Planning and environmental statement - Central Bedfordshire · Planning and environmental statement...

Planning and environmental statement November 2017

1 Introduction and background 5

2 Context 6

3 Planning policy framework 8

4 Environmental considerations 10

5 Conclusions 37

Contents

4 | Planning and environmental statement November 2017

Planning and environmental statement November 2017 | 5

1.1 TheCranfieldUniversityMasterplandefinesavisionfortheUniversity’sphysicalestateoverthecoming25years,deliveringacomprehensiveprogrammeofconstructionandrenewal,andimportantlyaddressingthewaytheestateisstructuredandoccupied.

1.2 TheMasterplanisasignificantstepforwardfortheUniversity,reflectingtheaspirationssetoutinitsCorporatePlanwhichrecognisetheneedforcontinuedinvestmentinthebuiltenvironmenttoensuretheinstitutionremainscompetitiveandsuccessfulwithinthehighereducationsector.

1.3 TheUniversityhasbeenworkinginpartnershipwithCentralBedfordshireCouncil(CBC)toassistwiththepreparationofitsMasterplan.ThiscollaborationisseenasvitaltoensureatransparentprocessandtosupportcouncilendorsementoftheMasterplananditssupportingdocumentationasTechnicalGuidance.

1.4 Similartoaplanningapplication,keyenvironmentalstudieshavebeenidentifiedandcommissionedinsupportoftheMasterplantoreviewconstraintsandstrategicimpacts,thefindingsofwhicharesummarisedinthisStatement.Thekeystudiesare:

• MasterplanprotectedspeciesreportpreparedbyAppliedEcology.

• SuDSandstormwatermanagementoutlinestrategypreparedbyPearceDesignConsultants.

• LandscapestatementincludingvisualimpactpreparedbyOobe.

• TransportstatementpreparedbyMayerBrown.

Chapter one Introduction and background

1.5 InadditiontoconfirmingthatthestrategicMasterplansitswithintheenvironmentalcapacityofthelocality,theenvironmentalreportsdefineprincipleswhichwillassistinshapingmoredetailedenvironmentalappraisalswhenspecificplanningapplicationsarebroughtforwardfordevelopmentprojects.

1.6 TheremainderofthisStatementprovidesthecontextofthesite,setsouttheplanningpolicyframeworkfortheMasterplanandthensummarisesthefindingsofthestrategicenvironmentalreportsthatwillframefutureplanningapplications.


2.1 Cranfieldcampusisapproximately50milesnorthofcentralLondonadjacenttothevillageofCranfield,Bedfordshire.ThenearestlargetownsareMiltonKeynesandBedford,thecentresofwhicharebothabout8milesaway.Cambridgeisapproximately30mileseast.TheextentofthewiderCranfieldsiteisshownontheplanbelowwhichidentifiestheareas

Chapter two Context

withinthecampus,howeveritshouldbenotedthatthesitesubjecttotheCranfieldMasterplanexerciseexcludestheAirportandAirPark:

• Academiczone. • Technologypa. • Airport. • Residentialandrecreationalarea.

CranfieldUniversityfunctionalzones


2.2 TheentireCranfieldcampuscoversasiteof250hectarescurrentlyaccommodatingapproximately150,000sqmoffloorspace,consistingofacademic,administrativeandnon-domesticbuildingstogetherwith on-campusstudentaccommodation.Healthservicesareprovidedon-campuswithadentistandcounsellingservicesbeingavailable.TheCranfieldMedicalCentrehasrecentlymovedoff-siteandamalgamatedwithservicesinCranfieldandMarstonvillagesurgeries.Thismovehasallowedforresourcestobebetterco-ordinatedwithadditionalappointmentsbeingmadeavailableatbothsurgeriestoaccommodatepatientswhowerepreviouslybeenseenoncampus.

