Esher SANG proposal - Elmbridge

Produced by Planning Services, November 2011 Page 1 of 12

Esher Commons Suitable Accessible Natural Greenspace Proposal

www.elmbridge.gov.uk/planning/policy Email: [email protected]


1. Introduction 1.1 Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area The Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA) is a network of heathland sites designated to protect the habitat of the internationally important bird species of woodlark, nightjar and Dartford warbler. Elmbridge Borough Council is legally obliged to make sure that no adverse effect on the integrity of the SPA will arise from mew development. As a result, Core Strategy Policy CS13: Thames Basin Heaths SPA along with the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) and Draft Developer Contributions SPD sets out a package of measures to avoid and mitigate adverse effects arising from new residential development. This provides an integrated and holistic package of on-site and off-site measures comprising:

• The provision of Suitable Accessible Natural Greenspace (SANGs) to act as an

alternative to the SPA provided to a standard of 8 hectares per 1,000 population and in perpetuity.

• Visitor access management and monitoring on the SPA itself

Natural England has agreed that this package of measures will ensure that harm to the SPA is avoided. Further information is provided within the IDP. The draft SPD sets out how contributions from new developments will be collected to deliver the mitigation measures. This document sets out how the Council intends to create a SANG by enhancing an existing area of open space and increase its capacity for informal recreation to provide a suitable alternative to visiting the SPA . It provides background evidence to support the approach to collecting contributions set out within the draft SPD. 1.2 Identification of SANGs

The Council identified two sites as potential SANGs as part of the work on the original Thames Basin Heaths SPA Interim Mitigation Strategy for Elmbridge in 2007. These were agreed with Natural England. This document updates this original work for Esher Commons SANG to bring it in line with current practice.


2. Site Description

2.1 Location

Esher Commons comprises approx 316ha mixed and coniferous woodland, and 42ha of open habitat comprising heathland, grassland, open water and wetland. It encompasses Esher Common, West End Common, Arbrook Common, Fairmile Common, Oxshott Heath and Winterdown Woods and lies either side of the A3 trunk road, between Esher and Oxshott (Map A).

Map A – Location of Esher Commons

The site is located within the Green Belt and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Local Nature Reserve. A small section not included within the SSSI close to the centre is designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI). It also falls within a Biodiversity Action Plan area and Biodiversity Opportunity Area1. 2.2 Ownership The entire area is owned by Elmbridge Borough Council. Oxshott Heath is managed by Oxshott Heath Conservators with the remainder of the site managed by the Council. The

1 Elmbridge Proposals May, July 2011 – www.elmbridge.gov.uk/planning/policy


entire site is common land, although no rights of common remain.

2.3 Physical characteristics, landscape and wildlife

The site lies partly on the acidic soils of the Bagshot Beds and Plateau levels locally overlain by peat, and partly on the damp, clay soils of the Claygate Beds. Habitats include heathland, grassland, scrub, woodland and areas of marsh, bog, and open water. A lot of the heathland areas have been lost to scrub and secondary woodland as there has been no grazing for several years on the common. Heathland restoration management is helping the recovery of heathland plant species2.

Esher Common is renowned for its invertebrate species - over 2000 have been found on the site, of which a great number are nationally scarce or rare. These include the brilliant emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora metallica), the small red damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum), and the white letter hair-streak butterfly (Strymonidia w-album). Scattered areas of heath survive, and are dominated by ling Calluna vulgaris where the soil is dry. This is often mixed with bell heather Erica cinerea or bracken Pteridium aquilinum, supporting a range of characteristic heathland insects including the scarce silver-studded blue butterfly Plebejus argus.

Dense scrub and woodland covers most of the area which used to be heathland. These areas are dominated by gorse Ulex europeaus birches Betula pubescens and B. pendula and grey sallow Salix cinerea. There are significant areas of woodland comprised of birch, willow, sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus and pedunculate oak Quercus robur, and further large areas are covered in pine plantation. There are also some areas of mature, ancient woodland. Black Pond, one of several areas of open water within the site, is poor in nutrients with boggy margins, while Middle Lake and the two ponds on West End Common are richer, fringed with fen vegetation including reedmace Typha latifolia, floating sweet-grass Glyceria fluitans, marsh pennywort Hydrocotyle vulgaris and a Surrey rarity, marsh dock Rumex palustris.

