BOROUGH COUNCIL OF WELLINGBOROUGH REGULATORY COMMITTEE REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES APPLICATION REFERENCE: WP/2004/0426 PROPOSAL: THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN ALL WEATHER SURFACE TO THE EXISTING RUNWAY 03/21 WITH ASSOCIATED TAXI WAY APRON AREAS AND EARTH WORKS. LOCATION: SYWELL AERODROME, WELLINGBOROUGH ROAD, SYWELL, NORTHAMPTON APPLICANT: SYWELL AERODROME LIMITED ______________________________________________________________________________ 1.0 Introduction Purpose of Report 1.1 These proposals are the subject of an appeal on the grounds of non- determination, which the Secretary of State has directed he should determine because the proposals give rise to significant public controversy. 1.2 The purpose of this meeting is to resolve what decision Committee members would have taken in relation to the proposals had they retained jurisdiction to determine the application. This is necessary to inform the presentation of the Council’s case at the appeal in due course. 1.3 This report has been prepared by external planning consultants RPS Planning and Environment, part of the RPS Group who have considered all representations made in respect of the appealed application including Sywell Aerodrome, Sywell May 2005 RPS Planning and Environment 1 those made in writing and orally (either by telephone or face to face meetings). The report has considered and balanced the development plan and all other material considerations in reaching the recommendation contained in Section 9 herein. 1.4 RPS made themselves available to all persons who requested a meeting at the Council’s Swanspool House offices. RPS were themselves advised by TPS Consult in respect of technical aeronautical matters and Entec in respect of environmental matters. This report has been prepared independently from Council officers and members. Advice on legal matters has been provided by Marrons Solicitors of Leicester. 1.5 The background reports from the Council’s consultants, TPS Consult and Entec, were made available to the public on 10 February 2005 as soon as they were finalised. 1.6 The recommendation set out in Section 9 of this report is that had the Planning Committee retained jurisdiction to determine the application it should have been refused for the following reasons: 1. The proposed development would result in an unacceptable intensification of flying activity amounting to a material change in the character of use which would adversely affect the amenities of nearby residents by reason of noise and general disturbance, whilst causing detrimental harm to the character of Old Sywell Conservation Area and to the setting of the listed Grade II* Sywell Hall, contrary to adopted Local Plan policies G1, G9, G13, E9 and L12 and adopted Structure Plan policy RE3. Sywell Aerodrome, Sywell May 2005 RPS Planning and Environment 2 2. The proposed development would result in an unjustified and unacceptable impact on open countryside contrary to the provisions of adopted Local Policy G6 and E6 and as such would not serve to conserve or enhance the local landscape character contrary to adopted Structure Plan policy AR2 and RE3. 3. The proposed development, when considered against the criteria set out in adopted Structure Plan policy T12, is deemed to be unacceptable, specifically for the following reasons: I. the scale and nature of the proposed development is inappropriate for the existing amount of activity on the site; II. the economic and employment benefits are not justified; III. adverse impact on residential property; IV. adverse environmental impacts. 1.7 Members are advised to exercise their discretion in relation to the proposals as if they were determining the application in the normal manner by having regard to the provisions of the Development Plan and all other material considerations. The Planning Application 1.8 The (now appealed) planning application consists of; • Planning Application dated 28 May 2004 • Covering Letter dated 28 May 2004 Sywell Aerodrome, Sywell May 2005 RPS Planning and Environment 3 • Drawing No. J98084/PA/101 – Proposed Layout • Drawing No. J98084/PA/102 – Cross Sections of Runway and Taxiway • Environmental Statement Prepared by Jacobs May 2004 • Environmental Statement – Non Technical Summary - Prepared by Jacobs May 2004 • Letters and enclosures from applicant dated 17 November 2004 and 4 February 2005. The Structure of this Report 1.9 The remainder of this report is set out in the following way. Section 2 contains a description of the proposal, section 3 sets out the planning history as it relates to the current application, section 4 sets out the consultation responses, section 5 sets out the relevant development plan policy, section 6 sets out other material considerations and section 7 sets out the applicants stated need for the proposal. Following this, section 8 contains an analysis of the key issues based on the proceeding sections. Section 9 then contains a summary and section 10 puts forward a recommendation. The Appendix to this report contains a summary of the assessment of the Environmental Assessment. Sywell Aerodrome, Sywell May 2005 RPS Planning and Environment 4 2.0 PROPOSAL 2.1 The proposal is for the construction of an all weather surface to the existing runway 03/21 with associated taxiway, apron areas and earth works at Sywell Aerodrome, Sywell. 