Former Ice Rink Freeman’s Reach, Durham · November 2012 3 Freeman’s Reach, Durham ES...

CHRIS BLANDFORD ASSOCIATESenvironment landscape planning

November 2012

Maple Oak Ltd

Former Ice RinkFreeman’s Reach, Durham

Environmental StatementNon-Technical Summary

This Environmental Statement, and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) carried out to identify the significant environmental effects of the proposed development, was undertaken in line with the EIA Quality Mark Commitments.

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3November 2012Freeman’s Reach, Durham

ES Non-Technical Summary

11115002R_ES NTS_DW-11-12.indd Chris Blandford Associates

Introduction

Maple Oak Ltd has applied to Durham County Council for planning permission to redevelop the former Ice Rink site at Freeman’s Reach in Durham.

The proposals form the first phase of the comprehensive redevelopment of both banks of the River Wear north of Millburngate Bridge – known as the Durham Riverside Renewal project - identified in the Durham City Centre Masterplan as a priority area for regeneration.

Environmental Impact Assessment

An Environmental Impact Assessment is a detailed study of the effects that a development may have on the environment. An assessment of the potential significant effects of this proposal on the environment has been undertaken in line with the relevant UK Regulations and European Directives on Environmental Impact Assessment.

The findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment have been reported in an Environmental Statement, which accompanies the planning application. The Environmental Statement has been prepared on behalf of Maple Oak Ltd by Chris Blandford Associates with the assistance of a team of specialist consultants.

This document is a non-technical summary of the information contained within the Environmental Statement. It summaries the proposals and outlines the key findings from the assessment chapters.

4 November 2012Freeman’s Reach, Durham ES Non-Technical Summary

Chris Blandford Associates 11115002R_ES NTS_DW-11-12.indd

The Site

The Site is located to the north west of Durham City Centre on the eastern bank of the River Wear just to the north of the Milburngate Bridge.

The Site is in the historical floodplain of the River Wear, and lies within Flood Zones 2 and 3a designated by the Environment Agency as being at medium to high risk of flooding.

The Site lies within the Durham (City Centre) Conservation Area, but is otherwise not covered by any other heritage or nature conservation designations.

The Surroundings

A mix of urban land uses surrounds the Site.

To the east of the Site is the recent ‘Walkergate’ development which consists of commercial leisure units (principally bars and restaurants), residential apartments and a hotel. Adjacent to Walkergate is the Freemans Quay Leisure Centre and swimming pool. Steps lead through the Walkergate complex to the Millennium Square, where the Gala Theatre, Millennium Place, Claypath Library and the Tourist Information Centre are situated, linking the Site with the historic street Claypath and the marketplace.

To the north of the Site is the Sands car park, coach park and recreation ground, from which Pennyferry Bridge provides pedestrian and cyclist access to Framwellgate Waterside on the western bank of the River Wear fronted by the offices of Millburngate House and the Radisson Hotel.

The Site is bounded by Millburngate Bridge/A690 Leazes Road to the south.

The Durham Cathedral and Castle World Heritage Site lies approximately 210m to the south of the Site. The city centre contains a number of listed buildings and historic structures which provide the setting to the WHS.

Existing Site

Wider Site Context




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15

13

14

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9

26

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29

28

Freemans Quay

4

5

Clements Wharf

Walkergate

32.0m

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16 to 18

15

11 to 12

10

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5

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Square

Tourist

Library

Theatre

Information

2

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Milburngate

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1 to 2

Riverside House

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Church

St Nicholas'

Centre

FREEMAN'S PLACE

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Durham

Town Hall

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The Proposed Development

Uses and Layout

The proposals comprise office developments, restaurants/cafés, kiosk, hydro power installation and public space including a new riverside walk. The general layout of the proposals is shown on the Masterplan.

The proposals comprise two 4 storey office blocks built in two phases, which would occupy the majority of the Site and the footprint of the former Ice Rink building and car park. The kiosk, hydro power installation and main public space are located within the southern part of the Site on the site of the former Bishop’s Mill.

