SHP2016 - Energy and Sustainability Statement

8/15/2019 SHP2016 - Energy and Sustainability Statement

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STONE HILLPARK LIVE WORK PLAY

A brighter future for

Thanet and East Kent

SHP1-8

Energy andSustainability Strategy


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STONE HILL PARKSUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT INCLUDING ENERGY STRATEGY

CONFIDENTIAL MAY 2016


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STONE HILL PARKSUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT INCLUDING ENERGY STRATEGY

Stone Hill Park Ltd.

Confidential

Project no: 70009799Date: May 2016

WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff6 Devonshire SquareLondon, EC2M 4YE

Tel: +44 207 337 1700Fax: +44 207 337 1701www.wspgroup.comwww.pbworld.com


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Q U A L I T Y M A N A G E M E N T

ISSUE/REVISION DRAFT FIRST ISSUE SECOND ISSUE

Remarks Draft Revised as percomments from legalreview

Date 05/05/2016 06/05/2016 16/05/2016

Prepared by Sabbir Sidat Sabbir Sidat Sabbir Sidat

Signature

Checked by Barny Evans Barny Evans Barny Evans

Signature

Authorised by Tony Selwyn Tony Selwyn

Signature

Project number 70009799 70009799 70009799

Report number 01 01 01

File reference 70009799 70009799 70009799

P R O D U C T I O N T E A M

WSP UK (WSP|PB)

Senior Consultant Sabbir Sidat

Associate Director Barny Evans


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Stone Hill Park WSP | Parsons BrinckerhoffStone Hill Park Ltd Project No 70009799Confidential May 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................... 3

2 INTRODUCTION................................................................................. 4

3 PROJECT BACKGROUND ................................................................ 5

4 URBAN DESIGN ................................................................................ 6

5 ENERGY & CARBON ......................................................................... 7

6 TRANSPORT ...................................................................................... 8

7 WATER ............................................................................................... 9

8 SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE ............................................................. 10

9 WASTE & RECYCLING ................................................................... 11

10 BIODIVERSITY ................................................................................. 12

11 AIR QUALITY ................................................................................... 13

12 ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE ................................................ 14

APPENDIX – ENERGY STRATEGY ............................................................... 15

A. POLICY CONTEXT ........................................................................... 16

i. Thanet Local Plan ......................................................................................................... 16

ii. Building Regulations (Part L) ........................................................................................ 16

iii. Proposed DEVELOPMENT Ambitions ......................................................................... 16

B. BASELINE CARBON EMISSIONS ................................................... 17

D. BE LEAN: REDUCE ENERGY DEMAND ......................................... 18

i. Building fabric ............................................................................................................... 18

ii. Building services ........................................................................................................... 18

iii. Co2 Emissions Reduction ............................................................................................. 19

E. BE CLEAN: SUPPLY ENERGY EFFICIENTLY ............................... 20

i. District Heating Network ............................................................................................... 20

ii. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) ............................................................................... 20

iii. Carbon Emissions Reduction ....................................................................................... 20

F. BE GREEN: RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES ................. 21

i. Wind Power .................................................................................................................. 21

ii. Biomass Heating .......................................................................................................... 21

iii. Ground Source Heating and/or Cooling ....................................................................... 21

iv. Solar Thermal Hot Water Heating ................................................................................ 22

v. Photovoltaic Panels ...................................................................................................... 22

vi. Suitability Appraisal ...................................................................................................... 22

vii. Carbon Emissions Reduction ....................................................................................... 22

G. RESULTS .......................................................................................... 23

i. Energy Conservation and energy efficiency (Be Lean) ................................................ 23

ii. Supply Energy Efficiently (Be Clean) ........................................................................... 23

iii. Renewable Technology (Be Green) ............................................................................. 23

H. EXAMPLE SAP WORKSHEETS - PROPOSED ............................... 24

I. EXAMPLE BRUKL DOCUMENT - PROPOSED .............................. 27


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1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY WSP | Parsons Brinkerhoff was commissioned by Stone Hill Park Ltd. to produce a sustainabilitystatement to support the planning application for the Proposed Development at the formerManston Airport site (Stone Hill Park). The planning application for this project is due to besubmitted in May 2016. This will be a hybrid planning application consisting of a detailedapplication for Phase One (which consists of four new commercial units and the change of useand refurbishment of a number of existing buildings) and outline planning application for the restof the site.

The site was acquired by Stone Hill Park Ltd. in September 2014 and has plans to regenerate thearea through the construction of a mixed-use development consisting of 2,500 homes, anemployment area (consisting of light industry spanning use classes B1-8), schools, leisurebuildings and a central mixed use commercial hub.

Figure 1-1 Elements of sustainability

This sustainability statement examines the site from a number of sustainability perspectives inorder to explain how the Stone Hill Park plans to contribute towards sustainable development.

The Proposed Development will bring much needed housing and employment to the region, butwill do so in a way which will consider the social, environmental and economic impact of theProposed Development.

In terms of urban design, the proposals have been developed to take into account the heritage ofthe site and ensuring the runway and aircraft museums play an integral part of the character ofthe development. Visually sensitive areas of the site have been identified and this has informedthe layout of the site while the homes and amenities are to be designed to be adaptable to thechanging needs of the future residents. For certain elements of the scheme, the layout will seek tomirror what can be found in the surrounding villages, while it will also draw upon the heritage ofthe site to form its own identity.

The local requirements for the energy strategy for the buildings require compliance against

national building regulations. This project aims to exceed these requirements by an additional10%. Although the exact methodology is yet to be determined and may vary across the differentphases of the project, the preferred method of achieving this goal is through the use of improvedbuilding fabric which will increase the efficiency of the properties along with an element of solarPV; this is what is currently proposed for the first phase of the development as well as theresidential properties.

The transport strategy is designed around the need to reduce single occupancy private car useand instead promotes sustainable forms of transport such as walking, cycling, buses and trains.

Stone Hill Park is located within cycling distance of two train stations, with a third planned in thenext few years which will be even closer. Many amenities are close by, with existing bus routesplanned to provide additional stops and routes as the different phases of construction arecompleted. It is hoped that having employment and residential homes on the same site, will initself reduce the need for commuting by car.

The former Manston airport site is located in an area classified as water stressed. With this inmind the requirements in Thanet’s draft local plan regarding the use of water in homes to below105 litres per person per day has been considered and an example strategy provided. In additionThanet’s hierarchy for reducing water will also be used to inform the design.

Linked to this, the site has a generally low level of flood risk, aside from that due to potentialdrainage issues. The addition in impermeable area such as footways, roads and car parking willall contribute to an increase in surface water runoff. This in turn would increase the amount ofwater discharging into the existing outfall, which eventually discharges into Pegwell Bay.Therefore sustainable drainage systems in the form of SUDS have been considered as part ofthis scheme. The use of swales and basins have been included and will provide suitable drainagefor a 1 in 100 storm events, even including an additional allowance for climate change.

During the construction phase the use of approved schemes such as the Considerate

Constructor’s Scheme will help to reduce waste on site, as will the implementation of a SiteWaste Management Plan; the latter using the waste hierarchy to reduce waste produce d uring theconstruction process. Meanwhile future residents will be provided enough space for all fivedifferent waste stream receptacles collected by the client. In addition to this, internal temporarywaste storage provided will also allow separate space for recycling and general waste.

The Kent Red Data Book contains accounts of over 1,300 different species which are rare orthreatened in the county. Stone Hill Park aims to provide a positive contribution to Thanet's greeninfrastructure network and biodiversity. This will be achieved through the use of a ConstructionEnvironmental Management Plan (CEMP) to set and manage environmental targets for the siteduring construction. Once fully developed, approximately 100ha of semi-natural grassland will stillremain on the Site. Through continuous careful management of this area this will likely result in adirect permanent positive effect on the local plants and wildlife.

