LANDSCAPE APPRAISAL of land at CHELVESTON FORMER AIRFIELD NORTHAMPTONSHIRE PROPOSED BIOMASS PLANT for CHELVESTON RENEWABLE ENERGY LIMITED September 2007 by THE LANDSCAPE PARTNERSHIP A Practice registered with The Landscape Institute and The Royal Town Planning Institute and Members of the Institute of Environment Assessment & Arboricultural Association Greenwood House, 15a St Cuthbert's Street, Bedford MK40 3JG (Tel: 01234-261315) Ancient House Mews, Church Street, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1DH (Tel: 01394-380509) Tunnel Wharf, 121 Rotherhithe Street, London SE16 4NF (Tel: 020-7252-0002) Jonathan Scott Hall, Thorpe Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 1UH 3 Molesworth Place, Dublin 2 (Tel: 00353-1661-0419) Copley Hall, Cotters Street, Cork, Ireland (Tel: 00353-21496-9224) No. 13 Galway Technology Park, Parkmore, Galway, Ireland (Tel: 00353-9173-5050) The Landscape Partnership Limited. Registered Office: Greenwood House, 15a St Cuthbert's Street, Bedford MK40 3JB Registered in England No 2709001 SMR/06011/LA2-BP CONTENTS SECTION PAGE NO. 1. Introduction and Scope of Report 1 2. Site Description 3 3. Local and Wider Setting 8 4. Views towards the Former Airfield 21 5. Landscape Planning Policy Context 25 6. Description of the Proposed Biomass Development and Landscape Proposals 29 7. Implications of the Proposed Biomass Plant and Landscape Scheme on the Local and Wider Landscape Setting and Views Towards the Site 31 APPENDICES 1. A3 Booklet of Drawings and Photographs 2. Table 1a: Cultural Heritage Features within 3km of the Centre of the Site Table 1b: Cultural Heritage Features beyond 3km of the Site 3. Table 2: Views towards the Site and Implications of the Biomass Proposals 4. Bedfordshire Landscape Character Assessment (Consultation Draft 2007) 5. Northamptonshire Environmental Characterisation Process – Current Landscape Character Assessment (2006) 6. Huntingdon Landscape and Townscape Assessment (2004) 7. Countryside Agency / Natural England Countryside Character Assessment Area 91 Yardley – Whittlewood Ridge 2 SMR/06011/LA2-BP SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE OF REPORT 1.1. The Landscape Partnership was appointed in February 2006 to undertake and landscape a visual assessment of land at the Chelveston former airfield and to advise on the suitability of the land to provide a renewable energy park. The Landscape Partnership has undertaken this appraisal and fed into the production of an Environmental Statement for a proposal, which has been presented for public consultation. The proposals have not been the subject of a planning application. 1.2 The Landscape Partnership has presented to Northamptonshire County Council a Landscape Appraisal as a supporting document for the allocation of the former airfield in the forthcoming Mineral and Waste Local Plan. The Landscape Appraisal was a resume of the relevant parts of the landscape aspects of the aforementioned Environmental Statement. 1.3 The former airfield is the subject of a detailed planning application for a Biomass Plant facility within the central part of the site with access from the southern former airfield access road leading from Newton Road. The proposed development is detailed in Section 6 of this report. 1.4 The report considers six issues: firstly the site description of the former airfield; secondly the local and wider setting; third the views towards the former airfield; fourth the landscape planning policy context; fifth the description of the proposed development and landscape proposals; and finally the implications of the development on the local and wider setting and views towards the site. 1.5 Within the report the Landscape Appraisal considers the cultural heritage features within the local and wider setting in Table 1, Appendix 2, and on the views towards the site in Table 2, Appendix 3. 1.6 The Landscape Appraisal considers the existing Countryside Character Assessment undertaken by the Countryside Agency (Natural England) as detailed in Appendix 7 and the Landscape Character Assessments undertaken 1 SMR/06011/LA2-BP within Bedfordshire (2007) Northamptonshire (2006) and Huntingdon (2004) with details in Appendices 4 to 6. 