Brentwood Borough Strategic Environmental Assessment Baseline Information Profile 2006-2007 July 2007 Prepared for Brentwood Borough Council by Essex County Council ii CONTENTS Tables and Figures 1. Introduction 1 PART ONE: NATURAL ENVIRONMENT 2. Biodiversity, Flora and Fauna 5 3. Landscape Character 31 4. Air Quality 47 5. Water Quality 71 6. Flooding 101 7. Geology and Soil 107 8. Climatic Factors 115 PART TWO: BUILT ENVIRONMENT 9. Economy and Employment 129 10. Housing 145 11. Population 163 12. Educational Achievement 169 13. Crime 173 14. Road Accident Data 185 15. Indices of Multiple Deprivation 189 16. Cultural Heritage and Material Assets 195 Bibliography 209 iii iv TABLES AND FIGURES PART ONE: NATURAL ENVIRONMENT 2. BIODIVERSITY, FLORA AND FAUNA Table 1 Species Native within Brentwood Borough Council area, as outlined in the Biodiversity Action Plan 10 Table 2 Habitats Native within Brentwood Borough Council area, as outlined in the Biodiversity Action Plan 14 Table 3 Definition of Categories for Condition of SSSIs in England 18 Table 4 Condition of SSSIs throughout Essex County in 2005 and 2006 19 Figure 1 Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Essex County 20 Figure 2 Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Brentwood 21 Table 5 Characteristics of Thorndon Park SSSI 21 Table 6 Detailed Characteristics of Thorndon Park SSSI 22 Table 7 Characteristics of The Coppice, Kelvedon Hatch SSSI 23 Table 8 Detailed Characteristics of The Coppice, Kelvedon Hatch SSSI 23 Table 9 Characteristics of Curtismill Green SSSI 24 Table 10 Detailed Characteristics of Curtismill Green SSSI 25 Figure 3 National Nature Reserves in Essex 26 Figure 4 Local Nature Reserves In Essex 27 Figure 5 Local Nature Reserves In Brentwood Borough 28 3. LANDSCAPE CHARACTER No Tables or Figures 4. AIR QUALITY Table 11 EU AIR quality framework directive daughter directives 48 Table 12 NAQS Air Quality Standards 49 Table 13 Air Quality Strategy Addendum 2003 49 Table 14 AQMAs within the East of England 51 Table 15 AQMAs Within Brentwood Borough And Their Associated Major 52 Pollutants Figure 6 M25 / Nags Head Lane Junction Extent of AQMA 53 Figure 7 M25 / Nags Head Lane Junction Prediction of the variation of NO2 54 concentrations within AQMA in 2005 Figure 8 M25 / A12 Brook Street Roundabout Extent of AQMA 54 Figure 9 M25 / A12 Brook Street Roundabout Prediction of the variation of 55 NO2 concentrations within AQMA in 2005 Figure 10 A12 / Greenshaw and Porters Close Extent of AQMA 55 Figure 11 A12 / Greenshaw and Porters Close Prediction of the variation of 56 NO2 concentrations within AQMA in 2005 Figure 12 A12/Warescot Road/Hurstwood Avenue/Ongar Road Extent of 57 AQMA Figure 13 A12/Warescot Road/Hurstwood Avenue/Ongar Road Prediction of 57 the variation of NO2 concentrations within AQMA in 2005 v Figure 14 A12 / Roman Road, Mountnessing Extent of AQMA 58 Figure 15 A12 / Roman Road, Mountnessing Prediction of the variation of NO2 59 concentrations within AQMA in 2005 Figure 16 A12 / Fryerning Lane, Pemberton Avenue and Trimble Close Extent 60 of AQMA Figure 17 A12 / Fryerning Lane, Pemberton Avenue and Trimble Close 61 Prediction of the variation of NO2 concentrations within AQMA in 2005 Figure 18 A128 / A1023 Junction (Wilson’s Corner) Extent of AQMA 62 Figure 19 A128 / A1023 Junction (Wilson’s Corner) Prediction of the variation 