Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION FACILITY AT
COLESHILL SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS, COLESHILL,
WARWICKSHIRE
Planning Application
Design and Access Statement
June 2013
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1
2. SITE CONTEXT .......................................................................................................... 3
3. DESIGN STATEMENT ................................................................................................ 5
Built Development ................................................................................................... 5
Site Layout .............................................................................................................. 8
4. ACCESS STATEMENT ............................................................................................ 10
Vehicular Access .................................................................................................. 10
Emergency Access ............................................................................................... 11
Public Access ........................................................................................................ 11
5. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................... 12
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 This Design and Access Statement (DAS) accompanies and supports a planning
application made to Warwickshire County Council (WCC) for the proposed
erection and operation of an Anaerobic Digestion facility to process and manage
circa 48,500 tonnes of biodegradable organic waste per annum at Coleshill
Sewage Treatment Works, Coleshill, Warwickshire. The application is submitted
by Severn Trent PLC (hereby referred to as Severn Trent).
1.2 Section 42 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (the 2004 Act)
substitutes Section 62 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (the 1990 Act)
and requires that a statement covering design concepts and principles and
access issues is submitted with a planning application for certain types of
development. Section 42 also inserts a new Section 327A into the 1990 Act,
which prohibits, among other things, a Local Planning Authority (LPA) from
entertaining an application unless it is accompanied by a design statement and
an access statement, where required.
1.3 The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Circular
01/2006: Guidance on Changes to the Development Control System (June
2006), outlines the requirement for Design and Access Statements to accompany
planning applications for certain types of development. This requirement came
into force in August 2006. The Circular states that a DAS is required for all
planning applications, except for a listed few, including engineering or mining
operations. Therefore, this DAS has been prepared in relation to the proposed
development of an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility at Coleshill Sewage
Treatment Works site (hereby referred to as Coleshill STW).
1.4 This DAS provides an explanation of the concepts and principles addressed in
reaching the final design of the scheme, as well as identifying how all users will
have safe and convenient access to buildings and spaces within the
development. The purpose of the DAS is to assist those assessing the
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
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application, in particular the decision making authority (in this case WCC), to
better understand the design and access rationale involved in developing the
proposals.
1.5 A major part of a DAS is the explanation of how local context has influenced the
design. In this case, however, the design process has focused more on the
operational requirements for the structures used, their external appearance and
the industrial context in which they are sited.
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
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2. SITE CONTEXT
2.1. The proposed site is located at Coleshill STW in Coleshill to the north of
Warwickshire. It is accessed from Edison Road, which links to Hams Hall
Distribution Park and then on to the A446 and the M42. The site is located
immediately to the north of Coleshill at OS grid reference SP 19664 91273. It is
located in the District of North Warwickshire and within the boundary of Coleshill
Town Council.
2.2. The site, including access roads through Coleshill STW, measures approximately
3.2ha. The STW site is bounded to the east by Coleshill Parkway Railway Station
and the Coleshill Rail/Freight Terminal; to the south by the Birmingham-Leicester
railway line, and beyond that the Coleshill Industrial Estate; to the west by the
A446 Lichfield Road and the Birmingham - Derby railway line; and to the north by
the Hams Hall Distribution Park. Running along this boundary is the outfall
channel for treated water from the much larger Minworth STW, 3km upstream,
which joins the River Tame at the far eastern end of the Coleshill STW site.
2.3. The proposed access to the AD site will be via the existing STW access from an
unclassified road which links to Edison Road within the Hams Hall Distribution
Park. Vehicles will use the same access into and out of the site although the site
has been designed with a one-way system to minimise vehicle conflict and turn-
around times, therefore, vehicles will travel through the site in a clockwise
direction. This will improve traffic management to and from the public highway.
2.4. The nearest residential receptors surrounding the site are situated on Board
Cottages 0.5km to the west, properties on Gorsey Way 0.6km to the south west,
Spring Farm 1.4km to the north west and Blythe Mill 1.4km to the east. There are
numerous industrial units neighbouring the site to the north and south. The site is
not covered by any international or national designations.
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
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2.5. The site has been selected as it offers excellent proximity to the sources of
waste; safe and convenient access to the public highway; close proximity to
agricultural markets for the end product; few receptors; and excellent proximity to
the major transport network leading to the main conurbations of Warwickshire
and surrounding Counties, being within just a few miles of three major arterial
routes. The use of these roads will dramatically reduce the use of minor country
roads by HGV’s. Thanks to its location within the County, Severn Trent believes
the site selected will offer significant savings in terms of waste miles travelled.