Topography

2.3 Ingeneralthecampusisrelativelyflatwhichistobeexpectedgiventhechoiceoftheareaasthelocationforanairfield.

2.4 ThemajorityoftheAirportsiteslopesdownbroadlyfromsouth-easttonorth-westtoalowpointaround103mAODatthenorth-westernboundarywiththeAcademicZone.ThehighpointoftheAirportsiteisinthesouth-easterncornerofthesiteataround110mAOD.Northofthelowpoint,thetopographygentlyrisesandcontinuestodosotothenorthernboundaryofthesite.

2.5 TheAcademicZonegenerallyfollowsthetopographyoftheAirportsite.ThelowpointislocatedadjacenttothewesternboundarywiththeResidentialandRecreationalZoneataround100mAOD.ThetopographyoftheResidentialandRecreationalZonerisesfromalowpoint(definedbythemainnorth-southwatercourse)bothtotheeastandtothewest.Thereisalsoaslightfalltowardsthenorthernboundaryofthesite,thelowpointofwhichisaround99mAOD.

2.6 TheTechnologyParktopographyisdefinedbyahighpointlocatedclosetotheroundaboutadjacenttotheairfieldsiteconstructedaspartoftheinfrastructureworksduringtheearly1990’s.Thehighpointisataround108mAODandfromherethetopographyfallsverygentlytothenorth-easttotheboundary.

Landscapecharacter

2.7 SituatedonarangeofhillsontheBuckinghamshireborder,CranfieldformspartoftheClayFarmlandcharacterareainCentralBedfordshire.Thesoilisheavy,withanunderlyingsolidgeologyofOxfordClay;thislime-rich,loamysoilhasimpededdrainageinthearea.Theareaischaracterisedasamedium-largescaleplateaulandscape,predominantlyopenandexposed,withlargescale,intensivearablecropproductionwithregularfieldsboundedbyopenditchesandtrimmed,oftenspecies-poorhedgerows.

2.8 Thecampuscharacterretainstheruralqualityofitssetting;maturetreesandhedgerowsdefineboundariesandfilterintoolderpartsofthecampus.ThereisamixofarchitecturalstylesonsiteincludingrepurposedRAFbuildingsalongsidenewercontemporarybuildings.Thecampuslayouthasdevelopedorganically,withlittlecoordinationbetweenbuildingsandexternalspaces.

2.9 Theruralsettingmeansthatthecampushasahighlevelofbiodiversitywithahabitatmosaicofscrub,woodland,wetlandandfarmland,howevertheproximitytotheairfieldhasimplicationsonsomebiodiversityopportunities.

2.10 TreecoveriswellestablishedonsitewithmanyprotectedtreesalongthecentralstretchofCollege Road.

2.11 TothenorthoftheresidentialareaisadensebroadleavedwoodandcopseareaadjacenttoChicheleyBrookThiswoodlandprovidessuitablehabitatforarangeofplantandanimalspecies,andthewoodlandedgehostsanumberorshrubs,grasses,flowers,birds,andinvertebrates.

Water

2.12 TheChicheleyBrookrunsthroughthecampusandconnectstotheRiverGreatOuseinNewportPagnellwhichthenflowsthroughBedford.Anumberofothersurfacewaterdrainagechannelsalsorunthroughthesite,enteringthebrook,andbalancingpondsalsofeaturenamelynearthesewagetreatmentandneartheNissantechpark.ThereisalsoawaterfeatureoutsideMartellHousealthoughthisisornamentalinnature.

8|PlanningandenvironmentalstatementNovember 2017

3.1 WhilerespondingtothegrowthaspirationsoftheUniversity,developmentmustalsoaccordwithnationalandlocalplanningpolicy.

3.2 Theplanningpolicyframeworkinformingthismasterplanandfutureproposalsispredominantlymadeupofthefollowing:

Policy

• NationalPlanningPolicyFramework(NPPF)(2012).

• CentralBedfordshireCouncilcorestrategyanddevelopmentmanagementpoliciesdocument(2009).

• Siteallocationsdevelopmentplandocument. • Proposalsmap.

Planning Guidance

• CentralBedfordshireCouncilsustainabledrainageguidance2014(updatedin2015).

• CentralBedfordshiredesignguide2014. • CentralBedfordshirelandscapecharacter

assessment(2015).

