Leeming Bar Site 1 Environmental Review June 2017 Ian Hopley HAMBLETON DISTRICT COUNCIL LEEMING BAR – ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW OF ISSUES FROM EXISTING DATA SOURCES June 2017 Author Ian Hopley Date 29th June 2017 Revision 1 Leeming Bar Site 1 Environmental Review June 2017 Ian Hopley Contents 1. Executive Summary 2. Introduction 3. The Proposed Development 4. Organisations Contacted During The Desk Review 5. Potential Environmental Issues To Be Addressed 5.1 Community and Private Assets 5.2 Cultural Heritage 5.3 Historical Building Review 5.4 Surface Water Flood Risk, Groundwater, Hydrology and Surface Water Quality and Highway Drainage. 5.5 Nature Conservation 5.6 Landscape and Visual Amenity 5.7 Contamination 5.8 Utilities 5.9 RAF Leeming 5.10 Noise and Vibration, Air Quality/ Dust and Construction Impacts Leeming Bar Site 1 Environmental Review June 2017 Ian Hopley 1. Executive Summary These are the key summary points from the high level review: There are not believed to be any planning issues that would prevent development of Site 1 Leeming Bar. Site 1: Lends itself to the development of larger employment units; A significant landscape buffer zone varying from 15m to 30m in width will be created. Retention of existing hedgerows and trees can in the main be accommodated by the development. 16 properties are directly affected by the proposals and abut the red line boundary for the site, further work will be required to design into the scheme appropriate mitigation for these properties. There are not believed to be any Cultural Heritage or Historic Building issues, although it is recommended that further surveys are undertaken; A solution for dealing with the generated surface water, which would be acceptable to the Environment Agency and the Internal Drainage Board, is technically possible based around a SuDS solution. The solution would not be abnormal and would be low cost. Future hydraulic modelling of Terry House Drain would be required to develop this solution. There are no statutory or non statutory designated sites, ancient woodlands or known ‘irreplaceable’ habitats present on site or in the immediate vicinity. From BALB bypass surveys we know that there are badger populations, water voles and possibly bats which will require more detailed surveys but should not prevent development taking place. The landscape and visual impact effects associated with the proposed Aiskew Site 1 Employment development will need to be assessed in terms of likely impacts on landscape elements and character, views and visual amenity. This will require further investigation but because of the sites size there is ample opportunity to design the scheme to mitigate it’s impact. All main utilities border the site , but are predominantly outside the boundaries. Accordingly few service diversions will be required. Their capacity is unknown and further work will be required to establish this from the utility companies. Further investigations will be required in relation to Noise and Vibration, Air Quality/ Dust and Construction Impacts. All of these can be dealt with and would not prevent development taking place. Leeming Bar Site 1 Environmental Review June 2017 Ian Hopley 2. Introduction 2.1 Leeming Bar is within the A1/A19 Growth Corridor identified by the LEP and is recognised as a key location for employment development, particularly in the food sector, within Hambleton. 2.2 Hambleton District Council is considering including an additional 31.2 Ha of employment land at Leeming Bar in the new Local Plan to facilitate employment needs up to the period 2035. The site in question is known as “Aiskew Moor Site 1 Leeming Bar “ and is shown below. Plan 1 - Aiskew Moor Site 1 Leeming Bar It is bounded by BALB to the north, the Wensleydale Railway Line to the south and extends to Low Street in the west. 2.3 Site 1: Lends itself to the development of larger employment units, but would require a reasonably significant land take for drainage purposes and structural planting to allow the scheme to sit comfortably within the landscape context. Potential uses are B1 but predominantly B2 and B8 uses. 2.4 The site is generally relatively flat but slopes up to the west toward Leeming. It is highly visible from BALB, and the A684, Northallerton Road into Leeming. BALB has been built at an elevated level, due to the increase in levels required to get over the railway line. Western Leeming Bar Site 1 Environmental Review June 2017 Ian Hopley parts of the site are likely to be more visible in longer views. Access would have to come from BALB or from Leases Road to the west of the site. Photo 2 – Site 1 Looking Towards BALB And The Bridge Over Wensleydale Railway 2.5 The centre of the site appears low lying and there is a question about drainage of the site as a result. Further investigation would be needed. 