Road transport emissions strongly influence local NO2 concentrations however modellingundertaken has used a pessimistic ‘worst case’ view on the improvements in vehicle emissions.Modelling has shown that air quality, though will be reduced due to the Proposed Development,will not see Nitrogen Dioxide or Particulate Matter levels breaching local limits. Pollutants duringthe construction and operational phase have b oth been considered and mitigated against through

the use of best practice and the aforementioned Considerate Contractors Scheme.The site has taken into account the potential effects of climate change in a number of ways.When designing the residential homes, climate change increases the potential of overheating.The cooling hierarchy will therefore be used to reduce this risk and ensure highly efficient homes.Similarly, when designing the drainage system, an allowance has also been made to take intoaccount the increased storm intensity due to climate change.

Through the consideration of all these various aspects, we have shown that Stone Hill Park will bedeveloped with sustainable development as a core requirement. The scheme will continue to worktowards improving its sustainability credentials and aims to have a positive effect on the region.

Sustainability

UrbanDesign

Energy /Carbon

Transport

Water &Drainage

Waste &Recycling

Bio-diversity

AirQuality

Adaptingto Climate

Change


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2 INTRODUCTION Sustainable Development is a term increasingly used to describe a wide range of aims andobjectives from small individual building level to global initiatives. One of the first attempts todefine it came in the 1987 UN document ‘Our Common Future’ (aka the Brundtland Reportnamed after the chairman of the commission).

Since then, a more practical definition has emerged by Robinson and Tinkerwhich describes sustainable development as the “reconciliation of threeimperatives. These are the ecological imperative to live within globalbiophysical carrying capacity and to maintain biodiversity, the socialimperative to ensure the development of democratic systems of governancethat can effectively propagate and sustain the values that people wish to liveby, and the economic imperative to ensure that basic needs are metworldwide.”

Put simply, this it means breaking downsustainability into three key aspects:

1. Environmental

2. Economical

3. Social

It is when these three elements come together

that a project can be thought of as contributing tosustainable development.

Projects need to be technologically andeconomically viable; this means we require thetechnology, skills and understanding to put inplace the solutions suggested. Along with thisthey also need to be affordable for it to be arealistic proposition. One example of this is solarphotovoltaic panels, which initially were costlyand required government support, but have nowbecome affordable and worthwhile without anysubsidies.

Environmental concerns should also be taken into account. Previously the site was used as anairport, and therefore caused a large amount of air quality pollution, noise and released largeamounts of carbon emissions. Compared to this scenario, the proposed business and housingdevelopment if well designed could potentially improve the sustainable credentials of the site as

well as providing much needed housing to the region.

Socially, there is a strong need for housing in the area as identified by the local authorities. Inaddition to this, the Proposed Development will bring employment to the area which will help torejuvenate the local economy. Bringing back into use the derelict site will also have a noticeablesocial benefit to the area.

Thanet District Council describes sustainable development “as meeting the needs of the presentwithout compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” and referencesthe UK’s Sustainable Development Strategy which sets out five guiding principles of sustainabledevelopment:

1. Living Within Environmental Limits

2. Ensuring a Strong, Healthy and Just Society

3. Achieving a Sustainable Economy

4. Using Sound Science Responsibly5. Promoting Good Governance.

This project aims to ensure sustainable development is an overriding concern at all aspects forthe projects life; from early stage planning and design, to onsite-construction and finally during theoccupation and use of Stone Hill Park

The government has set a target of creating 60% of new homes each year on brownfield(recycled) land by 2016. In Kent, this target is even higher at 80%. The re-use of the formerManston Airport site for housing presents a large opportunity to help meet one of the key targetsfor the county.

Another target, as set out in the ‘Kent Design Guide’ describes the substantial levels ofcommuting to Greater London for employment which has developed throughout Kent over the lastcentury. This means that, many modern housing developments are virtually abandoned for largeparts of the day and a decline in the economic viability of many services which, otherwise, couldbe locally provided. This employment-led development aims to combat this by providing places ofwork on site. This will lead to a reduction in the need for commuting and therefore reduces

commuting costs, while increasing leisure time for the residents.

This strategy aims to discuss a wide range of different sustainability topics and attempts toexplain how the development as a whole will contribute towards sustainable development. Thefollowing aspects are covered in this report:

Urban Design

Energy / Carbon

Transport

Water

Sustainable Drainage

Waste and Recycling

Biodiversity

Air Quality

Adapting to Climate Change

“development that meets the needsof the present without

compromising the ability of futuregenerations to meet their own

needs” – Bruntland Report

Environmentalconcerns

Economic concerns

Socialconcerns

SustainableDevelopment


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3 PROJECT BACKGROUND The Site is located at the former location of Manston Airport (Kent international Airport / LondonManston Airport) which is adjacent to the village of Manston in the district of Thanet in Kent.Figure 3-1 shows a map of the area, with the Site boundary shown within the red line.

The airport first came in use during the First World War and this military use continued into the

Second World War. In the 1950’s the Site was used by the US Air Force as a strategic base,before being turned over to the RAF and civilian (freight and passenger) use in the 1960s. Thecommercial use gradually grew until in 1989 when it was rebranded as Kent International Airportand began offering flights into Europe. The facility once again rebranded in 1999 as ‘LondonManston Airport’ coinciding with the time when the RAF completely ceased operations at thebase.

However in the subsequent years the airport failed to meet growth expectations and sawcontinual decline in sales. By May 2014, the airport closed its doors after its final passengerservice ceased running.

The Site was acquired by Stone Hill Park Ltd. in September 2014 and has created plans toregenerate the area through the construction of an employment-led development consisting of2,500 homes, an employment area (consisting of light industry spanning use classes B1-8),schools, leisure buildings and a central mixed use commercial hub.

Several of the heritage buildings are to be retained and include both the RAF Manston Museumand the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum. Though none of the buildings are listed, other

buildings on site will be retained and refurbished in order retain the heritage of the site.

Figure 3-1 Site Location Map for the Proposed Development (Site boundary within red line)


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4 URBAN DESIGN Good urban design ensures that the development provides a quality place to work, live and visit. Itinfluences the size, form and use of settlements (as well as spaces in between) to ensure thedesign integrates into the surroundings and context of the Site.

The creation of an attractive and sustainable place to live and work is a key part of the

developmental process for Stone Hill Park. Part of this is ensuring the heritage of the area ismaintained and where possible enhanced. To that end several of the buildings such as the RAFManston Museum and the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum will remain on site. Otherbuildings such as the control towers and old hangers have also been identified as havinghistorical value, although none are listed; these will be sensitively refurbished as part of thedetailed application for this scheme. In addition to this, a portion of the main runway is to beretained for historical value. The much smaller taxiway to the north of the Site is also to beretained for use as a runway by light aircraft though only infrequently during special events.

From an early stage in the design, the Site has been examined in context of its history andsurroundings to understand how the proposed development could be integrated into the Manstonand Thanet local areas. This has meant that there are certain areas of the Site which aredeemed to be ‘visually sensitive;’ these include the plot edge which faces the runway, where lessthan 30% of the land will be development as well as further areas of the Site where only 50% ofthe land will be developed on. The open and flat nature of the Site means that all developmentlocations are visible from across the Site; providing opportunities and challenges and requiringcareful consideration of the form, composition and extent the development.

Urban design elements also include the need to ensure that the Stone Hill Park developmentcreates an active community and not just housing or facilities, but considers how the design helpsto promote a healthy community in an environment which is liveable and allows flexible spaces forwork and play for the duration of the Site ’s usable lif e. The residents will have access to existingfacilities in the area such as the Manston Golf Centre, social clubs, supermarkets, fast food andreligious establishments. In addition to this the development will add to this by providing newschools, a swimming pool, general surgeries and community halls; all within easy walkingdistance. The 2,500 new homes that are to be constructed not only provided much neededhousing to the region, but also uniquely have direct access to green spaces and parks.

Over the course of the life of the development, society’s need s and requirements may changesignificantly. Therefore creating a design which can be adaptable for any future needs will alsoneed to be taken into account. The non-residential buildings will be designed to ensure they can

be used for a large variety of different tenant typeswhich may occupy the space at different times. Thedomestic properties will be able to adapt to changes inhousehold sizes, compositions and work patterns.Similarly the town centre and other amenities will need

to be carefully thought out to allow for future adaptionand alteration to ensure areas do not become obsolete,unused or undesirable.

