A101917 Planning Statement Marston Fields Farm Lea Marston Warwickshire Birmingham 3rd Floor, 54 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom, B16 8PE Tel: +44 (0)121 516 5324 Email: [email protected] Website: www.wyg.com WYG Environment Planning Transport Limited. Registered in England & Wales Number: 03050297 Registered Office: Arndale Court, Otley Road, Headingley, Leeds, LS6 2UJ Landscape Bund, Marston Fields Farm Planning Statement Document control Document: Planning Statement – Landscape Bund Project: Marston Fields Farm, Lea Marston Client: Baines, Baines and Harrison Job Number: A101917 File Origin: Revision: FINAL Date: April 2017 Prepared by Checked by Approved By Mark Walton Neal Allcock Gerald Sweeney www.wyg.com creative minds safe hands Landscape Bund, Marston Fields Farm Planning Statement Contents Document control 1.0 Introduction………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………..3 2.0 Site Location and Description ………………………………………………………………………………………..5 3.0 The Proposed Development ………………………………………………………………………………………….6 4.0 Planning Policy Context ………………………………………………………………………………………………..8 5.0 Planning Assessment...………………………………………………………………………………………………..14 6.0 Conclusions………………………………………………………………………..………………………………………18 www.wyg.com creative minds safe hands Landscape Bund, Marston Fields Farm Planning Statement 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1.1.1 This planning application (the Application) is submitted on behalf of Mr G Baines (the Applicant). The Application seeks approval for the construction of a landscaped screening bund on land at Marston Fields Farm, Lea Marston, Warwickshire. 1.1.2 Marston Fields Farm is the subject of an extant planning permission (ref: NWB/16CM014) to extract underlying mineral reserves and restore the land to form five fishing ponds and associated landscaping works. The extraction and restoration works have been completed and land is currently being landscaped awaiting commencement of the use of the land as a commercial fishery. 1.1.3 The Application seeks to complement the extant permission by the construction of a landscaped bund on the western boundary of the proposed fishery. The proposed bund will shelter the fishing ponds from prevailing south westerly winds and screen the facility together with the adjacent Marston Fields Farmhouse from noise, disturbance and visual intrusion associated with the High Speed 2 (HS2) 24 hour Kingsbury Road Railhead facility that is being proposed by the Government on land adjacent to the Site. 1.1.4 The proposals for High Speed 2 are being brought forward, on behalf of the UK Government, by HS2 Ltd. The enacting HS2 Bill received Royal Assent on 23rd February 2017. The approved proposals in the HS2 Act include for the provision of a landscaping bund between the fishery at Marston Fields Farm and the Kingsbury Road Railhead facility at Lea Marston. 1.1.5 The Applicant wishes to undertake the construction works for the landscaping bund prior to the opening of the fishery, envisaged for March 2018, and to provide sufficient opportunity for the proposed landscape planting on the bund to fully mature prior to the commencement of operations associated with the Kingsbury Road Railhead Facility. The Applicant has had extensive discussions with HS2 Ltd on the design and location of the bund. HS2 Ltd confirm that the proposal accords with their agreed mitigation for the railhead and its support for this Application. 1.1.6 The proposed landscaping screening bund will be created via the importation of inert material and therefore is for determination by Warwickshire County Council, as Waste Planning Authority. 3 Landscape Bund, Marston Fields Farm Planning Statement 1.1.7 In terms of content, the Planning Statement is structured as follows: Section 2 – includes a description of the Site and the surrounding area; Section 3 – provides details of the development of the Scheme and description of the proposed development; Section 4 – includes a comprehensive review of national and local planning policies; Section 5 – provides an assessment of key planning issues; Section 6 – Conclusions 1.1.8 The Planning Statement should be read alongside other supporting information that accompanies the application which includes:- Relevant plans and drawings; and, Landscape Statement prepared by Anne Evans. 4 Landscape Bund, Marston Fields Farm Planning Statement 2.0 Site Description 2.1 Site Description 2.1.1 The Application Site (the Site) forms part of the Marston Fields Farm landholding and is shown edged in red on Drawing Ref: A101917-02. Marston Fields Farm is bounded to the south by the A4097 Kingsbury Road and the east by the Old Kingsbury Road. 2.1.2 The Site is located to the west of Marston Field Farmhouse and the permitted fisheries development which is currently under construction. The Site is defined to the north by an existing hedgerow and public right of way, known as Seeney Lane. To the west of the Site the land comprises open agricultural land crossed by electricity pylons. 