The Phase 1 office development located within the northern end of the Site would have a total floorspace of 4351.27m² spread across four levels. The Phase 2 office development located in the central part of the Site would have four levels and a total floorspace of 5268.5m², and restaurants/cafés with a floorspace of 715.09m². The hydro power installation has a floorspace of 234.95m², and the kiosk’s floorspace is 141.31m².

Offices

Phase 1 of the redevelopment of the Freemans Reach Site will provide high quality fit-for-purpose office accommodation for the relocation of National Savings & Insurance staff from the current inadequate Millburngate House premises. The development will provide further office floorspace in Phase 2.

Restaurants/Cafés

The development will provide restaurant/café premises in order to support the wider uses across the Site. The provision of restaurants and cafés at the Site will help to create a riverside culture for dining and socialising in this area of the city. Outdoor eating areas will be included within the scheme so that those using the Site can break out into these areas. Crucially, these facilities will help to bolster the use of the Site by local residents, local workers and also visitors. The restaurants/cafés will have views out across the River Wear.

Kiosk

A small kiosk is to be located to the south east corner of the Site adjoining Freeman’s Place. This is an attractive location for such a facility as it is adjacent to the main pedestrian entrance to the Site. In addition to a café offering light refreshments, the kiosk will provide an initial point for visitors arriving by coach to access basic visitor information about Durham – including interpretation of the Site’s history of renewable energy generation, both past and present.

Illustrative Proposals




Illustrative Masterplan

Hydro Power Installation

Phase 1 Offi ce Development

Phase 2 Offi ce Development

Restaurant/Café

Kiosk

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alk

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Hydro Power Installation

The development aims to harness the potential energy of the adjoining River Wear through a hydro power installation using an Archimedes screw. This will enable the development to achieve substantial carbon reduction across the Site.

The development will be very energy efficient and is designed to achieve an A rated Energy Performance Certificate. The buildings have been designed to reduce energy consumption and energy will be provided by the on-site renewable energy generation. The overall development has been designed to achieve a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) Excellent rating. This will be attributed to the efficiency achieved through design and the use of renewable energy sources.

Public Realm

The office and restaurant/café buildings will be set in an attractive and accessible public space linked to the Sands car park and Pennyferry Bridge via a new riverside walk. Some of the existing riverside trees will be augmented by new planting to create an aesthetically pleasant environment for the riverside walk.

Design

The development proposal has been designed in a sympathetic manner to the surrounding land uses. In such a historically important location, the character of the development has been carefully scrutinised to ensure its suitability. This involved a three-stage design competition, and design review by the North East Design Review and Enabling Service and by national CABE Design Council members. Importantly, the massing of the proposed buildings has been designed to protect and enhance important views of the City and the World Heritage Site.

Access

Access to the Freeman’s Reach Site will be gained via the existing road network. Walkergate connects the Site from the south with access gained from the A690 Millburngate Bridge. Access is gained to the north of the Site via Freemans Place. Freemans Place connects with Providence Row/Claypath and the wider infrastructure network.

Example Archimedes Screw




There will be no on-site car parking spaces within the scheme. Workers and visitors to the area will be expected to use the existing adjacent public and private car parking provision. Due to the central location of the development, it is expected a large amount of people using the Site will gain access via the good public transport facilities Durham City has to offer including trains, bus and the park and ride facilities.

The development will enable and ease the movement of those using the Site between the riverside and the city centre. Improvements to public areas and footways adjacent to the Site are included within the scheme to ensure walking is an easy and accessible mode of transport to and from the Site.

Lighting

The lighting strategy for the Proposed Development is based on the key principles of the Light and Darkness Strategy for Durham (Speirs + Major, 2007). In order to mitigate disturbance to bats’ hunting along the river’s edge at night, the public realm lighting will cast no direct light onto the river, river bank and trees, and all light sources will be downward-facing and located at a low level. Light spill from interior lighting within the buildings would be reduced through the choice of lighting technology, the locations and types of luminaires, and the control of lighting, specifically the turning off of unnecessary lighting after working hours.