The proposed development has been designed toprovide a range of properties both commercial anddomestic which vary in size and layout. The Site itself issplit into different sections which cover differentdevelopment zones and use types. The western area ofthe Site is used as the employment-led area with the

building use classes covering B1,B2 and B8.

As with traditional towns, the layouthas been designed to show anincrease in height and densitytowards the centre of the town. Thisis also where many of the localamenities are located. This designallows for definition and

containment to the central highstreet, with terraced propertiescreating a strong continuousfrontage.

At the key road junction of the highstreet, a central area will be created proving a community-focused public open space. This willgive the streets in this area a village character, with smaller front gardens, wide pavement areasand street tree planting to bring greenery into the street scene.

Surrounding the village centre will be residential properties, with schools slightly further out andthe swimming pool/leisure centre to the south east. A mix of building uses and styles will create avibrant and diverse scene making the area a pleasant space to inhabit. Four different characterareas have been developed as part of the Masterplan; each with own unique features andthemes.

The previous site use has meant that currently there is little in terms of landscape structure, toinform and influence the layout. However the Proposed Development will incorporate the existing

airfield layout as well as taking into account the surrounding villages to ensure a sympathetic andappropriate scale and street pattern, though not necessarily seeking to replicate them. Themedium density residential streets that surround the centre of the town will mimic the townscapeof Birchington-On-Sea; with a mixture of semi-detached and detached properties with large frontgardens.

Large amounts of public open spaces are also provided on the Site. This is an important factor increating a good quality of life as well as social, economic and environmental benefits. Attractiveopen spaces and paths create a feeling of pride of place which brings people together.

Six guiding principles have been identified in the development of Stone Hill Park:

1. Creating a new place – a mixed use development bringing together employment, residential,leisure and community

2. Protecting and enhancing the environment – protecting, enhancing and promotingsustainable development

3. Celebrating the heritage and archaeology – respecting the Site’s history

4. Appreciation of landscape and character – fully integrated into the landscape of Thanet

5. Connecting to surrounding area – creating a well-connected development

6. Creating a new parkland network – providing a range of green spaces

In the document ‘World Class Places – The Government’sstrategy for improving quality of place’ published in 2009,the government talks about four key elements for a qualityof place:

The range and mix of homes, services and amenities;

Design and upkeep of buildings and spaces;

Provision of green space and green infrastructure;

Treatment of historic buildings and places.


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5 ENERGY & CARBON It has long been established that greenhouse gas emissions, most commonly in the form ofcarbon dioxide, are a large factor and cause of climate change. In 2012, 4.9 tonnes of CO 2 wasemitted in Thanet per person; a large proportion of this is energy use in the home throughheating, hot water, lighting and electrical appliances. Therefore when constructing new homes aswell as new commercial properties, it becomes imperative that the highest levels of building

standards are adhered to.

Energy efficient properties are generally more costly to build compared to simply meetingminimum requirements, but over the course of the life of the property this translates directly tolower fuel bills for residents and occupiers. The projected trends in gas and electricity prices arefor them to continue to rise. Therefore a fuel efficient property provides homeowners and tenantsa degree of protection against these rising costs.

Multiple layers of energy and carbon requirements apply to the development at a national,regional and local level, each of which requires different targets to be met. The development willbe designed to target the most onerous requirements applicable at each phase of development.

All development must meet the prevailing Building Regulations requirements. The developmentwill be brought forward under Part L 2013 and this has been used as the basis of this energystatement. Part L1A covers new domestic homes, Part 2A covers new commercial properties andPart 2B covers the refurbished commercial properties.

The energy statement has been structured in accordance with the energy hierarchy: Be Lean, Be

Clean, Be Green:

Be Lean – this covers both reducing the need for energy as well as using energy moreefficiently. Building layouts and orientation can be used to increase passive solar gains andtherefore reducing the need for heating and lighting. On many sites there are constraintswhich make this difficult and therefore there are other measures such as improving buildingfabric (double or triple glazed windows, wall and roof insulation, high efficiency lighting etc.)which can be used to reduce the consumption of energy.

Be Clean – consideration of combined heat and power.

Be Green – renewable energy can also be generated on site to reduce heating or electricaldemand from gas or electricity networks. This may be in the form of heat pumps, biomassboilers, wind turbines or solar panels.

Although there is a minimum requirement in England for energy efficiency, the Stone Hill Parkdevelopment seeks to go above and beyond this requirement by a minimum of 10% in order toemphasise its commitment to sustainable development as well as reducing energy bills forhomeowners and tenants.

The final design and the ways in which this target is achieved may varybetween the different property types and developmental phases.However we expect all of the properties to be designed to achieveoptimum energy performance and incorporate the following designfeatures:

Significantly exceed the minimum fabric requirements

Buildings will include low energy lighting and high efficientbuilding services

Use of clean or renewable technologies

Accredited Design SAP 2012 software was used to determine the regulated carbon emissionsand Fabric Energy Efficiency standards for a sample of typical domestic properties. The resultswere then extrapolated across the whole development to assess the total baseline CO2 emissions, the CO2 emissions after the application of energy efficiency measures and the CO2 emissions after the application of zero carbon technologies. The results are shown in the tablebelow. Similarly the IES VE was used to model the non-domestic property which was under thedetailed application.

The Site was assessed with the following concluded:

The building fabric and building services to be improved over notional values.

It is not possible to serve the development from a nearby or site-wide district heating network.

The residential development could potentially be served by a solar PV system located on theroofs supplying approximately 210,000 kWh of generation capacity annually. This could be inthe form of ~240No. 1kWp individual units.

The four commercial units could be potentially be served by a solar PV system located on theroofs supplying approximately 40,150 kWh of generation capacity annually.

This along with the aforementioned fabric efficiency measures would allow the new buildelement of the development to meet a 10% reduction in carbon emissions compared to theminimum requirements of Part L 2013.

This methodology only shows one potential route available to the developer in order to reach theproject objectives. As the project progresses we expect the solution may change depending ondetailed design and building specific requirements.

Table 5-1 Regulated carbon dioxide savings from each stage of the energy hierarchy forresidential units

Regulated carbon dioxide emissionssavings (TCO2 per annum)

Regulated carbon dioxideemissions savings (%)

Savings from energy demand reduction 230.7 6.8%Savings from energy efficient supply 0 0%Savings from renewable energy 109.0 3.5%

Total Cumulative Savings 339.7 10.0%

Total Target Savings 338.3 10%

Annual Surplus 1.4 0.0%

Table 5-2 Regulated carbon dioxide savings from each stage of the energy hierarchy for the fourcommercial warehouse units

Regulated carbon dioxide emissionssavings (TCO2 per annum)

Regulated carbon dioxideemissions savings (%)

Savings from energy demand reduction 3.9 1.7%

Savings from energy efficient supply 0 0%Savings from renewable energy 20.8 9.0%Total Cumulative Savings 24.7 10.5%

Total Target Savings 23.5 10%

Annual Surplus 1.2 0.5%

“The Stone Hill Park developmentseeks to go above and beyond this

requirement by a minimum of 10% inorder to emphasise its commitment to

sustainable development”


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6 TRANSPORT Transport and travel is responsible for a quarter of the UK’s CO2 emissions and continues to growannually at a rate of 4%; more than any other sector. Therefore it is important that transportsystems in the area needs to be balanced in favour of sustainable forms of transport and wherepossible making neighbourhoods walkable. In recent years, the Government’s approach to risinglevels of car traffic has changed. In the past, the approach has been that increasing demand for

road capacity should be met with increased supply. During the early nineties it was recognisedthat the construction of new roads leads to more traffic generation, in turn, leading to therequirements for more roads in an escalating spiral. This has led the Government to review itspolicy on the location of developments, in particular developments generating traffic to focus onsustainable development.

Aside from the release of CO2 emissions, road transport from cars and other vehicles create alarge amount of other air quality issues such as increasing the amount of pollution in the form ofparticulate matter and nitrogen oxides in the air. These can have a significant effect on humanhealth reducing lifespans as well as damaging the environment. In London alone particulatepollution was thought to be responsible for 1,000 premature deaths during 2005.

