Introduction NTS1 NTS2 NTS3 Troika Developments Ltd (Troika) has submitted a planning application to Bournemouth Borough Council (BBC) for an extension of time to implement planning permission 7/2004/16450/G, which was granted by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 15 May 2007. This permission granted outline consent for the construction of B1 offices and a healthcare / nursing facility with associated access, landscaping, car parking and services on land adjoining the A338 to the south west of Riverside Avenue, Bournemouth (figure NTS1). An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is now required under the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999, as amended (hereafter referred to as the Regulations ). An EIA is needed for projects that are over a certain size or located in a sensitive area where significant environmental effects may result. The findings of the EIA are reported in the environmental statement (ES) submitted with the planning application. The ES provides the local planning authority with detailed and objective information on the environmental effects of the proposed development. This non-technical document summarises the findings reported in the ES. Background NTS4 NTS5 NTS6 Troika Developments Ltd (based in Poole) was established in 1970 and initially developed industrial and warehouse property in the Poole area. In the early 1980s the company expanded its interests to retail warehouse parks across the country and diversified into leisure facilities and commercial office schemes. Troika s property portfolio now includes industrial estates and prestigious office schemes let to tenants including JP Morgan and Northrop Grummond. After submitting an outline planning application for the above scheme in 2004, the scheme was refused in February 2006 by BBC. Troika appealed against the decision, and following a public inquiry, the proposal was granted consent in May 2007 by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. This application is for the renewal of the existing consent. The inquiry also examined the merits of a separate planning application seeking the development of land adjoining the A338 to the north east of Riverside Avenue for the construction of car and lorry parking areas, ancillary buildings and the construction of a grade separated junction with associated earthworks (the park and ride scheme). The Secretary of State
granted full planning permission for this development (reference 7/2004/20006/A) on 15 May 2007, and this permission remains extant until 14 May 2012. The application site NTS7 NTS8 NTS9 NTS10 The 5.94ha site is located on the north east outskirts of Bournemouth (figure NTS 1) to the south of the A338 (Wessex Way) and to the north east of the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. The site currently slopes gently uphill from north to south and from east to west. The land has recently been ploughed and sown with corn. The site is wrapped around the Retired Nurses National Home complex, which provides residential accommodation for former members of the nursing profession. The complex comprises a single building ranging in height up to three storeys and a number of smaller ancillary support buildings. The main building is set in gardens and car parking, with substantial screening along several boundaries. Access to the home is from Riverside Avenue. The site is bounded by the A338 to the north west and Riverside Avenue on the north east. To the south of the site is the development known as Wessex Fields, with the hospital being on the south western boundary, where the adjacent buildings include two and three storey nurses accommodation, a clinical waste incinerator and former laundry building. On the south eastern boundary is Bournemouth Crown and County Courts, and office accommodation housing the headquarters of insurance firm RIAS. All Wessex Fields traffic (including hospital vehicle movements) enters and leaves via Deansleigh Road. A large Tesco store is located further to the south of the site and is accessible via Riverside Avenue. To the east of the park and ride site is Iford Golf Centre (driving range, club house, nine and 18 hole golf course) and the Bournemouth waste water treatment works. The proposal NTS11 NTS12 NTS13 The existing outline consent on the site is for four office buildings (B1), which are referred to as blocks A, B, D and E on the illustrative master plan (figure NTS2) and a further block (F) for healthcare / nursing. Block C was removed during the public inquiry and to avoid any confusion with this application the remaining buildings have not been re-labelled. Blocks A, B and E are four storeys in height with an approximate gross external area of 6,147m 2 each. Blocks D and F are three storeys in height with gross external areas of 6,164m 2 and 6,117m 2 respectively. The illustrative layout shows 1,090 car parking spaces, 47 of which are reserved for disabled users, although the final number of car parking spaces
