement June 2016 Contents 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3 2. The Proposed Developer ................................................................................. 4 3. Description of Site and Surroundings ............................................................... 5 4. Relevant Background ....................................................................................... 8 5. Description of Development Proposals .......................................................... 13 6. Relevant Planning Policy ................................................................................ 16 7. Pre-application Consultations ......................................................................... 29 8. Assessment of Green Belt Harm .................................................................... 32 9. Assessment of Other Harm ............................................................................ 37 10. Need for Employment Land and Benefits of the Proposed Development....... 44 11. Planning Balance – The Case for Very Special Circumstances .................... 52 12. Summary and Conclusions ............................................................................ 54 Statement produced by: Delta Planning 1 Chester Court, High Street Knowle, Solihull, B93 0LL Tel: 0121 285 1244 www.deltaplanning.co.uk June 2016 Prologis and E.ON, ‘B Station’ site, Hams Hall Planning Statement Page 2 1. Introduction 1.1. This planning statement has been prepared by Delta Planning on behalf of Prologis and E.ON to support an outline planning application for the redevelopment of the former ‘B Station’ site at Hams Hall for industrial/distribution uses. 1.2. The application is supported by a suite of supporting information as follows: Planning application forms and ownership certificates; Planning application drawing package prepared by MSA and BCA; Design and Access Statement prepared by MSA; Planning Statement prepared by Delta Planning; Employment Land and Market Assessment prepared by Cushman & Wakefield; Sustainable Design Statement prepared by Yonder Consulting; Environmental Statement, associated Technical Appendices and Non- Technical Summary covering matters relating to landscape and visual impacts, ecology, traffic and transportation, air quality, noise and vibration, flood risk and drainage, ground conditions and socio-economic impacts. The ES is authored by various members of the project team and co-ordinated by Delta Planning; Statement of Community Engagement prepared by Connect Communications. 1.3. This statement provides information on the developer (Section 2), describes the site and its surroundings (Section 3), relevant background and planning history (Section 4), the proposed development (Section 5) and the relevant planning policy context (Section 6). Section 7 outlines the pre-application consultations that have been undertaken with the Council, relevant consultees and the public. Section 8 provides an assessment of the site against the five purposes that Green Belts serve. Section 9 then seeks to establish whether any other harm would arise from the development. Section 10 sets out what considerations weigh in the proposals favour, before demonstrating at Section 11 that very special circumstances exist to justify the development. Finally, Section 12 provides a summary and conclusions. Prologis and E.ON, ‘B Station’ site, Hams Hall Planning Statement Page 3 2. The Proposed Developer 2.1. Prologis is a leading provider of industrial and distribution buildings in the UK. Working with retailers, manufacturers and third party logistics operators, Prologis owns and manages 25 million square feet of industrial and logistics space in prime locations across the country. Prologis works hard to attract national and international high calibre businesses into its developments. Some of the customers that occupy its buildings include Sainsbury’s, Jaguar Land Rover, Kuehne & Nagel, BMW, Marks and Spencer and the Co-operative Group, amongst many others. 2.2. Prologis has successfully delivered a number of major developments in Warwickshire and the East and West Midlands with major sites at Coventry, Rugby, Ryton, Birmingham (Midpoint), Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent amongst others. Prologis also own, manage and develop DIRFT (Daventry International Rail Freight Interchange). As a business Prologis therefore has an excellent knowledge of the market and its requirements, including sites with rail freight links. 2.3. As a Real Estate Investment Trust, Prologis takes long-term ownership of its buildings and the surrounding business parks. It pays close attention to the management of its property portfolio while maintaining close relationships with each of its customers. 2.4. Prologis is committed to the principles of sustainability as a business approach, recognising its economic, environmental and social responsibilities to its customers, its employees and the communities within which it operates. Prologis and E.ON, ‘B Station’ site, Hams Hall Planning Statement Page 4 3. Description of Site and Surroundings The Site 3.1. The site at Hams Hall, known as the ‘B Station’ site, is located in North Warwickshire at the western edge of the Borough. It lies in a highly accessible location close to the motorway network (Jct. 9 of the M42 is circa 1.5km to the west) and within easy reach of the West Midlands conurbation (Birmingham City Centre is approximately 13km to the west). 3.2. The ‘B Station’ site extends to approximately 20 hectares and is the last remaining part of the former Hams Hall Power Station that has not been redeveloped following the final closure of the power station in 1992. The north-western boundary of the site is formed by a railway line, which is located in a cutting. To the east are playing fields, a church and a woodland area. The Hams Hall Manufacturing and Distribution Park adjoins the site to the south-east and south. A National Grid 132kV substation compound is located immediately to the west. 3.3. The site is brownfield and comprises the remaining concrete foundations and basements of the former ‘B Station’ and cooling towers which have been left in situ, a disused tarmac car park and a number of other hardstanding areas associated with the former power station use of the site including areas formerly occupied by the switch houses and electricity sub-station. The majority of the site is fenced by wooden, chain link and palisade fencing. 3.4. There are two remaining buildings on the site. Keepers Cottage, a residential dwelling owned by E.ON is located on the eastern edge of the site and is currently used as accommodation by E.ON employed security staff. There is also a small former maintenance building on the eastern part of the site. The Round House, a domed brick building at the north-western edge of the site, has been excluded from the application site boundary and no changes are proposed to this building. 3.5. A substantial landscaping belt and grassed earth bund runs along the northern boundary of the site with the railway line. There is also a landscaped bund along the southern site boundary with Canton Lane and the adjacent BEKO warehouse. Areas of shrub and grassland as well as scattered trees can be found along the eastern site boundary. 3.6. The former ‘B Station’ site was located on two main development plateaus with the former cooling towers located on the northern part of the site and the power station, coal handling and storage areas located on the southern part of the site. There is a level difference of approximately 1.5 to 1.7 metres with the northern development plateau located at approximately 79.4 to 79.7 metres AOD and the southern plateau located at approximately 78.0 to 78.6 metres AOD. Prologis and E.ON, ‘B Station’ site, Hams Hall Planning Statement Page 5 3.7. Access to the site is gained from existing roads within the Hams Hall Manufacturing and Distribution Park from Canton Lane to the south and an access road from the Faraday Avenue/Edison Road roundabout to the west. Faraday Avenue links into the A446, which provides access to the M6 Toll/M42 at Jct. 9 approximately 1.5km to the north and the M6 at Jct. 4 approximately 6km to the south. Surrounding Area 3.8. In terms of the surrounding area, the Hams Hall Manufacturing and Distribution Park dominates the area immediately to the south of the site. It is home to a number of manufacturing and distribution uses. Current occupiers include Sainsbury’s, BMW, DHL, BEKO, Chubb, Plastic Omnium and Wincanton. 3.9. The Hams Hall multi-modal interchange is located at the southern end of the existing Hams Hall site and comprises a passenger railway station, bus station and associated car parking. 3.10. The Hams Hall Manufacturing and Distribution Park benefits from an on-site rail freight terminal operated by ABP. It provides daily rail services to and from the ports at Southampton, Felixstowe, Ipswich, Mossend and international services via the Channel Tunnel. 3.11. The town of Coleshill is located towards the south of the Hams Hall Manufacturing and Distribution Park. Other main settlements close by include Water Orton and Curdworth approximately 2km to the south-west and north-west of the site separated from the distribution park and Coleshill by the M42/M6 Toll. 3.12. The landscape to the north and east of the site is more rural in character. There are open agricultural