The increase in cars also brings about an increase in noise pollution as well as road congestion;the latter means that more time is spent sitting in traffic and less free time to spend at home orsocialising.

As identified in Thanet’s draft Local Plan, transport is a critical factor in council’s aspirations for asustainable economic regeneration. Currently Thanet does not suffer from significant levels of

congestion, traffic noise, pollution and delays such as experienced in urban centres elsewhere inKent. In addition a high proportion of Thanet’s population has no access to a car. This though haspotential to change and some traffic congestion already occurs at certain junctions at peak times.

The proposed scheme is not predicted to have any significant transport related environmentalimpacts during the construction phase, although in general the transport of materials in theconstruction industry alone accounts for 30% of all road freight. A Construction EnvironmentalManagement Plan (CEMP), as also described in the section on biodiversity, will cover the targetsand mitigation that will be put in place during the construction phase of the project. An outlineCEMP has been provided as part of this application, but it is also expected individual CEMPs willalso be developed for each phase of the development. With regards to transport specifically thesewill include:

Pedestrian and vehicular access points and how segregation will be maintained

Type and frequency of construction vehicles

Number of staff working on site and a workforce travel plan

Parking arrangements

The South East Plan includes a target to provide 138,420 new homes in Kent by 2026 and theCounty Council estimates that, if delivered, this growth could result in an extra 250,000 car journeys on Kent’s roads every day. Stone Hill Park aims to be an employment-led developmentand so attempts to create a community where commuting to work via sustainable methods is bothviable and an attractive proposition. An efficient and co nvenient public transport system and direct

walking and cycling routes need to be at the heart of any transport network, as isthe case with this development.

The general driving force of sustainable transport policy is to decrease reliance onthe single occupancy private car by ensuring that developments are accessible bymore sustainable modes of transport, including; bus, rail, cycle and by foot.

The closest railway stations to theSite are Ramsgate station locatedapproximately 4km to the east andMinster station approximately 2kmto the south; both of which arewithin cycling distance. Busservices 11, 38 and 38A currentlyoperate along Spitfire Way andManston Road that bound the Site,with further services along

Canterbury Road West. A newrailway station, Thanet Parkwaystation (located just south of theSite), is planned to be operation byearly 2019; a new cycle andfootpath will be provided givingresidents access to the national railnetwork within a 20 minute walk.

The presence of the school on theSite means that transport via cars isalso reduced during peak times; asthe schools will also be withinwalking distance. Thanet’s FeetFirst document states that walkingaccounts for 26% of all trips in inthe district and the Stone Hill Parkaims to be walkable where possible.Walking not only has health benefits, but also increases social cohesion in the community; an

important factor in a new development such as this.

The proposed scheme is expected to generate a significant number of additional trips by allmodes. These have been assessed for impact considering five separate measures; severance(traffic volumes), pedestrian delay, pedestrian / cycle amenity, fear / intimidation and accidents /safety.

In terms of severance, none of the links assessed are expected to experience an increase intraffic flows greater than 30% and therefore the magnitude of impacts are classed as neutral, withthe same being true for pedestrian delay and pedestrian / cycle amenity.

However the Proposed Development has been shown to have a direct, permanent and negativeimpact on a number of junctions which already operate close to or near full capacity. Increases intraffic flows also have a major effect on fear and intimidation and a moderate one on accidentsand safety. In order to mitigate some of these effects, a comprehensive Public Transport Strategy(PTS) has been developed for the Site in conjunction with the principal bus operator for the areaand KCC; with additional bus stops serving the development as the different phase’s progress,along with changes in frequency and alteration to b us routes to better serve the development.

New pedestrian and cycle links will be promoted across the Site in order to improve accessibility

and connections to the surrounding pedestrian and cycle infrastructure, with all primary andsecondary routes including provision for pedestrians and cyclists. It is also intended that theremnants of the main runway will be used as a cycling track which encourages exercise but alsocycling as a form of transport. This may be further encouraged through the provision of showersand changing facilities in the commercial properties which will form the hub of the employmentarea as well as by providing secure cycling parking facilities in the village centre.

An assessment has also been made of the off -site implication of the development and a n umberof mitigation measures have been proposed. Where major adverse impacts still remain, furtherwork will be undertaken post-application in conjunction with KCC to reduce these to anacceptable level.

Cycle Parking Best Practice:

Visible – easy to find and well signed and lit

Accessible – preferably within 20-30m of the finaldestination

Safe and Secure – easy to use personal locks, but alsofeeling like a safe space for the user

Easy to use – intuitive and usable for a range of bike

types and sizes

Consistently available – located in small clusters indifferent areas

Covered – makes use more attractive

Connected – to complement the cycle network

Linked to other services – such as bus stops as well ashire or repair facilities

Attractive – well designed and in keeping with the area

Not a problem for others – should not get in the way ofothers

“walking accounts for 26% of

all trips in in the district”


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7 WATER One of the most pressing issues that all new developments must take into account is themanagement of water and ensuring a sustainable supply and efficient usage. This is especiallyimportant in Thanet where between 1981 and 2010 the Manston weather station recordedaverage annual rainfall of 592.5mm close to half of the UK average of 1,154.0mm.

Thanet’s water is supplied by Southern Water. The water supply comes from Thanet’s chalkaquifers, rivers and is also piped from Medway. It is essential that water is managed efficiently tomeet the needs of a growing population, particularly in the South East where water is scarce. Dueto the proposed development, there will be an increase in the demand on the water supplynetwork. As the Site is located in a water stressed area and there are capacity issues, off-sitereinforcement works will have to be undertaken to ensure adequate water supply. This will needto take place early in the development of this project, though does not preclude the importance ofincorporating water efficiency into the heart of the design.

Water usage in both the commercial and residential properties typically follows the followingmethodology:

1. The first step is to reduce the demand for water. In the residential element for thisdevelopment this could include using low or dual flush taps, tap flow restrictions, bath sizelimitations etc. Education can also play a major part to this to encourage less water wastealong with accessible metering points in order for residents to keep track of usage. Some ofthese measures can also be applied to the non-residential employment areas.

2. The second step is the installation and use of rainwater harvesting, though for larger

developments such as this, the release of surface run-off also needs to be considered inorder to not affect the local water table/courses. The converse of this is that this technologycan help reduce the impact of flooding.

3. The last step is to re-use waste water in the domestic property for a secondary purpose e.g.flushing of WCs or watering of external plants (which together account for 37% of domestic

water usage). It is worth keeping in mind that although all water issupplied to a domestic property is of ‘drinking water’ quality; typicallyless than 5% is used for that purpose.

Rainwater harvesting in its simplest form involves collecting water fromroof tops and re-using them within the building for non-potable waterapplications. Once the water is collected, it is first filtered then stored.Typically a tank is sized to hold 18-20 days’ worth of water; these tankscan be either above or be low grounds.

From there the water is pumped either directly to point of use, or to aninternal break tank. If the system runs low, mains cold water will back

up the system to ensure continuous supply until it next rains in whichcase it automatically switches back. A typical system can provide 50%of a person’s water use.

The now defunct Code for Sustainable Homes sets a limit for dailywater usage per person, per day (this is against a UK average of 150litres per person per day).

Level 1 and 2 – 120 litres



In response to Thanet’s new Local Plan consultation document, the Environment Agency hasrecommended that “higher standards are appropriate in water stressed areas such as Thanet”and that domestic properties should be “designed to achieve a minimum water efficiency of 105litres per person per day in advance of mandatory requirements, equivalent to 110 litres perperson per day inclusive of external use .”

However it has been confirmed that these are n ot currently adopted requirements by the counciland so working to these requirements remains an asp iration at this point and not a mandated

requirement.

An example specification using the former Code for Sustainable Homes water calculator tool isshown below, outlining how the 105 target could p otentially be achieved.