62 of NO2 concentrations within AQMA in 2005 Table 16 Continuous Monitoring of NO2 At Brentwood Town Hall 63 Figure 20a Diffusion Tube Locations In Brentwood Borough – Brentwood Town 64 Figure 20b Diffusion Tube Locations In Brentwood Borough – Ingatestone 64 Table 17 NO2 Diffusion Tube Monitoring Results 1999 – 2006 66 Figure 21 Annual Mean Concentrations of Benzene 69 5. WATER QUALITY Table 18 River Ecosystem Chemical Quality Requirements 75 Table 19 River Summary Report For Brentwood Borough 75 Figure 22 River Ecosystem - % Compliant Length 76 Table 20 River Wid Compliance with Target 76 Table 21 Haveringsgrove Brook … Ingatestone STW Stretch, River Wid 78 Table 22 Headwaters … Chain Bridge Tributary, River Wid 78 Table 23 Chemistry GQA Grade Boundaries 79 Table 24 Likely Use and Characteristics of Chemistry GQA Grade 80 Table 25 Essex Chemistry GQA 80 Figure 23 Chemistry General Quality Assessment for Essex 1990-2005 81 Table 26 Brentwood Borough Chemical GQA 81 Figure 24 Chemistry General Quality Assessment for Brentwood Borough 82 1990-2005 Table 27 Comparison Between Chemical GQA At The Regional, County and 82 Borough Level Figure 25 Chemistry GQA Comparison between East of England, Essex and 83 Brentwood Borough in 2005 Table 28 Rivers Within The Borough Achieving Less Than Grade C For 84 Chemistry GQA 2003 – 2005 Table 29 Biology GQA Grade Boundaries 85 Table 30 Description of Biology GQA Grade Boundaries 86 Table 31 Essex Biology GQA 86 Figure 26 Biology General Quality Assessment for Essex 1990-2005 87 Table 32 Brentwood Borough Biology GQA 87 Figure 27 Biology General Quality Assessment for Brentwood Borough 1990- 88 2005 Table 33 Comparison Between Biological GQA At The Regional, County and 88 Borough Level Figure 28 Biology GQA Comparison Between East of England, Essex, and 89 Brentwood Borough in 2005 vi Table 34 Rivers Within The Borough Achieving Less Than A Grade C For 90 Biology GQA Table 35 Phosphate GQA Grade Boundaries 91 Table 36 Essex Phosphate GQA 92 Figure 29 Phosphate General Quality Assessment for Essex 1990-2005 92 Table 37 Brentwood Borough Phosphate GQA 93 Figure 30 Phosphate General Quality Assessment for Brentwood 1990-2005 93 Table 38 Comparison Between Phosphate GQA At Regional, County and 94 Borough Level In 2005 Figure 31 Phosphate GQA Comparison between Regional, County and 94 Borough in 2005 Table 39 Expanded Phosphate GQA Results For Brentwood Borough 2003 – 95 2005 Table 40 Nitrate GQA Grade Boundaries 96 Table 41 Essex Nitrate GQA 96 Figure 32 Nitrate General Quality Assessment for Essex 1990-2005 96 Table 42 Brentwood Borough Nitrate GQA 97 Figure 33 Nitrate General Quality Assessment for Brentwood 1990-2005 97 Table 43 Comparison Between Nitrate GQA At Regional, County and 98 Borough Level Figure 34 Comparison of Nitrate GQA between Regional, County and 98 Borough Level 2005 Table 44 Expanded Nitrate GQA Results For Brentwood Borough 2003 – 99 2005 6. FLOODING Figure 35 Main Water Courses within Brentwood Borough 104 Figure 36 Spatial Extent of Flood Zone 2 in Brentwood Borough 105 Figure 37 Spatial Extent of Flood Zone 3 in Brentwood Borough 105 7. GEOLOGY AND SOIL Figure 38 Surface Geology Of Essex 110 Table 45 Geological Stratigraphy of Essex 111 Figure 39 Structural Cross Section of Essex 111 Figure 40 Brentwood Borough Geology 113 Figure 41 Agricultural Land Classification In