is a matter for determination at the reserved matters stage. An appropriate number of cycle spaces will also be provided for each building. NTS14 NTS15 BBC has expressed a desire to secure the implementation of a bus link from the site to Deansleigh Road, which would mean acquiring land outside the control of the applicant. Nevertheless, the broad location of this potential link is shown on the illustrative master plan. Footpath and cycle links from the site into the hospital will be provided in order to connect the hospital to the proposed nursing / healthcare building (block F). The location of a possible link is again shown on the illustrative master plan. The proposal aims to maintain as much of the existing perimeter planting as possible and includes additional landscape planting along the perimeter and throughout the parking areas. Cumulative effects NTS16 NTS17 NTS18 NTS19 NTS20 Where there is the potential for the proposal to give rise to cumulative effects with other proposed, permitted (but not implemented) developments or developments for which land is allocated, these will be assessed using all available information / data. All existing development will be incorporated into the determination of the baseline environment. Permission was granted for the park and ride facility proposed on land to the east of Riverside Avenue, adjacent to the site, in May 2007. The detailed application, also submitted by Troika Developments Ltd, included the provision of a new grade-separated access junction onto the A338. Work on the park and ride facility has not yet commenced. However the construction and occupation of the Riverside Avenue office development is dependent on the provision of the new access junction permitted as part of the park and ride scheme. Whilst it is not certain exactly when the park and ride will be built, the consent for the scheme expires in May 2012, and thus for the purposes of this ES it is assumed that construction will commence by then. With an estimated build time of approximately 18 months, the park and ride facility could be operational by late 2013. The junction element of the park and ride would be constructed as the first phase and is likely to be complete by mid 2013. Once the junction element of the park and ride is complete construction of the office development can commence. The future baseline scenario against which the office development will be assessed in this ES will include the park and ride facility. This will assume a partial overlap of construction periods of the two developments followed by the remaining construction phase for the office scheme during which the park and ride would be operational. Table NTS 1 sets out the key dates for development for both the park and ride and the B1 office and healthcare / nursing development.
Development Phase Approximate date Park and ride Construction commences Before May 2012 Junction work complete Mid 2013 Park and ride operational Late 2013 Offices / healthcare Construction of office development Mid 2013 Offices operational Late 2014 Table NTS1: Summary of development timetable Alternatives NTS21 NTS22 This ES is submitted in support of an application to renew an existing outline planning consent. The illustrative master plan submitted as part of this application was the subject of several iterations prior to the grant of planning permission in 2007. In the context of a renewal of consent, the location, nature and scale of the scheme must remain as previously submitted. Therefore, no alternatives are considered within this ES. Assessment methodology NTS23 NTS24 Troika submitted a screening request to BBC and received a screening opinion requiring EIA to be uundertaken for this application. The screening opinion provided by BBC set out the specific issues (namely traffic, noise and air quality) that the ES should include so no separate scoping exercise was carried out. The specialist assessments, as discussed in more detail below, follow generally similar methodologies. Baseline desk and / or field studies were undertaken to examine the existing situation. The significance of the potential effects of the proposed development was evaluated using appropriate standards and guidance, combined with professional judgement. Where necessary, measures were proposed to avoid or reduce (mitigate) potential adverse effects. Environmental effects NTS25 NTS26 NTS27 Traffic and accessibility The traffic assessment considers the increase in road traffic flows associated with the proposal and its impact on people, along with the accessibility of the site. The key highway links considered within the transport assessment are Castle Lane West, Castle Lane East (east of Cooper Dean Roundabout), Castle Lane East (west of Iford Roundabout) and the A338 Wessex Way (north of Cooper Dean Roundabout). Data on the existing traffic flow for the highway network used in the assessment were from automatic traffic counts obtained from BBC and Dorset County Council and manual traffic counts from BBC and a commissioned survey in April 2010. These counts show that the Castle