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
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3. DESIGN STATEMENT
Built Development
3.1 The built development will comprise 5 digestion/storage tanks, a waste reception
building, site office and welfare facilities, biofilter and scrubbing system (for
filtration of the air in the reception building), weighbridge, 2 gas engine units,
transformer, energy crop storage area and feeder, access roads, and a car
parking area (as shown on Site Layout drawing number P035-001).
3.2 The layout of the site has been designed to meet operational, amenity
requirements and to ensure that the proposal does not detrimentally affect the
continued STW operations of the Coleshill site. The reception building and tanks
are agricultural in their appearance, although are also complementary to an
industrial setting. They will be coloured dark green in order to minimise their
visual impact.
3.3 The digestion and storage tanks will have a diameter of approximately 28m. The
tanks would be
cylindrical in shape to a
height of approximately 8
metres from which point
they would rise in a
conical fashion to a point
at approximately 16
metres high. They would
be constructed of
concrete walls to 8m,
which will be sheet clad,
while the roofs of the biogas collecting tanks are constructed of a double
membrane - the internal membrane rises and falls with the biogas, while the
Figure 1 Digester and storage tanks at Cassington
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
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outer sheet is constantly inflated, providing protection against the elements
(Figure 1).
3.4 The reception building and the control and panel rooms would have a combined
footprint of approximately 1,430m2 with a ridge height of approximately 13
metres. The height of the reception building is required in order to accommodate
the tipping height of Refuse Collection Vehicles (RCV’s) and bulkers which
deliver the imported waste. The waste delivery vehicles deposit the waste into
one of a pair of solid waste bunkers, tipping the body of the vehicle to unload,
requiring at least 7m of clearance. The building would be steel framed, with
profiled metal sheet cladding, the design of which is similar to agricultural and
industrial buildings.
3.5 The energy crop silage storage area will have a footprint of approximately
2000m2 and comprise 3m high concrete walls. Whilst silage is being stored, it will
be sheeted for protection.
3.6 Air extracted from the reception building will be passed through a wet scrubber
(which removes hydrogen sulphide from the air) and a bark and woodchip
biofilter. The biofilter will comprise concrete walls to approximately 3m high and
be filled to approximately 2.5m depth with bark and woodchip.
3.7 The site office and welfare facilities will be housed within three pre-fabricated
units located to the southeast of the reception building, close to the haul road and
entrance to the reception building for security and easy access for visitors. Car
parking spaces will be provided adjacent to the site office for staff and visitors.
3.8 In terms of scale and mass, the site has been designed to minimise its footprint
and height as much as possible, however ultimately this is controlled by the
process and proposed capacity of the facility. The largest individual aspect of the
development is the reception building. Required to accommodate the tipping of
large waste vehicles, the height is minimised as much as possible taking account
of the safe tipping height of the largest vehicles and it is designed to have an
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
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appearance which is sympathetic to this industrial location. It will also be painted
in a non-reflective dark colour to reduce its visual impact and make it more in
keeping with the wider landscape (Figure 2).
Figure 2 View to existing AD facility at Cassington
3.9 The tallest aspects of the development are the digestion and storage tanks and
the exhaust stack for the CHP engines, which rise to approximately 16m and
18.5m respectively above the surrounding ground levels. In terms of the tanks,
their roofs are conical, which reduces the bulk of the tank and therefore
minimises their appearance and visual impact. The tanks have an agricultural
appearance to them, resembling silos or similar storage facilities (Figure 2). In
fact, it is not uncommon to find AD facilities on farms. It is therefore anticipated
that the proposed development will not look out of keeping in the proposed
Green Belt location and would be similar in scale and mass to the adjacent
industrial units.
3.10 Any lighting required on-site for safe working outside of daylight hours,
particularly during the winter months, will have hoods to direct light downwards
and into the site, thereby minimising light spill and pollution.
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
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3.11 The site will be surrounded by a 2.4m high security fence which will be
sympathetically landscaped and painted a dark green colour in keeping with the
other buildings and structures within the site (Figure 3).
Figure 3 Typical 2.4m high fencing utilised at Agrivert sites
Site Layout
3.12 The site layout is primarily designed around the operational requirements of the
facility, however certain aspects are designed to minimise potential
environmental or amenity impacts. For example, the built aspects are designed
to be located adjacent to the surrounding industrial buildings in order to reduce
the overall visual impact of the development and prevent it standing out as an
unusual feature in the landscape. The reception building and ‘busy’ areas for
vehicle movements have been located furthest from the industrial and residential
receptors as possible.
3.13 The silage clamp will be located towards the northwest of the site and will sit
behind a grass seeded bund so the concrete is not fully visible. The main built
structures of the site will be sunk down into the existing ground levels, where
possible, which will reduce visual impacts. The existing mature trees which line
the haul road will break up views from the train line.