2.6 Due to the large scale of the site, there are a number of design and landscape mitigation opportunities. 2.7 The purpose of this report is to undertake a desk based audit of known data sources concerning environmental issues, predominantly based on: the research prepared by North Yorkshire County Council for the adjacent Bedale, Aiskew and Leeming Bar Bypass; through discussions with NYCC’s archaeologist and ecologist; a review of flood plane maps held by the Environment Agency. 2.8 Through this work we are trying to highlight any potential “show stopper environmental issues” which may affect the viability of the site in relation to it’s nature, location or size. These may need to be considered as part of more detailed investigations, should a decision be made to progress further with more detailed investigations. 2.9 This report will help to scope future environmental investigations, which could include detailed consultation, seeking scoping opinions and the preparation of any future detailed Environmental Impact Statement associated with the development. Leeming Bar Site 1 Environmental Review June 2017 Ian Hopley 3. The Proposed Development 3.1 The key features of the new development include: A new access road from either Leases Road, almost opposite the Conney Garth Way junction with Leases Road, or directly from BALB immediately east of the roundabout junction between Leases Road with BALB. Photo 3 – Access Point To Leases Road Photo 4 – Access Point To BALB The development site is greenfield land, predominantly agriculture with mature trees and hedgerows. Photo 5 – Mature Hedgerows Photo 6 – Mature Trees The site will be used for future B1/B2/B8 employment uses. It will include the crossing of the Terry House Drain, which runs in a north / south direction across the site and this will be bridged by a small structure to facilitate development of the full site. Leeming Bar Site 1 Environmental Review June 2017 Ian Hopley An internal road network will need to be established to open up the site to service individual development plots and utilities may need to be reinforced or brought to the site to facilitate development. Existing utilities including electricity, water, sewerage, gas and telecommunications border the site. Photo 7 - Water and Gas Photo 8 – 11Kv Overhead Electricity Cable Surface water drainage generated from the site would be attenuated onsite with discharge being made to the Terry House Drain at greenfield runoff rates. Dry storage ponds, gravity drainage in the form of Swales will facilitate the onsite storage and the scheme will include pollution prevention measures. Photo 9 – Terry House Drain Which Crosses The Site Leeming Bar Site 1 Environmental Review June 2017 Ian Hopley The SABIC underground high pressure ethylene pipeline crosses the study area from east to west. In an endeavour to prevent the need for a diversion plot locations will be located to comply with zonal development restrictions imposed by the owner of the apparatus. Photo 10 – SABIC Etheylene Pipeline A significant landscape buffer zone of varying from 15m to 30m width will be created around the periphery of the site to provide separation between this and existing development. Retention of existing hedgerows can be accommodated by the site layout. Where the impact on native tree and hedgerows and loss of habitat occurs this will need to be considered in detail and mitigation will need to be designed into the scheme. The objectives of the scheme are to: i. Stimulate growth in the local economy ii. Provide an appropriate supply of employment land for the Local Plan period up to 2035. iii. Facilitate growth of existing businesses at Leeming but also to attract new inward investment. iv. Take advantage of the strategic location of the employment site close to the A1(m). Leeming Bar Site 1 Environmental Review June 2017 Ian Hopley Plan 2 – Outline Masterplan Plan 3 – Possible Phasing Plan Leeming Bar Site 1 Environmental Review June 2017 Ian Hopley 4. Organisations Contacted During The Desk Review As part of the desk review the following organisations were identified. At this stage contact has only been made with the organisations highlighted below. More detailed consultation and investigations would need to take place as part of detailed scoping and preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment for this project. Organisation Responded Environment Agency English Heritage No contact Natural England No contact Environment Agency No contact, but intelligence has been gathered by a review of BALB and through the WSP Feasibility Study NYCC Highways Services Yes response provided NYCC Ecological Services Yes response provided NYCC Archaeological