Construction Activities and Phasing

Construction will be phased over two development periods. Phase 1 comprises the new NS&I office headquarters, kiosk and hydro power installation. Phase 2 includes the second office block and restaurants/cafes.

Phase 1 Construction Activities and Duration

Phase 1 is scheduled to have a construction period of approximately 23 months. The proposed duration of the Phase 1 construction activities is summarised in the table.


Subject to securing an occupier for the offices, it is anticipated that Phase 2 will be constructed consecutively to Phase 1. The proposed duration of the Phase 2 construction activities is summarised in the table.

Construction Hours of Working

The standard hours of working for the main construction works are proposed to be:

• Monday to Friday: 0730 – 1800

• Saturday: 0730 – 1300

• Sunday: Site Closed

• Public & Bank Holidays: Site Closed

Construction Environmental Management

In accordance with the Considerate Contractors Scheme, best practice mitigation measures will be employed during construction to protect the environment and limit disturbance to neighbouring properties and public realm users from construction activities. This will include the preparation of Demolition and Construction Method Statements, and a Construction Environmental Management Plan incorporating environmental controls, health and safety regulations and current guidance.




Construction Activities Approximate Duration

Site Enabling Works

• Perimeter hoardings/site offi ce establishment

• Footpath/services diversions

• Asbestos/piling obstructions removal

• Archaeological and ecological mitigation works

3 months

Demolition Works

• Bishops Mill

• Ice Rink

1 month

Groundworks

• Phase 1 site earthworks

• Phase 2 site earthworks

• Riverbank piling works

4 months

Construction Works

• Substation works/demolition

• Offi ce building works

• Hydro power installation works

• External works

• Highways works

15 months


Construction Activities Approximate Duration

• Offi ce and restaurant/café building works

• Kiosk building works

• Highways works

• External works

9 months




Need for the Development

The proposals are a key element of the Durham Riverside Renewal regeneration project promoted by the Durham City Centre Masterplan prepared in 2007 by Durham City Vision. The Masterplan identifies the former Ice Rink site at Freeman’s Reach as a critical redevelopment priority, and the Design Brief prepared for the site by Durham City Vision in 2010 states:

‘The opportunity exists to deliver a high quality, mixed use scheme that will be inclusive, accessible and sustainable, sympathetic to its setting, capable of providing socio-economic benefits and significant environmental improvements targeted at pedestrians and cyclists.’

The Government’s National Planning Policy Framework strongly supports the regeneration of brownfield sites such as the former Ice Rink site and their redevelopment for commercial and other forms of development. The Durham Riverside Renewal project will create a new mixed-use development of offices, homes, shops and restaurants, which will regenerate an important part of Durham City and safeguard and create in excess of 2,500 jobs over a six to eight year period. A significant benefit of the project will be the enhancement of public access to Durham’s riverside and its important landmarks and amenities.

Alternatives Considered

A number of alternatives to the Proposed Development have been considered and rejected.

‘Do Nothing’

The ‘do nothing’ option would not meet the need to redevelop the Site in order to secure regeneration benefits for Durham identified in the Durham City Centre Masterplan, and supported by local and national policy. If the prospect of redevelopment was not realized, the proposed Site would remain as a poor visual gateway to the City, not improving its external image and potentially affecting wider regeneration aims. There would be no improvement to the environmental quality of the area through removal of an eyesore (the former Ice Rink building) or through provision of a new riverside public space and walk.

Alternative Sites

The Flood Risk Assessment concluded that there are no sequentially preferable alternative sites that are reasonably available to locate the development as a whole, or disaggregated, that deliver the regeneration benefits to the wider area or present any lesser risk to flooding than the application site.




Alternative Design Solutions

A range of alternative design solutions have been considered, including alternative layout and form of the built development, hydro power options and public realm strategies. The preferred option is considered to represent the optimal design solution for making effective use of the brownfield site and addressing the identified environmental constraints. The scheme will deliver substantial new office floorspace in a development that respects the character of the Site, and the nature and sensitivity of surrounding uses and the environment.

