Land at Weston Mead Farm, WestonLand at Phase Turville 2 of the South Wokingham Strategic Development Location Environmental Statement: Nonon behalf Technical of Kingacre SummaryEstates Ltd., Kier Ventures Ltd. and Miller Homes Ltd. September 2017 Environmental Statement: Addendum August 2020 Contact Nexus Planning 5th Floor Thames Tower Station Road Reading RG1 1LX T: 0118 214 9340 nexusplanning.co.uk E: [email protected] Job reference: 33387 Land at phase 2 of the South Wokingham SDL – Project EIA ES Addendum (August 2020) Introduction to ES Addendum In April 2019 Nexus Planning, on behalf of Kingacre Estates Ltd., Miller Homes Ltd. and Kier Ventures Ltd. (hereafter referred to as ‘the Applicants’) submitted three planning applications to Wokingham Borough Council (‘the Council’) and Bracknell Forest District Council (‘BFDC’) which form part of land at Phase 2 of the South Wokingham Development Location (“SDL”) (hereafter referred to as “the Project Development”). The Project Development Environmental Impact Assessment provides the overarching impacts of the whole project. This addendum sets out the changes that have taken place and any necessary updates to the planning application(s). It should be noted that for each individual application a further site specific EIA Addendum has also been provided. Scope of Structure/update Background Since the submission of the planning applications and accompanying ES a number of representations have been submitted by consultees raising various matters and requests for additional information and/ or revised technical assessments. During this period there have been a number of discussions with the Council and Stakeholders in relation to various components of the Proposed Development. As a response to the issues raised, a number of changes have been made in relation to the technical assessments which informed the findings of the South Wokingham ES. As set out within the revised planning statements, it is important to note that there has been no change to the description of developments for Land at Phase 2a of the South Wokingham SDL and Land to the south of St Anne’s Manor. The following description of developments are therefore still relevant: Reference: 190914. Land at Phase 2a of the South Wokingham Strategic Development Location: “Outline application with all matters reserved except for principal means of access to the highway, for up to 215 dwellings, public open space, play areas, associated infrastructure and landscaping.” Applicant: Kingacre Estates Ltd. WBC Reference: 190900. BFDC: 19/00414 Land to the south of St Anne’s Manor: “Full application for the proposed Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) with associated landscaping.” Applicant: Kingacre Estates Ltd. The description of development has however been amended for Land at Phase 2b of the South Wokingham SDL (ref: 191068) following a detailed review of the illustrative layout to reduce 1 Land at phase 2 of the South Wokingham SDL – Project EIA ES Addendum (August 2020) numbers from ‘up to 1,495’ to ‘up to 1,434’. Further information on this can be found in the revised planning statement. As such the description of development has been amended to: “Hybrid planning application (part outline/ part detailed) comprising an outline application with all matters reserved except principal means of access to the highways, for a mixed use development of up to 1,434 dwellings, a two form entry primary school, local centre (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 and D1) including community building D1/ D2), public open space, play areas and associated infrastructure and landscaping; and a full application for the proposed Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG), associated landscaping and temporary car park.” The description of the combined project is therefore updated to: “Mixed use development of up to 1,649 dwellings, a two form entry primary school, local centre (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, D1 including community building (D1/D2), public open space, play areas, associated infrastructure and landscaping, two areas of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace and principal means of access to the highways.” For confirmation, the red line boundary of the Project Development and subsequently all planning applications has not changed and the parameter plans have been updated for consistency to reflect the changes as set out below. In defining the scope of this ES addendum, the consultant team has had regard to Schedule 4 of the 2017 Regulations and guidance in Paragraph 035 of the Government’s Planning Practice Guidance (‘PPG’) which states that the focus of the ES should be on the ‘main’ or ‘significant’ environmental effects and that: “Whilst every Environmental Statement should provide a full factual description of the development, the emphasis should be on the “main” or “significant” environmental effects to which a development is likely to give rise. The Environmental Statement should be proportionate and not be any longer than is necessary to assess properly those effects… Impacts which have little or no significance for