Nationalplanningpolicyframework

3.3 TheNPPFwaspublishedin2012andcommunicatestheGovernment’seconomic,environmentalandsocialplanningpoliciesforEngland.ItarticulatestheGovernmentsvisionforsustainabledevelopmentandactsasguidanceforlocalplanningauthoritiesanddecision-takers,bothindrawingupplansandmakingdecisionaboutplanningapplications.

3.4 TheNPPFestablishesthepresumptioninfavourofsustainabledevelopment,andthisisseenasthe‘goldenthread’runningthroughbothplan-makinganddecision-taking(paragraph14,NPPF).Specifically,paragraph

Chapter three Planning policy framework

19statesthattheplanningsystemshoulddoallthatitcan‘tosupportsustainableeconomicgrowth’inordertocreatejobsandprosperityandmeetthechallengesofglobalcompetitionalongsidealowcarbonfuture.

3.5 Therearethreedimensionstosustainabledevelopment:economic,socialandenvironmentalwhicharemutuallydependentononeanotherandshouldnotbeconsideredinisolation.

3.6 Paragraphsevensetsouttheroleoftheplanningsysteminrespectofthesedimensions:

3.7 These dimensions give rise to the need for the planningsystemtoperformanumberofroles:

• Aneconomicrolebycontributingtobuildingastrong,responsiveandcompetitiveeconomy,byensuringthatsufficientlandoftherighttypeisavailableintherightplacesandattherighttimetosupportgrowthandinnovation;andbyidentifyingandcoordinatingdevelopmentrequirements,includingtheprovisionofinfrastructure.

• Asocialrolebysupportingstrong,vibrantandhealthycommunities,byprovidingthesupplyofhousingrequiredtomeettheneedsofpresentandfuturegenerations;andbycreatingahighqualitybuiltenvironment,withaccessiblelocalservicesthatreflectthecommunity’sneedsandsupportitshealth,socialandcultural well-being.

• Anenvironmentalrolebycontributingtoprotectingandenhancingournatural,builtandhistoricenvironment;and,aspartofthis,helpingtoimprovebiodiversity,usenaturalresourcesprudently,minimisewasteandpollution,andmitigateandadapttoclimatechangeincludingmovingtoalowcarboneconomy.

Planning and environmental statement November 2017|9

3.8 Paragraph21recognisestheimportanceofsupportingbusinesssectorsandtheneedtoplanpositivelyforthelocation,promotionandexpansionofclustersornetworksofknowledgedriven,creativeorhightechnologyindustries.

3.9 Chaptersevenhighlightsthesignificanceofgooddesignnotonlyintermsofindividualbuildingsbutalsointermsofwell-consideredpublicandprivatespaces.Paragraph58notesdevelopmentsshould‘establishastrongsenseofplace,usingstreetscapesandbuildingstocreateattractiveandcomfortableplacestolive,workandvisit’.Suchspacesshouldbesafe,functionwellandraisetheoverallqualityofthearea.NPPFrequirestheplanningsystemtotakeaccountofclimatechange,includingfactorssuchasfloodrisk,watersupply,changestobiodiversityandlandscape.Wheredevelopmentisbroughtforwardinsensitiveorvulnerablelocations,NPPFrequiresriskstobemanagedthroughsuitablemitigationmeasuresincludingsustainabledrainagesystems.

3.10 Chapter11oftheNPPFemphasisestheimportanceofconservingandenhancingthenaturalenvironment.Developmentsshouldseektominimisetheirimpactonbiodiversity,andprovidenetgainsinbiodiversitywherepossible.Inaddition,developmentsshouldseektoestablishcoherentecologicalnetworksthataremoreresilienttocurrentandfuturepressures.

Localpolicy

3.11 CentralBedfordshireCouncil’sAdoptedNorthLocalDevelopmentFrameworkconsistsoftheadoptedCoreStrategyandDevelopmentManagement(CSDM)PoliciesDocument,SiteAllocationsDocumentandProposalsMap.