2.4 Car parking and access

There are a number of car parks serving Esher Commons including Sandy Lane, Portsmouth Road and Copsem Lane. A number of other car parks serve the wider West End, Arbrook, Oxshott and Fairmile Commons. There are numerous pedestrian access points3. Sandy Lane is the main car park serving the area to the south of the A3 and from here there is a network of informal paths through the woodland, leading to the main thoroughfare within this part of the site. This wide sandy track runs from Oxshott Heath in the south, diagonally across the site and over the A3 footbridge into Esher Common to

2 Esher Commons Restoration and Management Plan – www.elmbridge.gov.uk 3 Esher Commons leaflet - www.elmbridge.gov.uk/documents/detail.htm?pk_document=9656


the north. This main route has good signposting for horse riders and there are two junctions along the track with routes heading to the north west and the north east.

2.5 Issues and opportunities

With the loss of traditional management such as grazing and cutting one of these habitats, heathland, is disappearing. Species of rare wildlife and plant life have disappeared as open grass and heathland have declined. The Council has a legal obligation to conserve and enhance the SSSI, achievable by restoring grass and heathland on the Esher Commons. This means restoring grass and heathland to areas which are at present, mainly pine. To ensure the future protection of this site, the Esher Commons SSSI Restoration and Management Plan has been produced and approved by Elmbridge Borough Council and Natural England with support of the Forestry Commission4.

4 Esher Commons SSSI Restoration and Management Plan - www.elmbridge.gov.uk/leisure/countryside


3. Potential as a SANG

3.1 Potential designated SANG area

The whole Esher Common site is currently fully accessible and well used by members of the public. Being a SSSI, designated for a variety of nationally important wildlife habitats, it could be susceptible to damage from large volumes of additional users brought on through promoting the site as a Suitable Accessible Natural Greenspace (SANG). Accordingly, based on Natural England’s review of the site’s potential to accommodate further use through targeted mitigation, it has been initially considered that only the area to the south of the A3 was potentially suitable (Map C).

Site Size (ha) Amount of site that

should be used as mitigation

Ha for use as mitigation

Esher Commons SSSI

358 11% 38

Furthermore, within this specified area, it was agreed with Natural England that the section of the Common between the A3 and Sandy Lane is most suitable for short-term enhancement to attract users, in that it is wholly owned by the Borough, with part managed by the Oxshott Heath Conservators, and has good potential for suitable enhancement works. It was agreed that subject to enhancements, it could offer around 20ha of potential SANG (prior to any further discount assumed for existing use as set out below). The site is located just outside of the Thames Basin Heaths SPA 5km buffer zone. The Delivery Framework5 allows for SANGs of 20ha + to have a 5km catchment for contributing sites (Appendix 1). Natural England have specified the characteristics needed by SANGs6. The ones relevant to sites over 20ha describe three categories, ‘essential’ to be required by all SANGs, ‘important’ to be included in the total suite of SANGs in any one area whilst each SANG should have at least one of the ‘desirable’ features. Esher Commons fulfils or could fulfil, following enhancements, all the ‘essential’ and ‘important’ features of a SANG. Due to the sites designation as a SSSI, the proposals for enhancing visitor access and capacity will pay special regard to enhancing the ecological value of the site.

5 Delivery Framework – www.surreyheath.gov.uk 6 SANGs criteria – www.elmbridge.gov.uk/planning/policy


Map C – Location and boundary of Esher Common SANG

3.2 Visitor survey and assessment of current use

A visitor survey was carried out in July 2010 by Footprint Ecology using a standard methodology agreed by Natural England to assess potential SANGs.

Surveying took place at the two main entrances, between the hours of 0700-1900. A total of 16 hours of observation was recorded at each entrance on weekdays (2 days) and 16 hours at each entrance on weekend days (2 days), giving a total of 32 hours of observation. Over this period a total of 120 groups comprising 182 people were recorded entering the site.