Table 7-1 Example water use calculation

INSTALLATION TYPE TYPICAL SPEC EXAMPLE SPEC EXAMPLE LITRES PERPERSON PER DAY

WC Dual Flush (@ full volume) 3-6 litres 6 litres 8.76WC Dual Flush (@ part volume) 3-6 litres 4 litres 11.84Kitchen Taps 6-12 litres/minute 5 litres/minute 12.56Other Taps 3-12 litres/minute 5 litres/minute 9.48Bath (max capacity) 100-200 litres 150 litres 16.50Shower 5-8 litres/minute 5 litres/minute 34.96Washing Machine 4.5 – 14 litres/kg 8.14 litres/kg 17.09Dishwasher 0.8 – 1.6 litres/place

setting0.9 litres/placesetting

3.24

Total 104.1

Thanet council’s recommendation on the management of water is shown below.

Figure 7-1 Hierarchy of water management

Reduce Demand - Low Volume Baths, lowwater demand planting, dual/low flush WCs,

low flush or waterless urinals

Water Efficiency - Water efficient 'A' ratedequipment, leak detection, water timers,

metering and sub-metering

Reduce Supply - Rainwater harvesting

Recycle - Black and grey water recovery

Disposal

Most Preferable

Least Preferable


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8 SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE Sustainable Urban Drainage systems (SUDS) are an alternative form of drainage, compared toconventional piped systems. They replicate as closely as possible the natural drainage of the sitebefore any development has begun which in turn reduces the risk of flooding downstream of thesite. It also helps to replenish groundwater and removes pollutants gathered during water run-off,benefitting local wildlife. The Draft new Local Plan states how new developments will be expected

to manage surface water using SUDS wherever possible.

Thanet has few areas of low lying land that are at risk of flooding from the sea; the main causesbeing fluvial and tidal flooding. In particular the Old Town area of Margate (which lies 4 miles tothe north of the Site) is located in a low lying area, where floods could potentially cause millions ofpounds worth of damage. The Site itself is located within Flood Zone 1, where probability of fluvialand tidal flooding is lowest and less than 0.1% every year. Therefore the impact thedevelopments will have on tidal/fluvial flood risk during construction or operation is considered tobe negligible.

SUDS can be designed to efficiently and sustainably drain surface water, while minimisingpollution. Surface water runoff in built up areas tends to flow rapidly into the sewer system, whichplaces a burden on the sewerage network and increases flood risk downstream as piped systemshave limited capacity. SUDS can slow the rate at which water disperses, thus reducing the risk offlooding caused by urbanisation.

Figure 8-1 SUDS Example

At Stone Hill Park, the addition in impermeable area such as footways, roads and car parking willall contribute to an increase in surface water runoff. This in turn would increase the amount ofwater discharging into the existing outfall, which eventually discharges into Pegwell Bay.

As part of the drainage strategy, the use of SUDS in the form of attenuation basins, swale andpermeable paving are proposed; these are intended to help treat the water and therefore mitigatethe risk of contamination to Pegwell Bay. Each basin is designed to be 1.5m deep while the largelinear swale with basins proposed along the southern boundary, will have a base of 10m. Theenhancement of the area due to the use of these features may end up having a positive impact onthe water quality compared to the current baseline.

In addition to the change in impermeable area, the altering of ground levels may also affect thesurface water being conveyed off-site; this in turn could cause flooding. The proposed drainagesystem has been designed to take this into consideration and the Site will reduce dischargecompared to existing for all storm events up to the 1:100 year including a 20% allowance forclimate change. By increasing this climate change allowance to the upper end of predictions to40%, our modelling has shown that the increased water level within the proposed attenuation canbe managed with still no flooding occurring.

However, maintenance is also a key part of ensuring the effectiveness of SUDS. All SUDS mustbe approved by Kent County Council who examines the design of the system as well as theconstruction, operation and maintenance of the system. For the paving this is mainly in the formof regular cleaning and vacuuming of the area, whereas the attenuation ponds / basins and dryswale require litter removal as well as management and cutting of the grass and vegetation.

Figure 8-2 Thanet Groundwater Protection Zones


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9 WASTE & RECYCLING Waste and recycling for this development can be split into two distinct phases; although themajority of the waste occurs during the use and occupation of the site, thought must also be takeninto the construction phase of the development; this statement is echoed in the Local Plan forThanet.

Construction waste accounts for a high proportion of all waste produced in the UK. Governmenttargets aim to reduce construction waste on major sites by 30%. Similarly, the transport ofmaterials in the construction industry alone accounts for 30% of all road freight and constructionwaste accounts for 40% of all waste. Disposing of waste to landfill has a number of environmentalimpacts, including ecological damage from contaminating landfill sites, depleting resources andcontributing to climate change. Recycling construction materials rather than disposing themthrough landfill, not only reduces the pressure on these landfill sites, but also can save energyand cost.

Careful design and specification, including off -site manufacture, can help reduce waste duringconstruction. The Considerate Constructor ’s Scheme encourages contractors to go beyondminimum requirements and attempts to protect the environment through the better managementof environmental issues, seeking sustainable solutions and minimising the impact of pollution fromtheir activities. The Principal Contractors, once appointed, will register their development plotswith the Considerate Constructors Scheme.

Site Waste Management Plans (SWMP) as well as the setting and monitoring of targets can alsogo a long way towards minimising waste on site. SWMP are a requirement for all construction and

demolition works above £300,000, with additional requirements for projects above £500,000 invalue (as in this case). They cover the steps required under the waste hierarchy but also havethree main aims:

Improve efficiency and profitability by promoting reuse, recycling and recovery of waste,rather than disposal.

Reduce fly-tipping by keeping a full audit trail of waste removed from sites and complyingwith waste duty of care regulations.

Increase environmental awareness of your workforce and management

The Proposed Development includes the demolition of almost 13,000m2

of existing on-site structures, and parts of the taxiways and runway. Atthis stage it is not possible to quantify the types and volumes of wastethat will arise from the proposed demolition works. However a pre-demolition audit will take place and materials segregated into wastestreams such as metals, timbers and hardcore.

Using indices from The Construction Resources and Waste Platform andThe Building Research Establishment, construction waste from the newbuild and refurbished elements of the scheme has been estimated at47,520 tonnes. The Principal Contractors will be responsible for settingand reviewing targets to ensure high standards are reached, maintained

and where possible continually improved upon. Some measures which are expected are:

Ordering – Using Just-in-time, ordering correct lengths, keeping programme up-to-date

Storage – Correctly storing materials to avoid damage, using secure or off-site storage

Delivery/Handling - Careful loading/unloading, only accepting correct orders

Every year in the UK approximately 400 million tonnes of waste is produced; a quarter of thiscomes from households, commerce and industry. The type and amount of waste produced fromthe commercial and residential elements of the scheme will differ considerably but in general thewaste facilities needs to be sufficient to house all the waste and recycling receptacles, with thecontainers themselves being adequate to deal with the likely amount of waste produced andconveniently located for easy access. TDC guidance also advises that trade and domestic wasteare stored separately and clearly labelled. For the majority of the Site, this would not be an issueas the employment area is separate to the residential development.

Provision should be made for the storage of recyclable waste so that it does not deteriorate or

become contaminated, particularly in the case of commercial operations. This is important asfailure to do so can encourage fly-tipping while not considering the security of the waste can alsocause anti-social behaviour, arson, vermin and the creation of street litter. For phase one, eachunit will contain internal temporary waste storage facilities as well as external main waste storeswhich will be screened and locked. For all the commercial properties, the tenants or the buildingmanagement team will arrange their own waste collections through a commercial wastecontractor.

British standards for Waste Management in Buildings can be used to estimate and produce wastemetrics for different commercial activities. Some examples of these are:

Offices – 50 litres per employee

2/3 star hotel – 250 litres per bedroom

Industrial units – 5 litres per floor area

The Draft Local Plan also suggests that the bin storage be no further than 15m from where thecollection vehicle will pass, whereas the proposed waste strategy for the Site specifies that the

waste presentation area should be within 10m. Similarly the walking distance from the resident’sfront door to their waste storage areas should not exceed 30m.