3.12 TheCSDMwasadoptedin2009andsetsoutthevision,objectives,spatialstrategyandoverarchingpoliciestoguidedevelopmentinthenorthareaofCentralBedfordshireupto2026.

3.13 TheadoptedCSDMcontinuallyreferstoCranfieldCampusandTechnologyParkassignificantlycontributingtotheeconomicprosperityoftheregion.IndeedPolicyCS1:DevelopmentStrategynotes‘additionalemploymentopportunitieswillbeprovidedfor

attheUniversityCampusandTechnologyPark,tohelpreinforceitsimportanceasa sub-regionalemploymentlocation.’TheVisionforCranfieldinsection3oftheCSDMmirrorsthisstanceandalsoemphasisesthatthe‘continuedaviationuseoftheCranfieldAirfieldwillbeprotected.’

3.14 TheCranfieldMasterplanisconsideredtoalignwiththethrustofbothnationalandlocalpolicyandseekstosupportandenhancetheeconomic,socialandenvironmentalpositionofthecampus.

3.15 CentralBedfordshireCouncil’scurrentLocalPlandesignatesCranfieldcampusandTechnologyParkas‘Significantfacilitieswithinthecountryside’.Thispolicynecessitatesdesignatedsitestobringforwardamasterplan,inagreementwiththecouncil,priortosignificantexpansions/redevelopmenttakingplace.TheproductionoftheCranfieldUniversityMasterplanrespondsdirectlytothisdesignation.Inaddition,thefollowingpoliciesandsitedesignationsarerelevantandwillneedtoberespondedtowhererelevantbyfutureproposals:

CS1:Developmentstrategy CS9:Providingjobs CS10:Locationofemploymentsites CS13:Climatechange CS15:Heritage CS16:Landscapeandwoodland CS18:BiodiversityandgeologicalConservation DM1:Renewableenergy DM2:Sustainableconstructionofnewbuildings DM3:Highqualitydevelopment DM11:Significantfacilitieswithinthe

countryside DM14:Landscapeandwoodland DM15:Biodiversity E1:Safeguardedkeyemploymentsites EMP4(6):CranfieldTechnologyPark

3.16 CentralBedfordshireCounciliscurrentlyembarkingonanewLocalPlancoveringtheperiodupto2035.TheMasterplanisconsideredtoalignwithemergingpoliciesandonceadoptedfutureproposalswillbeassessedagainst them.


4.1 AsnotedwithintheintroductorysectiontothisStatement,thefollowingsupportingreportshavebeenpreparedtoinformtheMasterplan:

• MasterplanprotectedspeciesreportpreparedbyAppliedEcology.

• SuDSandStormwatermanagementoutlinestrategypreparedbyPearceDesignConsultants.

• LandscapestatementincludingvisualimpactpreparedbyOobe.

• TransportstatementpreparedbyMayerBrown.

Chapter four Environmental considerations

Ecology 4.2 Inordertoascertaintheexistingecological

makeupofthesite,aprotectedspecieswalkoversurveywascarriedoutbyAELEcologists.AllgroundsubjecttotheproposedMasterplanwaswalkedandcarefullyinvestigatedforevidenceofthepresenceofanimalspeciesprotectedbywildlifelaworcoveredbybiodiversityplanninginitiatives.Thefindingsaredescribedbelow:

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AEL1157_006-01_Walkover_ProtectedSpecies_20170712 A4 7/12/2017

Map Scale @ A4: 1:9,500

Protected Species WalkoverKey Findings

Figure 2.1

Surveyed by: RD/OG

Survey date: 28/04/2016

Drawn by: RD

Checked by: DP

Status: Final

Cranfield University

potential reptile habitat

GCN eDNA surveyGCN presentGCN absentnot surveyed - no access

250 m buffer from ponds

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey digital map data © Crown copyright 2016. All rights reserved.