Overall, the Proposed Development will deliver substantial social, economic and environmental benefits, and support the redevelopment of the wider Durham Riverside as envisaged in the Durham City Centre Masterplan.



Summary of Environmental Impacts

The likely significant impacts that construction and subsequent operation of the scheme (once new offices are occupied) would have on the environment have been identified and assessed under the topics identified within the Environmental Statement. The scope of the Environmental Impact Assessment was agreed by the planning authority in consultation with the statutory environmental bodies and included the following topics:

• Historic Environment.

• Landscape/Townscape Character and Visual.

• Biodiversity.

• Hydrology and Flood Risk.

The potential effects arising from the proposed scheme were assessed against the current environmental baseline conditions related to the Site. Where potential significant effects on sensitive environmental resources or receptors were identified, proposed mitigation measures have been identified to avoid, reduce or ameliorate these effects. The residual effects, taking into account mitigation, identified by the Environmental Impact Assessment process are summarised below.

Historic Environment

The Proposed Development is located on a site historically situated on the fringe of the medieval city of Durham, and with a long association to water power through Bishop’s Mill.

The Site lies within the Durham (City Centre) Conservation Area, but is otherwise not covered by any other heritage designations. The Site is located within the setting of the Durham Cathedral and Castle World Heritage Site, which lies approximately 210m to the south of the Site. The City Centre contains a number of Listed Buildings and Scheduled Monuments which provide the setting to the World Heritage Site.

Bishop’s Mill

Cathedral and Castle on skyline




The Proposed Development has been designed to minimise any significant adverse effects on the historic environment. Where effects are unavoidable, these have been reduced or offset through careful design and provision for a programme of mitigation including historic building recording and archaeological investigation works, by agreement with the planning authority. There would be no permanent significant adverse effect on the setting of individual Listed Buildings or Scheduled Monuments due to the Proposed Development.

The Proposed Development has sought to respect views to and from the World Heritage Site, whilst ensuring that scale, massing and materials reflect the historic character of the surrounding Conservation Area. The Proposed Development has been designed to avoid disruption of the skyline created by the Cathedral and Castle on the peninsula, whilst the proposed removal of the intrusive Ice Rink would enhance the setting of the World Heritage Site in views from the north and west. There would be no permanent adverse effect on any attribute that contributes to the outstanding universal value of the World Heritage Site.

The removal of the unsympathetic former Ice Rink building would enhance the setting of the Conservation Area. The loss of Bishop’s Mill is outweighed by the substantial regeneration benefits that the scheme will deliver in terms of economic investment, environmental quality and public access improvements, and sustainability. The loss of the mill would be mitigated through a programme of archaeological investigation and recording, and on-site interpretative provision based around the story of the site’s continuing use for water generated power and its contribution to the City’s history.

Impacts arising from groundworks associated with construction would be offset by a programme of archaeological recording and an increase in archaeological knowledge and understanding of the development of the historic townscape.

Overall, the Proposed Development would have a Minor Adverse Impact on the historic environment due to the loss of the remains of Bishop’s Mill. However, the Proposed Development would also have a permanent Significant Beneficial Impact by providing improvements to the setting of the Conservation Area and World Heritage Site, and by enhancing public appreciation of the historic environment through increased access and interpretation. The Proposed Development would have no permanent Significant Adverse Impacts on the World Heritage Site.

Former Durham Ice Rink



Landscape/Townscape Character and Visual

The Site has a semi-derelict character, and lies on the banks of the River Wear adjacent to modern built development. The Site is readily visible in local views along the riverside north of Millburngate Bridge and also forms part of the foreground in strategic views of the City, including the Cathedral and Castle.

The potential for significant adverse impacts on retained trees during construction and operation would be reduced by adoption of appropriate mitigation measures in accordance with specialist arboricultural advice. While there would be some adverse effects on landscape/townscape character and quality, and from certain views, during construction these effects would be temporary and are not considered significant.

While the Proposed Development is assessed as having a non-significant temporary adverse impact during construction, overall it would have a permanent Significant Beneficial Impact on the character and quality of the landscape/townscape and key views.