the particular development in question will need only very brief treatment to indicate that their possible relevance has been considered”. With regard to the covid-19 situation and therefore updated regulations, the ES and ES Addendum will be available to view on the Council’s website in accordance with Part 4 paragraph 15 (i) of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure, Listed Buildings and Environmental Impact Assessment (England) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020. Footnote1 provides the exact location of the documents. Should hard copies be required any requests should be sent to: [email protected] 2. Some of the issues raised during the consultation period have little or no significance to the EIA process and whilst they may be described elsewhere in the additional information submitted, are not considered relevant to the scope of the ES Addendum. 1 https://planning.wokingham.gov.uk/FastWebPL/detail.asp?AltRef=191068&ApplicationNumber=191068&AddressPrefix=&Postc ode=&KeywordSearch=&Submit=Search 2 Any required charges will be discussed upon any requests, for full pricing please see the submitted EIA. 2 Land at phase 2 of the South Wokingham SDL – Project EIA ES Addendum (August 2020) Examples include amendments to the Design and Access Statement to reflect the amended illustrative masterplan and include vignettes to demonstrate how the development parcels will interlink and could come forward as part of any reserved matters applications. Issues Addressed in the ES Addendum The key consultation responses that have been taken into account in defining the scope of the ES Addendum include (but are not limited to): Consultee Date Comments Received ES Topics Addressed Environment Agency 15/08/2019 Flood Risk and Drainage. Objection to the use of The Planning Statement for culverts on site. land at Phase 2b of the South Wokingham SDL confirms at paragraph 7.120 that the culverts have been removed as per the Environment Agency’s request. The Project Flood Risk Assessment provides further detail. Natural England 02/04/2020 Ecology, Landscape and Flood Risk and Drainage. To confirm that whilst the Holme Park SANG shall The Planning Statement for incorporate the SWDR’s Land at Phase 2b of the South drainage features, it shall Wokingham SDL confirms at primarily act as a SANG. paragraph 7.120 that the Holme Park SANG will provide an attenuation basin which holds the SWDR’s drainage but will primarily serve as a SANG. The Green Infrastructure strategy provides further detail. Wokingham Borough Council 10/10/2019 Ecology, Landscape and – Ecology Officer Flood Risk and Drainage. Comments regarding the The Planning Statement for configuration of the Land at Phase 2b of the South attenuation basins and the Wokingham SDL confirms at need to calculate the paragraph 7.120 that the biodiversity net gain in attenuation basin which accordance with the DEFRA holds the SWDR’s drainage metric. within the Holme Park SANG has been reconfigured to make the basin shallower and more user friendly. The DEFRA metric calculation has been provided to confirm 3 Land at phase 2 of the South Wokingham SDL – Project EIA ES Addendum (August 2020) that the Project Development has a net gain. The ecology addendum provides further detail. Wokingham Borough Council 30/07/2019 Transport. – Highways Officer The Planning Statement for Requested that a bus strategy Land at Phase 2b of the South and walking/cycling strategy Wokingham SDL confirms at shall be provided. The walking paragraphs 7.72 – 7.79 that a cycling strategy shall bus strategy and walking and demonstrate how the Project cycling strategy has been Development provides provided and the bus stops connections across the Site to will be provided along the the proposed local facilities SWDR. Further information, and connections into the including accident statistics is surrounding area of provided in the Transport Wokingham and Binfield/ Assessment. Bracknell. In addition to this, the location of the bus stops shall be confirmed. Updated accident data shall be provided in addition to a Stage 1 Road Safety Audit. Wokingham Borough Council 25/10/2019 Ecology, Landscape and – Landscape and Trees Officer Flood Risk and Drainage. Requests that details of the The updated Arboricultural trees to be retained and those Impact Assessments provide that are to be replaced are further clarity on the trees to detailed. Further detail has be retained and those that been requested to confirm are to be replaced. that the Project Development has been designed in The FRA confirms that the accordance with the South attenuation basins meet the Wokingham SDL drainage requirements and Supplementary Planning are incorporated into the Document, the parameter landscape design. plans and the Environmental Statement. It is requested that the attenuation basins within the Holme Park SANG are reconfigured in order to be shallower and provide further footpaths throughout the SANG. 4 Land at phase 2 of the South Wokingham SDL – Project EIA ES Addendum (August 2020) Wokingham Borough Council 23/10/2019 Ecology, Landscape and – SDL Green Infrastructure Flood Risk and Drainage.