1.7 The report refers to a number of drawings and photographs, which form Appendix 1. These are mostly printed at A3 as follows:- Drawings 06011/110: Landscape Survey of the Site – Scale 1:5,000 (A1) /111: Landscape Character Areas /112: Landscape Policy designation context /113: Landscape Planning Policy context /114: Rights of Way /115: Topography and cross section locations /116: Photograph locations and Visual Context of the Site /117: Photograph locations within Site /118: Overlay of Historical Use of the Site /119: Northamptonshire Historic Landscape Character Map /120 Cross Sections A-A1 /121 Cross Sections B-B1 /122 Cross Sections C-C1 /123 Cross Sections D-D1 /124 Cross Sections E-E1 /125 Cross Sections F-F1 /126 Landscape Proposals – Scale 1:5,000 (A1) Photographs P – Q Within the Site 1-2, 5, 7-11, A-C Local views towards the Site 3-4, 6, 12, D-N Distant views towards the Site Photomontages 1, 5, 7, 9 and 11 (refer to photographs above) 2 SMR/06011/LA2-BP SECTION 2: SITE DESCRIPTION 2.1 The former RAF base totals approximately 305 hectares, of which 144 hectares lie with Northamptonshire. The former airfield lies 2km to the south of Chelveston village and 1.6km to the north of Yelden. Rushden is approximately 4.8km to the west (Drawings 115 and 117). Boundaries 2.2 The boundaries of the site are fairly irregular, with obvious protrusions where the runways of the former airfield were extended at various stages of the sites history. The northern boundary of the site follows a series of woodland belts that are approximately 25 years old and were planted to provide enclosure to the airfield. Species within these belts include willow, ash, oak, cherry and poplar. The remainder of this boundary consists of stretches of incomplete and poorly clipped hedgerows and post and wire fences. 2.3 The eastern boundary has a similar woodland belt at its southern end and runs along the edge of the plateau area. The remainder of the boundary is a combination of low clipped hedgerows and post and wire fencing. High Barn Farm and Manor Farm are located at the centre of this eastern boundary but beyond the site, along with a residential property known as Top Cottage. 2.4 The southern boundary of the site follows a track/bridleway. The westerly portion of this track provides access to the site, through a locked gate. The easterly portion of the track is blocked to prevent vehicular access, but allows pedestrian/equestrian access to Yelden. The boundary is a fence line with areas of young planting similar to the belts found on the other boundaries. 2.5 The western boundary of the site is indented and runs almost along the edge of the plateau. It follows the boundary of a group of houses comprising married quarters for USAF and MOD personnel, and then the edge of Hare Spinney, an area of mature woodland. It then follows a field boundary hedgerow with occasional hedgerow trees, before following another of the approximately 25 year old woodland belts planted to screen the airfield. 3 SMR/06011/LA2-BP Landscape History 2.6 The airfield was opened in August 1941 and a year later it was established as a USA Air Force base for the 301st Bomb Group. Further expansion of the base took place in 1942 to 1943. In 1945 at the end of the War the airfield returned to the RAF and was officially closed in 1947. In 1951 it was re-commissioned to accommodate the USAF B47 Bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons with the construction of a large concrete apron and runway headquarters building, control centre, crash tender shed, dispersal and taxiways. The base remained operational until 1962 (Drawing 118). 2.7 Following the second decommissioning and removal of some of the runways the former airfield was then used in 1977 as a radio transmitter site accommodating 22 masts within the central compound of buildings on an area totalling 82 hectares. Current Buildings and Structures 2.8 These masts have now been removed, however the bases and central compound buildings remain together with the 2 metre high security fence and the individual wooden stock fencing around each of the 22 masts. The central compound buildings are enclosed by a further high integrity security fence. The buildings are mostly modern and house the control rooms, generators and other related facilities. 2.9 A separate Boxer Mast site and storage area lies to the south-west within the former airfield site. The area includes a Nissen Hut, diesel storage tank and a generator within a further building a 70m high radio communication mast remains in use by the MOD. The 0.3 hectare area is separately accessed and is secure. 2.10 Four Nissen Huts lie to the north-east corner of the former airfield. Redundant lagoons and drainage channels, concrete roads, and remnants of former oil tanks, security compounds, concrete aprons and fencing are distributed around the site. 4 SMR/06011/LA2-BP 2.11 The combined areas of the different RAF, USAF and MOD uses occupied almost the entire area of the former airfield. Concerns for public safety due to former ordnance storage areas, exposed drainage lagoons, oil traps and remnants of rusty metal structures over much of the former area have led to further new fencing of bridleways and footpaths which cross the site. 2.12 A temporary 70m anemometer mast lies to the south of the site (not within the photographs which were taken prior to the construction of the mast). Landuse and Vegetation 2.13 The majority of the site is currently used for livestock grazing by a local tenant farmer. The site is fairly open with few of the former field divisions remaining.