The survey suggests that due to the nature and frequency of visits to the site, usage would be fairly evenly spread throughout the week without any significant peaks in activity at the weekend. Based on this, it has been estimated that over a full day there would have been an average of 46 people visiting the site.

All of the visitors were on short visits/day trips from home, typically visiting for a relatively short period (90% were visiting for less than 2 hours and 41% for less than and hour) and most interviewees were regular visitors (about 40% of interviewees visited ‘most days’). Dog walking was the most frequently recorded activity (70.5% of groups) and a third of those dog walkers visit daily. Walking was the second most commonly cited activity, with 11.4% of interviews involving people walking without dogs. Other activities included horse riding, exercise, cycling, outing with family and birdwatching.


More than half of all visitors had travelled to the site by car and a further 30% travelled on foot and two groups travelled by train. Those visiting by foot tended to travel 1.5km to reach the site whilst those visiting by car travelled twice that distance on average. Apart from those travelling by train, all visitors lived within 6.3km of the site. The main reason attracting people to the site was that it was close to home and that they were passing through as part of a longer route.

Interviewees were asked where they had been during their visit and routes mapped. The length of the routes varied between users, for example the typical (median) route for dog walkers was 3.8km, for horse riders was 7.52km, for exercise was 4.2km, for walkers was 3.6km. All routes through Esher Common South formed a part of a longer route through the adjacent commons- particularly Oxshott and North Esher.

3.3 Potential capacity

The Delivery Framework seeks a minimum standard of 8 hectares for each 1,000 person population increase that should be allocated to SANG (equivalent to 0.008ha per person). There is currently no data on numbers of visits to countryside sites per head of population.

As demonstrated by the visitor surveys, Esher Common has a low current level of usage. The actual mitigation capacity of the site is the difference between the overall carrying capacity (based upon 8ha/1000 people) and the current visitor use. Therefore the carrying capacity of the site must be discounted in order to take account of current usage.

Bracknell Forest Borough Council have used visitor survey data to calculate open space use and remaining carrying capacity on a number of potential SANGs. This methodology has been approved by Natural England, and has been applied to calculate the capacity of the Esher Commons SANG as follows (Tables 1 and 2).

Table 1: Calculation of open space use % of people visiting

Frequency of visits

Visits per person per week

Visits per person per year

40% 6.5 (Daily) 2.6 135 40% 1 (Weekly) 0.4 21 8% 0.25 (Monthly) 0.2 10 12% 0.1 (less than

monthly) 0.01 1

100% 3.21 (# of visits per week by average visitor)

167 (# of visits per year by average visitor)

This shows that 1 person who regularly visits the site, on average, visits approximately 3 times per week and makes 167 visits per year. This figure can then be used to establish the number of people in the locality who use the site (Table 2).


Table 2: Mitigating capacity of SANG Total visits per year to the open space

Equivalent number of visitors

Area (ha) Capacity to mitigate (8ha/1000)

Mitigation capacity7

Residual area of SANG capacity available (ha) (estimated)

7,644 48 20 2,500 2,452 19.6

Therefore it is estimated that the site has the capacity to mitigate for 2,400 people if enhancements are implemented (19.6 ha of potential SANG). This is equivalent to approximately 1000 new dwellings.

3.4 Proposals

The following improvement works were identified and agreed with Natural England8 as being necessary for the site to be designated as a SANG:

Improvement Works Identified by Natural England

Elmbridge Council Agreed Action

Car Parking - it would appear that the two formal car parks serving this part of the Common (one on Sandy Lane and one on the Portsmouth Road) are not utilised to capacity, which is of benefit for a plan to attract more people to the area. However, these car parks should be monitored over the longer term to determine if future expansion is needed.

Agreed, and agreed with Oxshott Heath Conservators where it affects land they manage.

Signage - clearly visible and accessible signage describing the features of the site should be provided at both the main car parks. New signage should be provided that advertises this area of the Common as to the enhanced features. Both main car parks should be clearly signposted from Copsem Lane and the Portsmouth Road in a way that denotes not only the location of the car park itself, but also identifies the opportunity for open space access from these car parks.