2.2 The aerodrome abuts the settlement boundaries of Sywell Village and Old Sywell Village. The application site, covering the extent of the physical works, lies within the aerodrome boundary and abuts Holcot Lane. The southern end of the proposed runway is around 320 metres from residential properties on Holcot Lane and around 330m from Sywell Hall within Sywell Old Village. 2.3 The applicant describes the key features of the aviation improvement proposals as • “An all weather runway of 30m width, providing take off / landing distances of 1,000m in either direction. This is to be paved in either asphalt or concrete. The all weather runway will be positioned within the existing main runway strip (runway 03/21). For those aircraft that prefer grass, a parallel grass runway 03/21 will be maintained, directly to the east of the paved one. • Displaced thresholds at either end of the all weather runway, to provide clear glide slopes for aircraft as required by CAA Publication Cap 168, Licensing of Aerodromes. • All weather parallel taxi way and taxi way access routes of approximately 2,550m in total length and 15m or 10.5m width as Sywell Aerodrome, Sywell May 2005 RPS Planning and Environment 5 appropriate. The access route will lead from the general aviation (GA) area at the eastern edge of the aerodrome to the new all weather runway, and extend to the Wellington Hangers at the western edge of the aerodrome. • Paving of the existing aprons (approximately 10,000sq m), adjacent to the Wellington Hanger and in front of the Northamptonshire School of Flying (NSF) Hangers. • In total a maximum area of 8.1ha of the aerodrome is expected to be paved. • A drainage system in connection with the new paved areas, specifically the all weather runway, will have drainage incorporated within its design. Surface water drainage will run via adequate interceptors and vents partly to soakaways and partly to Ashby Bottoms Brook. The apron areas opposite NSF will drain to soakaways via an oil interceptor. The apron area by the Wellington Hanger has existing drainage that will be improved and an interceptor added. • Replacement of temporary airfield ground lighting currently used on the grass runways with permanent airfield ground lighting for the all weather runway. This will comprise 45 watt edge ground lights positioned at approximately 60m intervals along both sides of the runway with six threshold lights at each end of the runway. • Earth works and regrading at the southern end of the runway to ensure a consistently graded Runway End Safety Area, with gradients compliant with CAA requirements. Earth works material will originate Sywell Aerodrome, Sywell May 2005 RPS Planning and Environment 6 from the aerodrome complex, including material from the excavations required to form the runway, taxiway and aprons. The earth works will cover an area of 3.6ha, and reach a height above existing ground level of 2m on the extended runway centre line, rising to 4m along the Holcot Lane boundary.” 2.4 Significant works will be required for surface water drainage of the impermeable surfaces. These do not form part of the current application though details would be required prior to commencement of construction. 2.5 It should be made clear that the all weather surface will provide an additional hard runway within the existing main grass runway and that the grass runway itself will be retained in parallel to the proposed new runway. The new runway will be 91m (10%) longer than the existing and retained grass runway. 2.6 The runway itself is 1,150m long which includes the starter strip / stop way. Thus, the Accelerate Stop Distance Available (ASDA) can be declared as 1,150m in both directions along the runway. In addition, the taxi ways on to and off the runway add a further 140m of hard surfacing and the Runway End Safety Areas (RESA’s) are an additional 160m and approximately 105m along the centre line. The Runway End Safety Area’s are grassed areas, at grade with the runway. Whilst the paved runway itself is 30m wide the runway strip is a further 60m on each side of the paved runway. This will be a grassed area and is a safety feature for aircraft missing or leaving the runway on takeoff or landing. A grass Sywell Aerodrome, Sywell May 2005 RPS Planning and Environment 7 runway will be retained within the grassed runway strip parallel to the paved runway along its southern side. 2.7 A hard surfaced taxi way is proposed starting from in front of the business park running to the southern end of the new runway, on to the Wellington hanger and then to the northern end on the new runway.