Biodiversity

The Site is not designated for its nature conservation value, and lies at some distance from any designated wildlife sites. Survey work has established that the Site is of very limited value in terms of terrestrial ecology, but that its current derelict nature has provided opportunity for bats and otters moving along the wooded riverbank to use some of the extant building and other structures as refuges and roosts.

Measures incorporated into the design of the proposal to mitigate effects on bat roosts and otter refuges would reduce impacts to the point where they are considered unlikely to be significant. In addition, a Construction Environmental Management Plan will be put in place to control and monitor ecological impacts.

Overall, the Proposed Development is assessed as having no permanent Significant Adverse Impact on features of biodiversity value.

Illustrative Proposals - Riverside Walkway

Illustrative Proposals - Riverside Terrace




Hydrology and Flood Risk

The Site is in the historical floodplain of the River Wear, and lies within Flood Zones 2 and 3a designated by the Environment Agency as being at medium to high risk of flooding.

Taking into account the proposed mitigation measures, there would be negligible adverse effects on local hydrology, flood risk, surface water drainage and water quality arising from construction of the Proposed Development. In addition, the assessment concluded that there would be potential beneficial effects on flood risk, surface water drainage and water quality as a result of the scheme once operational.

Overall, the Proposed Development is assessed as having no permanent Significant Adverse Impact on hydrology and flood risk.

Cumulative Effects

Consideration has been given to the cumulative effects that could potentially arise from the Proposed Development in relation other major development proposals, and as they relate to each topic area of the Environmental Statement (accumulative effects).

There are currently no existing planning applications or extant unimplemented planning consents for other major proposed developments in the locality of the Site with the capacity to give rise to cumulative environmental effects. As a consequence, consideration of the cumulative effects of the Proposed Development in relation other major development proposals has been discounted and not considered further.

With regard to the topics of Historic Environment, Landscape/Townscape Character & Visual, Biodiversity and Hydrology & Flood Risk covered by this Environmental Statement, the accumulative effects of the Proposed Development are assessed as having a Moderate Beneficial Impact.

River Wear Flooding 2009



Overall Conclusions

The potential for impacts on the local environment as a result of the Proposed Development have been assessed from an early stage of the design process. Where a risk of a significant adverse impact was identified, these have been mitigated as far as possible through design modifications. Residual environmental risks will be managed through the implementation of effective environmental management plans, controls and monitoring to ensure that the potential adverse construction and operational impacts of the Proposed Development identified within the Environmental Statement are duly addressed by appropriate mitigation measures.

Taking into account the above findings, together with the proposed package of mitigation measures, the Environmental Impact Assessment process demonstrates that, overall, the Proposed Development would have no permanent significant adverse impact on the environment. In addition, the Proposed Development is assessed as having a significant beneficial impact on the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

Illustrative Proposals




Opportunities to Comment

The full Environmental Statement comprises:

• Non-Technical Summary (included in the Environmental Statement and as a stand-alone document)

• Volume 1 (Text & Figures) contains the detailed technical assessments

• Volume 2 (Appendices) contains data and technical reports to support the assessments in Volume 1.

Hard copies of the above documents will be deposited for public inspection during normal opening hours at a number of locations within Durham County Council.

The full Environmental Statement can also be viewed and downloaded via the planning applications section of the Durham County Council website at:

www.durham.gov.uk.

South East Offi ce The Old Crown High Street Blackboys Uckfi eld East Sussex TN22 5JR T 01825 891071 F 01825 891075 E [email protected] W www.cba.uk.net

London Offi ce 1 Swan Court 9 Tanner Street London SE1 3LE T 020 7089 6480 F 020 7089 9260

Directors C J Blandford BA DipLD MLA FLI • M E Antonia BSc EnvSci RSA DipPA • D Watkins BSc MSc AMIEnvSci Chris Blandford Associates is the trading name of Chris Blandford Associates Ltd Registered in England No 3741865. Registered Offi ce: The Old Crown High Street Blackboys East Sussex TN22 5JR

Former Ice Rink Freeman’s Reach, Durham · November 2012 3 Freeman’s Reach, Durham ES...

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