Lane West link currently operates over its capacity both east and west bound during peak hours. However, all other links are operating under capacity. NTS28 The traffic flow data were factored up to represent the future flows in 2014. The trips associated with the park and ride were also added to the future baseline as this committed development would be operational prior to completion of the office development. This showed that in 2014 and with the operational park and ride, the Castle Lane West link will continue to be over capacity, with all other links operating within capacity. NTS29 During construction, it is anticipated that there will be approximately 48 lorry movements (1-way) to the site per day in the first four months, dropping to approximately 30 lorry movements (1-way) thereafter. HGVs and workers vehicles will access the site via the new A338 junction. Onsite parking will be provided and the site is located close to existing bus services. Bicycle and walking opportunities (via Riverside Avenue) also exist. The traffic associated with the construction phase will have a minor adverse effect. NTS30 NTS31 NTS32 NTS33 Operational traffic represents only a very small change (between 1% and 5%) in traffic flow on the road network. Where links are identified as operating within capacity in the 2014 baseline scenario, the proposed development will result in only a very small increase in flow and all links will continue to operate within its capacity. The one link that exceeds capacity in the 2014 baseline was already operating over capacity in the 2010 baseline scenario. The traffic associated with the proposed development would result in an increase of only 1%. The effect of the proposal is minimal and is unlikely to be perceptible. Subsequently, the highway impact associated with the operational development is assessed as having a negligible effect. The site is located in close proximity to an existing public transport network. The adjacent park and ride will be served with a new bus route running between the site and the town centre. The impact of the development on accessibility and the encouragement of non-car modes within the draft travel plan is considered to be positive and an improvement of the local pedestrian and cycling environment (both of minor beneficial effect). Air quality The air quality assessment considers the potential impact from dust, particulate matter (PM 10 ) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) during the construction and operational phases of the development. Existing air quality monitoring data collected by BBC and Dorset County Council were examined and site-specific survey (diffusion tube monitoring) is ongoing.
NTS34 NTS35 NTS36 NTS37 NTS38 NTS39 NTS40 NTS41 The traffic flow data projected for the future baseline (inclusive of permitted development) were analysed. The levels of PM 10 and NO 2 generated by the traffic associated with the construction and operation of the proposed development were then calculated for nine receptors adjacent to the site and the local road network. There is the potential for dust to be generated during the construction phase affecting sensitive receptors within 200m of the site. Construction activities and plant can also give rise to elevated levels of PM 10. However, by following best practice measures construction plant will not give rise to significant effects and the generation of dust and PM 10 during construction works will be minor adverse and localised and temporary in nature. Once operational, emissions relating to traffic (PM 10 and NO 2 ) associated with the proposed development are the key issue. However, the increase in these emissions resulting from the additional traffic is very small and the residual concentrations of both PM 10 and NO 2 are insignificant at all receptors. Noise and vibration Baseline noise monitoring was undertaken at four locations identified to be representative of nearby sensitive receptors: dwellings to the north west of the Wessex Way; the Retired Nurses National Home; closest properties to the east; properties on Vickers Close. Road noise from the A338 was the dominant existing noise source noted. The assessment of potential worst case construction noise suggests that the noise level could be above that level identified by BBC immediately adjacent to the Retired National Nurses Home and the hospital. The potential for vibration during the construction phase was also considered, but was assessed as being insignificant for the nearby sensitive receptors. A series of mitigation measures are proposed, which when implemented will ensure that the impact of noise and vibration during construction of the development is adequately controlled. The operational traffic associated with the proposed development would not lead to a perceptible increase in road traffic noise at receptors adjacent to the road network. The use of good practice building design and use of modern equipment will ensure that the building services plant (such as air conditioning) proposed for the offices and healthcare / nursing facility will be adequately controlled. The noise chapter also considers the suitability of the site for the proposed uses. The nursing / healthcare facility is the most noise sensitive element of the proposal and the chapter highlights the building design considerations to be taken forward to the future reserved matters applications.
Further information NTS42 NTS43 NTS44 NTS45 This non-technical summary has outlined the findings of the EIA for the proposed B1 and healthcare / nursing development. Further details are set out in the ES and accompanying technical appendices. Copies of the ES and technical appendices have been provided to BBC, who will send the application to the statutory consultees. The full ES and technical appendices may be inspected during the consultation period at the offices of BBC. The planning application can also be viewed at BBC web site (www.bournemouth.gov.uk). Comments should be addressed to Barry Carse at BBC and copied to Martin Miller at Terence O Rourke Ltd, at the following addresses: Bournemouth Borough Council Town Hall Annex St Stephen s Road Bournemouth BH2 6EA Terence O Rourke Ltd Everdene House Deansleigh Road Bournemouth BH7 7DU