Public Document Pack CONSULTATIONS - SUPPLEMENTARY PACK Extraordinary Planning Committee Date: Wednesday, 14th November, 2018 Time: 10.00 am Venue: Council Chamber - Council Offices, London Road, Saffron Walden, CB11 4ER Chairman: Councillor A Mills Members: Councillors R Chambers, P Fairhurst, R Freeman, E Hicks, M Lemon, J Lodge, J Loughlin (Vice-Chair), H Ryles and L Wells ITEMS WITH SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION PART 1 Open to Public and Press 3 UTT/18/0460/FUL - Stansted Airport 3 - 142 To consider application UTT/18/0460/FUL. Consultations For information about this meeting please refer to the main agenda pack, or contact Democratic Services Telephone: 01799 510369 or 510548 Email: [email protected] General Enquiries Council Offices, London Road, Saffron Walden, CB11 4ER Telephone: 01799 510510 Fax: 01799 510550 Email: [email protected] Website: www.uttlesford.gov.uk Agenda Item 3 CONSULTATIONS BRAINTREE DISTRICT COUNCIL The economic benefits of the application to increase the passenger cap by 22.9%, and to make further improvements on site, means neighbouring districts including its nearest neighbour Braintree District, will benefit economically. These economic impacts will create an ongoing series of benefits, which will serve as a founding legacy for future investment attraction and infrastructure improvement. These are categorised, although not exclusively exhaustive under the following main headings: Job Creation – There will be significant job creation on-site, estimated 5,000 on-site, as a result of the site improvements and with the extended passenger cap, further employment opportunities, which will be available to the local labour force and are supportive of the district’s key growth sectors including construction. The Council wishes to work with MAG and other companies based at the airport to promote job opportunities to Braintree residents. Skills Development – There will be opportunity to continue the extensive work with Stansted Airport College, local authorities and schools, to strengthen and grow skills development in the form of apprenticeships and work experience ensuring a pipeline of future talent for the airport and the 200 plus on-site companies. Tourism – Tourism in the Braintree district could be positively impacted by these proposals, increasing the number of visitors to the area, who will not exclusively access areas and points of interest in the Braintree district, but will also be supportive to the service industry including transport, hospitality and retail. The Council wishes to work with MAG to promote the attractions in Braintree District to airport passengers. Business and Inward Investment – Improvements and passenger cap extensions would see the potential to deliver reduced fares, fewer delays, greater resilience and preferred choice of daily destinations, relative to no expansion which will benefit the local business community. It will provide easier access to the district and increasing desirability for new and existing businesses to start up and grow in the Braintree district. It will also encourage business expansion to emerging markets through B2B and exports and supply chain management. The district benefits from good access to an improved airport with more destinations/business opportunities. Improvements to M11 and junction 8 would likely have knock on benefits for businesses/public and these are strongly supported by the District. However it is noted that the A120 and the congestion hotspot of Galleys Corner is not assessed as part of this application. A dual A120 which will help better connect Stansted Airport to the eastern parts of Essex is being planned but in the meantime the Council would wish to work with MAG, Highways England and Essex County Council to ensure that traffic impacts are minimised and sustainable transport options are maximised. Whilst Braintree town does have bus links to the airport, other parts of the District are less well served and the Council would like to work with Essex County Council and MAG to improve those links. In the more medium term the Council is working with partners to develop a rapid transit system for North Essex which could link to the airport, and support from MAG for this scheme would be welcome to ensure maximum integration into the airports infrastructure. Page 3 The removal of the flat rate for flights currently spread evenly over the year would result in a greater number of flights at peak times, such as the summer, which would increase over flying during those times of the year and associated disturbance. Whilst the intensity of disturbance is projected to decrease as aircraft technology improves, the frequency of flights would increase resulting in a lower level of impact but that impact would take place more frequently at peak times of the year. Conversely this should mean that during off peak times of year aircraft impact would be further decreased as fewer flights would be operating during those times. As you will be aware aircraft noise can be an issue for some residents. Whilst we appreciate that airspace routes are a separate issue to this application Braintree District Council would expect to be consulted, if as a result of these proposals it became apparent that changes to how the airspace around the airport is managed, and that any changes would minimise impacts on residents of the district. UDC and BDC are working together on a proposal for a new garden community to the West of Braintree. The Council wishes to reiterate its desire to work with MAG and UDC on this proposal to ensure that positive links between the new community and Stansted Airport are maximised and that any negative impacts are mitigated. CADENT GAS We do not object to the proposal. CHELMSFORD CITY COUNCIL No objection. EAST HERTS DISTRICT COUNCIL Recognises Government’s policy stance in relation to making best use of existing runways in south east. Support, in principle, economic benefits. Reserve position and defer response in respect of environmental impacts until work commissioned by UDC is completed. Reserve position and defer response in respect of transport impact issues until such time ECC and HCC have concluded their assessment. If application is granted seek mitigation measures identified. 2nd response: In respect of the above application and the further consultation period to 30th August 2018, please be advised that East Herts Council has no additional comments to make at this time beyond those raised in the responses submitted on 28th March and 8th May 2018 to the initial consultation (see attached). Pending the outstanding resolution of transport considerations, which it considers may have potential environmental impact inter‐dependencies locally, at this stage the Council therefore, maintains it’s holding position in respect of recommendations (C), (D) and (E). Page 4 The Council intends that it will provide its final response as soon as practically possible after it has had the opportunity to consider the latest transport modelling outputs, when finalised, in light of subsequent responses from Highways England, Essex County Council and Hertfordshire County Councils, as Highway Authorities, as appropriate. 3rd response: Environmental Issues Noise The Council notes the review of the application’s proposals by independent specialists and its subsequent findings in terms of: the assessment of noise impacts and their implications; conclusions reached through that work; and, the mitigation measures that are proposed. The Council is reassured by the conclusions of the independent specialists that: the assessment methodology, approach and level of detail is satisfactory; noise impacts are no greater that would be the case under the existing planning permission (to 35mppa); and, subject to recommended proposed additions, the approach to mitigation is appropriate. Given the foregoing, the Council is satisfied that it would be possible to provide suitable mitigations to address the impact of development and, on that basis, would not seek to restrict the grant of permission on noise grounds, but considers that this should be conditional on the S.106 agreement including: 1. Incorporation of appropriate noise mitigation measures identified within the independent assessment. Air Quality In respect of Air Quality issues, although additional transport modelling was conducted by the applicant’s consultants (and verified by ECC’s consultants), which had been expected by this Council to help inform the air quality assessment, this did not, despite repeated requests from this Council’s Environmental Health Department, extend to full micro-simulation coverage of Bishop’s Stortford Town Centre. In particular, the Council had sought for micro- simulation transport modelling to apply to Hockerill junction, which is a declared Air Quality Management Area (AQMA). Likewise, it is considered that there could potentially be some impact from the development in terms of the AQMA at Sawbridgeworth, but that this also has not been adequately covered through assessment. Therefore, the Council’s Environmental Health Department has, of necessity, had to review the air quality issues appertaining to the application solely in light of the evidence available. Following consideration of that evidence, the Council has concluded that the modelled data used in the assessment has significant error factors in relation to the monitored data. Government guidance LAQM TG(2016) Box 7.41 indicates that the majority of the model performance should be above 25%