Thanet council currently collects five separate waste streams, these are:

Refuse – 180 litre black wheeled bins

Mixed dry recycling – 240 litre blue wheeled bins

Paper and card – 80 litre sack or wheeled bin

Food – brown container or brown wheeled bin

Garden – optional 240 litre green wheeled bin

All new domestic properties will need to take into account and make space for all five of thesecontainers. Where multiple units share waste storage facilities, the council has provided a formulafor calculating the total container size, which will be used.

Each residential property will be provided with a segregated waste bin, which will encouragerecycling; a typical container would have a 19 litre capacity for waste, with a large 30 litre

container for recyclables.

The Waste Hierarchy:

1. Reduce and prevent waste

2. Reuse materials

3. Recycle and composting

4. Recover through waste to energy

5. Disposal


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10 BIODIVERSITY Biodiversity plays an important role in achieving sustainable development. It includes all speciesof animals and plants and the natural systems that support them. As well as the environmentalbenefits of maintaining biodiversity, it also plays a vital role in the physical and mental health andwellbeing of people and provides a link to the natural environment.

The UK is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity and is committed to thebiodiversity goals and targets (‘the Aichi targets’) agreed in 2010 and set out in the Strategic Planfor Biodiversity 2011 –2020. These have therefore been fed down to regional and local targets.There are many species which have already been lost in the UK and the Kent Red Data Bookcontains accounts of over 1,300 different species which are rare or threatened. Some of thesewere always limited in number or geographical distribution, but many more were once common inthe countryside.

Therefore all new developments must demonstrate how the overall biodiversity value of the Sitewill not be reduced due to the proposals. The draft local plan explains how a “green infrastructurenetwork is an integral part of the design” of all major developments and how “opportunities toimprove Thanet’s green infrastructure network by protecting and enhancing existing greeninfrastructure assets and the connections between them, should be included early in the designprocess”.

Development can make a positive contribution to Thanet's green infrastructure network by:

Creating new wildlife and biodiversity habitats

Providing and managing new accessible open space

Mitigating against the loss of any farmland bird habitats

Providing private gardens and play space; and/or

Contributing towards the enhancement of Thanet's Biodiversity Opportunity Areas or theenhancement of the Green Wedges

The proposed design includes a four step process for avoiding/improving the effects of thedevelopment on sensitive ecological features:

Avoidance – Retention of undisturbed parcels of land, hedgerows and buildings

Mitigation – Sensitive timing of construction works, grassland management

Compensation – Replacing bat/owl/kestrel roosts, reptile habitats

Enhancement – Additional native hedgerow planting, creating new habitats

Biodiversity Opportunity Areas (BOA) indicate whereeffort should be focused in order to create the maximumbiodiversity benefits. The maps also show where thegreatest gains can be made from habitat enhancement,restoration and recreation, as these areas offer the bestopportunities for establishing large habitat areas and/ornetworks of wildlife habitats. Although Thanet has twoBiodiversity Opportunity Areas identified (Thanet Cliffsand Shore and Lower Stour Wetlands) neither cover theproposed development.

A number of European/internationally designated sites fall within a 10 km radius of the Siteincluding Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Special Protection Area (SPA), Special Area ofConservation (SAC) and Ramsar site. This site is designated for an internationally importantpopulation of turnstones Arenaria interpres, amongst other features. Margate and Long SandsSAC, Sandwich Bay SAC and the Outer Thames Estuary SPA are all located over 3km from theSite. Stodmarsh SPA, SAC and Ramsar Site are located furthest from the Site at almost 7.9km tothe south west.

In addition, there are two UK statutory designated sites located between 1km and 2km from theSite: Sandwich Bay to Hacklinge Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Sandwich

and Pegwell Bay National Nature Reserve (NNR), both are located to the south e ast of the site.

Biodiversity is seen as an integral part of this proposal and design process from an early stage inthe design rather than an afterthought. This is true for both the construction phase andoperational phase of the development.

The Site itself, in general is dominated by large areas of semi-improved neutral grassland andpoor semi-improved grassland. Interspersed within this are large areas of hard-standing (such asthe runway which is between 6-9m thick) and clusters of airport buildings to the north-east andnorth-west of the runway.

Much of the grassland on the Site is managed through fertilisation and annual cutting,characterised by species which favour these neutral conditions. Some areas of grassland are lesswell managed (towards the western and eastern ends of the runway); these show a wider rangeof diversity of herb species. It is estimated that during the construction phase 75ha / 40% of thesemi-improved currently present on Site will be lost. However 100ha will be retained andenhanced.

A Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) will be used to set and manageenvironmental targets for the Site. This will outline how the construction project will avoid,minimise and mitigate effects on the environment and surrounding area. The CEMP is a ‘live’document and will need to be kept up-to-date throughout the 15 year construction phase. Thescope covers air quality, water, noise, energy and cultural heritage amongst others. The outlineCEMP for this Site describes the following specific measures:

Plant will be certified to meet relevant current EU legislation

Equipment and vehicles to be shut down when not in use

Semi-static equipment is to be sited and oriented as far as is reasonably practicable awayfrom noise sensitive receptors and will have localised screening if deemed necessary

Where possible, mains electricity to be used instead of generators

The layout of the Site will be designed to minimise the risk of pollution reaching thegroundwater (with hoarding I place to safeguard owls and hares)

Once fully constructed, the Proposed Development will have a significant effect on biodiversity atthe Site. In addition to the loss in semi-improved grassland, cats will also have a negative effecton wintering birds and indirectly the owl population through the reduction of prey. Increased trafficcould result in increased barn owl fatalities while light pollution will work to fragment habitats.

However, the retention and continued sensitive management of approximately 100ha of semi-natural grassland on the Site will likely result in a direct permanent positive effect for the semi-improved grassland, wintering birds, barn owl and brown hare. During the operational phase, thenew landscaping will also become functional, compensating for construction fragmentation effectson protected species and providing additional foraging opportunities.

Typical Steps for ensuring biodiversity:

1. Conduct a survey

2. Protect existing habitats and species

3. Mitigate against potentially harmful effects

4. Enhance existing habitats and create new ones

5. Compensate where damage is unavoidable

6. Undertake monitoring and management


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11 AIR QUALITY Generally, Thanet has good air quality. But in the UK as a whole poor air quality causesapproximately 29,000 premature deaths each year and reduces the average lifespan by 6months. In addition it also has a significant effect on wildlife and agriculture.

When measuring air quality, we are mainly focussed on two elements; particulate matter and

nitrogen oxides (though carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and low level ozone is also ofconcern).

Particulate matter (PM) is defined as a liquid or solid particle or aggregates with a diametergreater than 200 pico-metres and is suspended in air. The amount of damage PM can causeto human health depends on its composition, physical properties, concentration, size andlength of exposure. The smaller the particle is the further down the respiratory system it isable to travel; therefor PM10 (that is particle less than 10 microns) are generally retained inthe nasopharynx, whilst for particles greater than 50 microns the regular breathing action forhumans is not enough for inhalation.

Nitrogen oxides (NO) inflame the lining of the lungs reducing immunity to lung infections. Thiscan cause coughing, colds and flus symptoms as well as increasing the rate and intensity ofattacks by asthma sufferers.

The majority of the local impact on air quality in the region comes from road transport; this hascaused two Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) to be created in the region at busy junctionswhich have shown nitrogen dioxide above recommended levels. Where a local authorityanticipates that national air quality objectives are not likely to be achieved in a location, it must

declare an AQMA along with a plan to improve the air quality. In order to guard against furtherexceedances in other areas in 2011 the council decided to declare an urban wide AQMA. ThisUrban AQMA doesn’t cover the area of the proposed development however the developmentmust still consider its impact as it may affect air quality within it. The closest air monitoring stationis located slightly beyond the eastern edge of the Site on Kentmere Avenue.

Figure 11-1 Thanet Urban AQMA

Emissions and dust from thedemolition and construction phaseof a development can have asignificant impact on local airquality, especially from largedevelopments such as this one

During the construction phase,

demolition activities (includingmaterial handling, earthworksfabrication and constructionprocesses) will increase the level ofdust and PM at existing receptors.The total volume of buildings andhardstanding to be demolished onsite is estimated to be between than20,000 - 50,000m

3 and it is

estimated that the amount ofmaterial to be excavated willexceed 100,000 tonnes. Similarlythe increase in equipment and machinery will also raise the ambient level of exhaust emissions;again this will affect PM concentrations as well as NOx.