2.1.3 The Government and High Speed Two Ltd (the company wholly owned by the Department of Transport responsible for developing and promoting a high speed rail route between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds) has identified the open land adjacent to the proposed fisheries as the preferred location for the Kingsbury Road Railhead Facility. The land is currently the subject of compulsory purchase discussions with HS2 Ltd. 2.1.4 The proposed layout of the Kingsbury Road Railhead Facility is shown on HS2 drawing no C223- CSI-EV-DPL-030-522900-PETHOL9997 Rev. P00.2: Indicative Location of Railhead. It is understood that the proposed Railhead will operate 24/7 for a ‘temporary’ period. The proposed layout confirms that landscape mitigation is required on the northern, southern and eastern boundary of the railhead. 2.1.5 The nearest population centre is Kingsbury situated approximately 1.8 km south west of the Site. The nearest property to the Site is Sans Souci in Marston Village located at the closest point approximately 250 metres from the northern boundary of the Application area. 2.1.6 Adjacent land uses consist of open fields in agricultural production together with a number of tourism facilities and related businesses. Marston Caravan and Camping Park is located on the eastern side of Old Kingsbury Road and the Best Western Lea Marston Hotel is located to the south of the A4097 Kingsbury Road. Kingsbury Water Park, a regionally significant water based activities facility, is located to the north east of the Site. 5 Landscape Bund, Marston Fields Farm Planning Statement 3.0 Proposed Development 3.1 Introduction 3.1.1 The proposed landscaping bund will extend for 730m in an inverted ‘L’ shape from the site access in the south to the existing right of way, known as Seeney Lane in the north. The proposed landscaping bund will complement the permitted fishery by sheltering the facilities from prevailing south westerly winds and shielding the facility from noise, disturbance and visual intrusion associated with the HS2 Kingsbury Road Railhead Facility proposed to the west of the Site. 3.1.2 The proposed Kingsbury Road Railhead Facility will change the landscape character of this part of the North Warwickshire and potentially result in a significant adverse effect in terms of visual impact, noise and disturbance as a result of the 24 hour nature of the operation. The proposals for HS2 have been accompanied by an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that has considered the effects of the proposals on the environment and identified suitable mitigation where the effects are considered ‘significant’. 3.1.3 The results of the EIA are presented in the Environmental Statement (ES) that accompanied the HS2 Bill. The ES identified mitigation, including landscaped bunds on the north and eastern boundaries on the proposed railhead facility. The Applicant wishes to undertake the construction works for the landscaping bund prior to the opening of the fishery, envisaged for March 2018, to protect the amenity of Marston Fields Farmhouse and the future operation of the fisheries together with providing sufficient opportunity for the proposed landscape planting on the bund to fully mature. 3.1.4 The layout of the proposed railhead facility and the associated environmental mitigation measures are on HS2 drawing no C223-CSI-EV-DPL-030-622921-RSTHOL9997 Rev.P00.1: Railhead in Operation – Section locations. Cross Section 4, on HS2 drawing no C223-CSI-EV- DSE-030-000022-RSTHOL9997 Rev.P00.1: Sections, Sheet 2 of 2, relates to the relationship between the landscape bund and the adjacent fishery. 3.1.5 The proposed landscape bund would be located along the western boundary of the proposed fishery as shown in Drawing No. 374-01A. The proposed landscaping bund will be approximately 730m long and 45m in width resulting in an overall development area of 32,850 sq m. The bund will be 6 metres in height. 6 Landscape Bund, Marston Fields Farm Planning Statement 3.1.6 The proposed bund will be ‘graded’ into the existing landform to bring forward a structure that does not appear ‘engineered’. The impact of the bund will be reduced by the planting of native species along the top and sides of the bund which will ensure that it is in keeping with the character of the area and will not look out of place. The north-eastern slope of the bund will be planted with a ‘copse’ of woodland native species and shrubs. The species proposed will complement those presented on the landscape masterplan for the fisheries. 3.1.7 The previously approved masterplan (Planning permission ref: NWB/16CM014) has been amended to show the proposed screening bund and is shown on HS2 Drawing No. AE1316- 01/Rev I: Landscape Proposals. The cross section of the proposed bund is shown Drawing No. 374-01A. 3.1.8 The proposed bund would be created using circa 100,000 tonnes of imported inert material, including soils and subsoils, sourced from the local area.