Essex 114 8. CLIMATIC FACTORS Figure 42 Gas Sales Domestic – Essex 2004 119 Figure 43 Gas Sales Commercial 120 Figure 44 Electricity Consumption/Meter Point – Domestic – Essex 2004 120 Figure 45 Electricity Consumption/Meter Point – Industrial and Commercial – 121 Essex 2004 Figure 46 Total Domestic Energy Consumption/Household – Essex 2004 121 Figure 47 Essex Household Waste Production April 2005-March 2006 122 Figure 48 Essex Household Waste Recycled April 2005-March 2006 122 Figure 49 Essex Household Waste Composted April 2005-March 2006 123 Table 46 Brentwood Recycling and Composting Performance, 2001-2006 123 vii Figure 50 Brentwood Car Ownership 124 Figure 51 Essex Car Ownership 2001 125 PART TWO: BUILT ENVIRONMENT 9. ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT Table 47 Priority Issues in the Framework for Regional Employment 132 Table 48 Industry Types in Brentwood Borough 134 Table 49 Percentage Composition of Bulk Industry 135 Figure 52 Graph to show Composition of Bulk Industry 135 Table 50 Proportion of Floor space By Bulk Business Class 136 Figure 53 Graph to show Proportion of Floor space by Bulk Business Class 136 Figure 54 Graph to show Commercial and Industrial Vacancy Rates in 137 Brentwood District Table 51 Rateable Value of Floor space By Industry Type 137 Figure 55 Graph to show Rateable Value of Floor space by Industry Type 138 Table 52 Employment Status of Brentwood Residents 139 Table 53 Proportion of Employees in Different Industry Classes 139 Table 54 Comparison of Average Weekly Earnings in Brentwood Borough 140 against Regional and National Wages Figure 56 Average Weekly Earnings in the Eastern Region 141 Table 55 Travel to Work Flows for Brentwood Borough 142 Table 56 Travel to Work Methods for the Residential Population of 142 Brentwood Borough 10. HOUSING Table 57 Average House Prices and Number of Sales In 2004 152 Table 58 Percentage of Sales by Housing Type in Brentwood Borough In 153 2004 Table 59 Local Authority Housing Stock 153 Table 60 Dwelling Stock by Tenure and Condition 154 Figure 57 Percentage of Local Authority Dwellings that fall below the ‘Decent 155 Homes Standard’ Table 61 Affordable Housing Completions in Brentwood Borough 2001 – 156 2006 Table 62 Number of Local Authority and Registered Social Landlord (RSL) 156 Properties Figure 58 Number of Local Authority Properties in Comparison to RSL 157 Properties Table 63 Brentwood Borough Council Right to Buy Sales 157 Figure 59 Right to Buy Sales 2001-2006 158 Table 64 Number of Homelessness Decisions and Acceptances 158 Figure 60 Number of Decisions vs. Number of Acceptances 159 Table 65 Number of Households on the Housing Register, on the Transfer 159 List and the Number of Allocations Table 66 Dwelling Completions on Previously Developed Land 160 Figure 61 Potential Residential Construction on Previously Developed Land 161 Figure 62 Count of Potential Dwelling Creation on Previously Developed Land 161 viii 11. POPULATION Table 67 Age Profile Breakdown 163 Figure 63 Population Age Profile 164 Table 68 Proportionality of Residents’ Country of Birth 164 Figure 64a Country of Birth 165 Figure 64b Country of Birth for Residents not Born in England 165 Table 69 Ethnic Composition of Brentwood Borough 166 Figure 65a Ethnic Composition 166 Figure 65b Ethnic Composition excluding Whites 167 Table 70 Life Expectancy at Birth 167 12.