The Greater London Authority and the London Councils have produced guidance to control dustand emissions from construction and demolition. This guidance is considered to be best practiceand the Kent and Medway Air Quality Partnership encourage using this in the planning process.

Although construction traffic will have a negative impact on NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 concentration,this will be mitigated through the use of the Considerate Constructors Scheme. Through thesuccessful implementation of the proposed mitigation measures, it is not anticipated that there willbe any significant negative effects on the local community.

Air quality at Stone Hill Park will be maintained through the use of energy efficient propertieswhich go beyond minimum requirements, the encouragement of sustainable forms of travel andrenewable energy in the form of Solar PV. In addition no energy centre will be provided for theSite; another common source of air pollution.

During the operational phase, road traffic will affect pollutant levels in the local area as well as inThanet’s Urban AQMA and on Thanet’s coast where there are areas of Scientific Special Interest,Special Protection Zones and Special Area of Conservation.

When considering the Stone Hill Park scheme, seven separate future scenarios have beenmodelled and compared against a baseline. The Ministry of Defence Fire Training Facility islocated to the north-west of the Site. Emissions from this facility are intermittent, but do have anadverse effect on air quality. This has also been considered in the modelled scenarios.

All new receptors in all modelled scenarios are predicted to have annual mean NO2, PM10 andPM2.5 concentrations below the air quality objectives for annual mean concentrations. Similarlyshort term hourly mean NO2 concentrations and daily mean PM10 concentrations are expected toremain below requirements.

The main source of the emissions increase comes from vehicle traffic and therefore theaforementioned Travel Plan will be pivotal in reducing pollutants even further beyond these levels.In addition this assessment represents a worst case scenario where no improvement in emissionsfactors as there is currently disagreement with the EURO 6 (VI) approval scheme for new cars.

A common three step approach for addressing air qualityin new developments is:

1. Redesign – creating car-free developments, reducingparking provision, plan mixed-used developments,avoid creation of non-dispersive canyons, installation

of CHP units etc.

2. Mitigation – providing car share schemes, travelplanning

3. Offset - Financial contribution towards trafficmanagement measures / improvements in publictransport / improvements in walking and cyclingfacilities


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12 ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE Adaption to climate change is an important part of addressing the issues, impacts andopportunities cause by climate change. This means that all future developments need to becreated in order to easily adapt to this changing environment over the next 50 to 80 years toguarantee long-term sustainability. In general, in the UK this will mean increases in temperature(hotter summers and milder winters), increases in seasonality, and increases in the frequency and

intensity of storm events, rising sea levels and higher wind spee ds.

Older people are especially susceptible to the effect of overheatingand are more likely to be at home during the hottest times of day.By 2065 the population of England and Wales over 65 years old willhave risen from 18% to 26%; the district profiles for Thanet in 2014already shows over 22.6% of the population over 65; higher than thenational average.

Overheating in homes not only has the potential to contribute todiscomfort, but could be the cause of significant health implications

for residents. There were over 2,000 excess deaths during the 2003 heatwave, which sawtemperatures in the UK remain above 30°C for a 9 day period. The young, elderly and those withpre-existing illnesses experience the greatest level of risk when temperatures rise, withdehydration one of the biggest killers. However, people who are usually fit and well are also likelyto suffer deterioration in their quality of life or health. These affects are projected to worsen overthe next few decades as o ur climate changes.

Overheating typically occurs in dense flats whereas the proposed development consists mainly oftownhouses, which will reduce this risk. The properties will be dual-aspect allowing for morecross-flow and creating a natural cooling effect. Many modern properties also incorporate largeamounts of glazed areas; again this will be avoided to reduce the amount of solar gain, though abalance will be sought. The amount of greenery proposed for this site will also help to cool urbanareas. Trees reduce the amount of radiation that can reach below the canopy area, andincreasing the amount of plants, shrubs and grasses enhances the rate of evapotranspiration.

When designing the sustainable drainage systems for this site, an allowance for climate changewas also used in the calculations. The SUD system was designed to take into account a 20%increase in storm water due to climate change, but also was modelled against the effect of a moreextreme prediction of 40%.

The south east climate partnership has created a guidance document on designing developmentsfor climate change called “Adapting to climate change: a checklist for development”. This

document covers broadly nine different themes whichdevelopments such as this one at Stone Hill Park willneed to consider ensuring the impacts of climate change

have been taken into account.

At this outline application stage, it is not possible toanswer or confirm each of the items in the checklist.However these, along with other sources of best practicein this area will be taken into account and some of theitems can already be confirmed at this early stage.

Location – This is important at it has a significantinfluence on the probability of flooding. A separate floodrisk assessment has already been prepared for the

development, which takes into account the effects of climate change.

Site Layout – The final detailed site layout should maximise solar gain in the summer, maximisenatural ventilation and vegetation as well as providing private outdoor spaces for residents.Building layouts have been designed to ensure adequate access to sunlight with many of theresidents having access to private gardens.

Buildings – Should demonstrate that they are built to withstand future increases of wind andavoid movement from potential subsistence. Similarly the drainage system should be able towithstand future higher levels of rainfall while the envelope as a whole should be designed to

prevent overheating in the summer. Lastly the materials used should be able to perform asdesigned throughout the life of the development. Part of this has been address in the section onsustainable drainage. The long term effect of increased wind loadings will be addressed duringdetailed design.

Ventilation – The ventilation systems installed bust be capable of brining in clean air to theproperties without affecting noise level or security. They should also ensure the buildings remainwithin acceptable limits and fit for purpose not only in the present day, but also for the life of thedevelopment and taking into account increases in temperature due to climate change. Theresystems should also be energy efficient where possible and take into account the coolinghierarchy. Where possible, the cooling hierarchy will be used and natural ventilation preferred.

Drainage – This covers SUDs (as is proposed in this development) but also specifying permeablepaving where possible and where it will not cause structural failure. This is also covered on thesection on sustainable drainage.

Water – water use should be minimised, but also estimates of consumption under normal use andunder water conservation conditions calculated. (This is addressed in the water section.)

Outdoor spaces – Providing a range of interesting public and private outdoor spaces. Vegetationselection should also take into account climate change while water features should have minimalwater use. This is addressed on the section on urban design.

Connectivity – This includes infrastructure resilience i.e. ensuring there are safe routes availablein the event of floods occurring but also looking at the effect of the development on the immediateneighbours. The effects on the surrounding areas have been considered through the developmentof Stone Hill Park and the drainage strategy has reduced the risk of flooding in the area.

“Adjustments in natural or humansystems in response to actual or

expected climatic stimuli or their effects,which moderate harm or exploit

beneficial opportunities” - IPCC

Cooling Hierarchy:

1. Minimise internal heat generation throughenergy efficient design

2. Reduce the amount of heat entering a building

3. Manage the heat within the building

4. Passive ventilation

5. Mechanical ventilation

6. Active cooling systems


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APPENDIX – ENERGY STRATEGY


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A. POLICY CONTEXT

I. THANET LOCAL PLAN

The Thanet Local Plan was adopted in June 2006. Relevant priorities were saved in 2009, prior to thepublication of the National Planning Policy Framework. The retained policies do not set any specificrequirement for the reduction of energy beyond that outlined in the national building regulations; this has beenconfirmed via a phone call (12/01/2016) to the Thanet District Council (TDC) planning department. In additionsome councils also require that all non-residential buildings undertake a ‘BREEAM Assessment’; again this is

not the case with TDC and this has also been confirmed via a phone call (14/01/2016) to the TDC planningdepartment.

The ‘Draft Thanet Local Plan to 2031’ was last revised and released for public consultation in January 2015.This made mention on the Government’s now defunct Zero Carbon policy which required all new homes from2016 to mitigate, through various measures, all the carbon emissions produced on-site as a result of theregulated energy use. In mid-2015, this policy was subsequently removed by the Conservative government.