Agreed. New directional signs and interpretation boards to be provided. Road signage – improved directional signs on A244 Copsem Lane, A307 Portsmouth Road, and Sandy Lane. On-site signage – information/interpretation board in car park; directional fingerpost signs on circular route from Sandy Lane Car Park, and on main footpath linking through to Fairmile Car Park, Portsmouth Road.

7 Estimated capacity to mitigate minus no. of visitors per year. 8 Thames Basin Heaths SPA Interim Mitigation Strategy for Elmbridge – www.elmbridge.gov.uk/planning/policy


Improvement Works Identified by Natural England

Elmbridge Council Agreed Action

Footpaths - at least two circular walking routes (from 0.5 to 3.5 km), ideally a long walking route and a short walking route, should be provided in this section of the Common, which are accessible from the respective car parks (for example, both routes could begin and end at Sandy Lane Car Park, with the longer route coming near to and easily accessible from the Portsmouth Road Car Park). These routes should be clearly identified on the information board at the car parks as to their length and a description of features that can be viewed along their course. These routes must be easy to use and well maintained but should remain

Agreed. Associated path works will be implemented, including benches and barriers for the public

Visual Attractiveness - there is high potential for the creation of an area of permanent/seasonal water constituting a series of interlinked ponds and related wetland habitats in the southwestern corner of this area in order to provide an attractive ‘focal point’ for this part of the Common. A series of paths (including the two promoted routes suggested) should lead into and around this area. Attractive, visually sensitive signage could also be provided to explain the project and/or the resulting habitat matrix.

Agreed a large pond and wetland area will be created, together with additional tree work, removal, thinning and clearance.

Dogs - visitors must be free to walk dogs off their leads on the site; measures to control dogs on the site must be avoided and should only proceed in consultation with Natural England in accordance with the site’s official designation as a SANGS.

Agreed, but may be subject to possible further legislation.

Publicity - a revised leaflet should be created for the site, once enhancements are completed, and distributed to new homes in the area and made available at the car parks and other entrance points on the site. Other appropriate advertising for the site, including on the Elmbridge website and in local Borough publications, should be taken forward at the appropriate time.

Publicity will be given to the Esher Commons in ‘The Elmbridge Review’, the official Borough Council magazine, local newspapers, and on the Council’s website. A specific information leaflet will be produced (3,000 run in colour) to be made available for local estate agents and for distribution to new homes in the area, and to be available at the car park and other entrance points on the site on completion of enhancement works.


3.5 Costs

The costs of bringing the site up to a standard to be used as SANG are detailed below. This covers one-off set up costs. The maintenance and management of the sites has also been considered. Calculations are based on an estimate that assets will need to be replaced every five to ten years and on the Council’s experience of managing similar sites. An annual allowance of 10% of set-up costs is made for the ongoing maintenance of the site and replacement of assets. The costs of managing the site in perpetuity covers a period of 125 years9.

Works Unit cost Quantity Total cost Access Surface improvements to car parks £7,000 1 £7,000 Creation of footpaths, together with associated provision of benches and barriers

£14,000 1 £14,000

Habitat management Creation of pond and wetland area, including design of scheme, tender preparation and contract supervision

£90,000

1 £90,000

Tree removal, thinning and clearance £10,000 1 £10,000 Information and interpretation Interpretation panels £2,000 2 £4,000 Road signage £1,000 2 £2,000 Fingerposts £300 8 £2,400 Site promotion (publicity) £5,000 1 £5,000 Other Visitor surveys £5,000 2 £10,000 Total set-up costs £144,400

Annual maintenance & replacement of assets - £14,440 Maintenance & replacement of assets in perpetuity10 - £1,805,000 Total cost of SANGs enhancement and maintenance - £1,949,400

3.6 Administration

Details of monies received and spent, and work undertaken will be included within the Council’s Authority’s Monitoring Report (AMR). The Council is also required to report to Natural England quarterly on the amount of new development in their area allocated to SANG.

9 In accordance with the Perpetuities and Accumulation Act 2009 – www.legislation.gov.uk 10 Annual maintenance & replacement of assets multiplied by 125 years.


Appendix 1 - Esher Commons SANG catchment and Thames Basin Heaths 5km buffer

Documents

Esher SANG proposal - Elmbridge