3.14 The aspects of the development which have the propensity to generate the most
noise disturbance are HGV movements and the gas engines. The design has
incorporated features which aim to reduce their impact on nearby receptors, such
as positioning within the site as mentioned above and the gas engines being
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
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housed within acoustic containers. HGV movements and their associated noise
impact will be limited to the proposed hours of operation:
• 07:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday
• 07:00 to 16:30 Saturdays; and by exception
• 08:00 to 16:30 Sundays and Bank Holidays as required.
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
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4. ACCESS STATEMENT
Vehicular Access
4.1 Access to the site and vehicular movements around the site are important
aspects, which must be designed to safeguard against conflict between other
vehicles utilising the STW site and the surrounding highway users, as well as
pedestrians.
4.2 The AD site will be accessed via an existing access from an unclassified road
which connects to Edison Road. The access currently serves the STW site
together with industrial and business uses. A Transport Statement (compiled in
liaison with the Local Highway Authority) accompanies the application in Section
7 and concludes that the access is acceptable for the proposed purposes and
frequency of use.
4.3 Several different vehicle types will use the facility. The majority of vehicles
accessing the site will be Refuse Collection Vehicles (RCV’s), bulkers and
tankers, importing biodegradable organic waste for processing. These vehicles
will enter the site, using the weighbridge before progressing to the reception
building. Waste collection vehicles access the reception building through an
entrance on the south side of the building and then exit through the north side of
the building. Pedestrian and HGV movements have been segregated by the
installation of separate access points to the building.
4.4 Staff and visitors, would access the site via the same route as HGV’s, parking
within the designated parking area adjacent to the site office and from here
accessing the site office and site on foot. A separate pedestrian access is
provided to the reception building to minimise conflict with RCV’s, bulkers and
other operational vehicles.
4.5 A loading shovel will be used on site to transport energy crop silage from the
storage area in the north-western part of the site, to the feed bunker located
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
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between the two primary digesters. The silage storage area and feed bunker
have been located within close proximity to each other to prevent conflict
between the loading shovel and other users of the site.
4.6 The digestate, produced as a result of the AD process, will be transported from
the site in sealed transport tankers. These tankers will enter or exit the site via
the same site entrance and following the site traffic management system, they
will collect digestate from the digestate loading bay on the eastern side of the
reception building. Once loaded, they will deliver the digestate to neighbouring
farms for spreading as a fertiliser.
Emergency Access
4.7 Emergency services vehicles would be able to access the site via the existing
access on Edison Road. They would then be able to enter the site using the main
entrance.
Public Access
4.8 The site is an operational waste facility and as such it is not anticipated that
members of the general public will access the site. However, members of staff
and visitors will be accessing the site.
4.9 Health and Safety procedures are strictly implemented at the site and therefore
pedestrian access will mainly be by staff who are trained in Health and Safety
and have undergone a site induction. Visitors will be accompanied by a member
of staff or, if necessary, required to undergo a site induction themselves.
Anaerobic Digestion Facility Land at Coleshill STW, Warwickshire
Design and Access Statement June 2013
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5. CONCLUSION
5.1 This proposal for an AD facility at Coleshill STW is designed to provide organic
waste treatment opportunities to contribute to the management of waste within
Warwickshire and surrounding Counties.
5.2 The design of the proposed development has been formed taking into account
the context of the local setting of the site, on-site constraints and operational
requirements. The built aspects have been designed and positioned
sympathetically given the landscape character of the area and the proximity to
sensitive receptors. It is therefore considered that the scale, siting, appearance
and overall design are considered to be appropriate to the environment in which
the buildings are proposed and their appearance in the wider landscape will be
acceptable.
5.3 Access to and the management of traffic around the site have been considered
and designed with regard to the scale, number and frequency of vehicles utilising
it; pedestrian use; and the associated health and safety issues for an operational
waste facility.
Rev Description Date By
Notes.
Scale @ A3
Job no.
Title
Drawn by/Checked by Date
Dwg No. Revision
Project
Agrivert Limited
The Stables,
Radford,
Chipping Norton,
OX7 4EB
Tel 01608 677 700,
Fax 01608 677 711,
email [email protected]
Anaerobic Digestion Facility
Coleshill
Traffic Management Plan
P035 004
1:1000 JM 28.01.13
Flare
Biofilter
Staff &
Visitor
Parking
Site Offices
Reception
Building
CHP Units &
Associated
Equipment
Entrance
Exit
Existing
Site
Structure
Existing
Site
Structure
Existing
Site
Structure
Existing
Site
Structure
W
e
ig
h
b
r
id
g
e
Existing
Communications
Mast
Existing
Communications
Mast
Scrubber
Weighbridge
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