Policy SP30 in the draft plan states that any new development must take account of adapting to climatechange by minimising vulnerability, providing resilience to the impacts of climate change and complying withthe Government’s Zero Carbon Policy as well as by mitigating against climate change by reducing emissions.

In summary there are no specific local requirements with regards to energy efficiency in buildings.

II. BUILDING REGULATIONS (PART L)

All new buildings constructed in the UK must meet the minimum requirements of the UK Building Regulations.Specifically with regards to energy and carbon compliance, all buildings must meet the building regulationsPart L ‘Target Emission Rate’ (TER) requirements for the Part L revision which is current at the time of initialconstruction works for each particular developmental phase. The requirements of Part L 2013 will apply to the

Site. This includes the requirement for the dwellings to meet the new Target Fabric Energy Efficiencystandards (TFEEs) introduced set out in AD L1A 2013. Similarly the new non-residential elements of thedevelopment will be subject to AD L2A 2013.

Where any buildings are retained and refurbished (as will be the case with the change of use buildings B14,B14a, B18, B34, B21, B23, B2, B3, B9 and B8 as per Parameter Plan 6) the guidelines will be that as set outin AD Part L2B 2013 which, depending on the extent of the works, specifies the amount of improvementrequired. These buildings are to be retained in order to maintain the heritage of the Site, however it has beenenvisaged that that they would also be internally refurbished.

The refurbished element of the works is exempt from the standards set out in ADL2B 2013 with regard toenergy efficiency requirements, “where compliance would unacceptably alter the character orappearance of the buildings.” However, guidelines are provided on how thermal elements are expected tobe improved in a reasonable manner. Currently there are no details available on the level of refurbishmentplanned for these retained buildings and so no further specific detail can be provided on the energy savingsfrom this element of the proposals. However it is the general intention that the buildings will be made energyefficient as far as reasonable practicable, whilst retaining the heritage of the buildings.

III. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AMBITIONS

In light of the above, the requirements for this development are to meet the national guidelines as set out inthe Approved Documents in terms of fabric standards and overall CO2 emissions. The aim of the developmentis to meet these requirements and where possible exceed them by 10%. This will be achieved through thespecifying of a combination of improved building fabric, air tightness, clean or green technologies.

This will mean that the commercial and residential residents will benefit from lower bills, reduced CO 2 emissions and more efficient properties. The development is committed to ensuring a long term responsiblydesigned site which actively contributes to sustainable development; reducing CO 2 emissions of the propertiesby circa 10% is one way in which this will be achieved.

Table A-1 Proposed Development Use classes

USE CLASS A1-A5 B1(A-C)/B2/B8 C1 C2/C3 D1/D2

Description Retail /

restaurants

Business, general

industrial, storage

and distribution

Hotels Dwellings and

residential

institutions

Non-

residential /

leisure

Domestic – Outline Element 2,500 units

Commercial – Detailed

Element (Phase 1)

10,224 sqm

Commercial – Outline* 3,100 sqm 68,288 sqm 120 bed 9,671 sqm

excluding 2No.

Primary

schools

Commercial – Refurbished* 6,488 sqm 1,829 sqm

Total 3,100 sqm 85,000 sqm 120 bed 2,500 units 11,500 sqm

*Note: these elements of the proposal have not been modelled as part of this Energy Strategy, but will be addressed under a separateEnergy Strategy document during the detailed application for each phase. It is assumed that these will mirror the methodology shown inthis document.


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B. BASELINE CARBON EMISSIONS

For the residential properties NHER Plan Assessor SAP software was used to establish the baselineregulated carbon emissions and unregulated carbon emissions. The results for a representative sample ofproperties (10 in total) were then pro-rated to calculate the baseline carbon emissions and energy demand forthe dwellings across the whole development. This was calculated using the SAP 2012 reference values(which sets out a reasonable baseline standard).

The exact floor areas and housing mix for the domestic units are unknown and yet to be determined. In order

to undertake this energy assessment, a housing mix has been assumed using Thanet’s latest StrategicHousing Market Assessment. Similarly, figures from the London Housing Design Guide were used todetermine the floor areas for each of the property types in this study. The actual housing split and floor areasmay differ significantly to the values below. It has also been assumed that there is no difference in the designbetween the ‘Affordable’ and ‘Market’ homes. The assumptions are shown in the table below.

Table B-1 Assumed housing mix and floor areas

ALL HOUSES FLATS

Type % Total % No. Floor Area % No. Floor Area

1 Bed 15% 375 0% 0 - 100% 375 50

2 Bed 35% 875 71% 625 83 29% 250 61

3 Bed 35% 875 100% 875 96 0% 0 -

4 Bed+ 15% 375 100% 375 107 0% 0 -

Energy modelling was undertaken based on the NCM (National Calculation Methodology) in order to establish

the baseline carbon emissions for the four warehouse units which make up the commercial detailedapplication. Any building services installed have complied with the limiting values listed in the relevant Non-Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide. WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff utilised a dynamic simulationsoftware package, the Virtual Environment (VE) suite from Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES). This is afully validated commercially available software package that is available for the purpose of demonstratingcompliance with the Building Regulations. IES is an integrated suite of applications based around a 3Dgeometrical model.

This 3D model was based on the detailed element of the application for the commercial buildings i.e. Phaseone new commercial units. The remaining commercial properties (as described in the outline element of theapplication) have not been modelled, but this methodology will serve as design intent for the rest of thedevelopment. Similarly, the refurbishment will also not be modelled, but this will be upgraded as far aspracticable to improve efficiency.

Figure B-1 SBEM model of Unit 1 using IES VE

Table B-2 summarises the baseline fabric performance of the new residential buildings, while

Table B-3 summarises the baseline fabric performance for the new commercial buildings. Table B-4summarises the baseline carbon emissions for the whole development.

As drawings showing the elevations for the new domestic properties are not yet available, appropriate glazingpercentages were used on the facades so that a good balance between favouring daylight levels andbeneficial heat gains in winter and avoiding excessive heat ga ins in summer could be ach ieved.

For the domestic units, 25% of the floor area was estimated for the windows (guidance from SAP 2012)

For the commercial warehouse units floor pans and elevations as per revision A were used, though 20%

of the exposed roof area was estimated for the roof lights (as per NCM modelling guide forindustrial/storage buildings)

Table B-2 Baseline fabric performance – New Domestic

ELEMENT BASELINE FABRIC PERFORMANCE

Windows overall U-value (W/m2K) 1.4

Party wall U-value (W/m2K) 0.00

External wall U-value (W/m2K) 0.18

Floor U-value (W/m2K) 0.13

Roof U-value (W/m2K) 0.13

Air permeability (m3/hr.m

2 @ 50 Pa) 5.0

Table B-3 Baseline fabric performance – New Commercial

ELEMENT BASELINE FABRIC PERFORMANCE

Windows overall U-value (W/m2K) 1.6

Party wall U-value (W/m2K) 0.00

External wall U-value (W/m2K) 0.26

Floor U-value (W/m2K) 0.22

Roof U-value (W/m2K) 0.18

Roof Light U-value (W/m2K) 2.2

Air permeability (m3/hr.m

2 @ 50 Pa) 5.0

Table B-4 Overall baseline regulated and unregulated carbon emissions

BUILDING REGULATIONS

PART L 2013 COMPLIANTDEVELOPMENT

REGULATED EMISSIONS

(TCO2)

UNREGULATED EMISSIONS

(TCO2)

Domestic (outline application) 3,383 1,822Commercial (new detailedapplication)

253


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D. BE LEAN: REDUCE ENERGY DEMAND

The Proposed Development will incorporate a number of relevant energy conservation measures; the benefitsof which are discussed below. In summary the following measures will be included:

Improved air tightness

High performance building fabric

High performance glazing

100% low energy lighting

I. BUILDING FABRIC

The building fabric in all the properties will meet the prevailing minimum requirements in order to meet Part Lof the building requirements. In order to sur pass this requirement by our self -imposed target of 10% there arethree options open:

1. Through the use of improved building fabric and high efficiency building services only (with no contributionfro