0 80 160 metres´

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AEL1157_006-01_Walkover_ProtectedSpecies_20170712 A4 7/12/2017

Map Scale @ A4: 1:9,500

Protected Species WalkoverKey Findings

Figure 2.1

Surveyed by: RD/OG


Drawn by: RD

Checked by: DP

Status: Final


potential reptile habitat

GCN eDNA surveyGCN presentGCN absentnot surveyed - no access

250 m buffer from ponds


0 80 160 metres´

Protectedspecieswalkoverkeyfindings


Table4.1–eDNAsurveyresults

PondID HabitatSuitabilityIndex eDNAresults

1 0.85–Goodsuitability Positive

2 0.70–Goodsuitability Negative

3 n/a Notsurveyed(accesspermissiondenied)

4 n/a Notsurveyed(accesspermissiondenied)

5 0.73–Goodsuitability Positive

6 0.77–Goodsuitability Negative

Greatcrestednewts

4.3 InFebruary2016allaccessiblepondsasindicatedbyOSmapsandaerialphotos,within500mofthesiteboundarywerevisuallyinspected,andahabitatsuitabilityindexassessmentcompletedtoassesstheirpotentialvalueforthelegallyprotectedamphibianGreatCrestedNewtTriruruscristatus(GCN).ThelocationofthepondsareshowninFigure2.1.

4.4 Subsequently,on28April2016,ponds1,2,5and6weresubjectedtoaneDNAwatersamplingsurveyfollowingtheprotocolstipulatedinthetestkitssuppliedbyADAStodeterminethepresence/absenceofGCN.

4.5 Double-endedfunneltrapsweresetinPond1ontheeveningsof13,17,19,24,25and31May2016followingconfirmation(eDNAresults)on12Maythatthepondsupported

GCN.Thetraps(40cmx20cm,witha3mmsquaremesh)weresetatregularintervalsaroundtheentireperimeterofthesurveypondinordertocapturenewts.Thetrapsworkonthesamebasisasplasticdrinksbottletrapsbutarelargerandhavetwoasopposedtooneinvertedfunnelentrance.Thenumberoftrapsusedwasroughlyproportionaltotherangeoflittoralaquatichabitatspresentinthewaterbodyandsetatregularintervalsaroundeasilyaccessibleperimeterareas.

4.6 AsearchforGCNeggsonaselectionofsuitablesubmergedaquaticvegetationwasconductedoneachsurveyoccasionorupuntilGCNeggswerefoundineachrespectivewater-body.Searcheswereconductedforapproximatelyfiveminutesoneachoccasion.

4.7 AsummaryoftheeDNAsurveysisprovidedintable4.1below:

Table4.2Populationsurveyresults

Date AirTemp No. of traps

GCN Smooth newts

Other EggsearchMale Female Juvenile TotalGCN

13.5.16 6 10 1 2 0 3 24 n/a 0

17.5.16 10 15 15 19 6 40 32 n/a 0

19.5.16 13 15 1 6 1 8 24 n/a 0

24.5.16 7 15 0 3 1 4 23 n/a 0

25.5.16 15 15 1 3 0 4 4 n/a 0

31.5.16 11 15 1 1 1 3 6 n/a 0

4.8 BasedontheeDNAsurveyresultsandinrecognitionoffuturemasterplandevelopment,asixfunnel-trappingsurveywascompletedonpond1onlytoestablish

theGCNpopulationsize.Pond5wasdiscountedduetoitsdistance(over350m)andrelativeisolationfromfuturedevelopment.TheresultsofthisareprovidedinTable4.2.


Reptiles

4.8 Oftheareasproposedtobeimpactedbythedevelopmentonlyonearea–apatchofroughgrasslandinthesouthofthesite–wasconsideredsuitablehabitatforreptilespecies.ThelocationofthisareaisshowninFigure2.1.

Badgers

4.9 Amainbadgersettwaspresentinwoodlandtothenorthofthesite,closetothetreatmentworks.Atleasttenactiveholeswerelocated.Inaddition,asingle-holeoutliersettwaspresentonthewesternedgeofthesamewoodlandblock.Nosettsorsignsofbadgeractivitywerepresentincloseproximitytoanybuildingspotentiallyaffectedbytheproposeddevelopment.

Bats

4.10 ThebuildingsinspectedaspartofthesurveyandtheirsuitabilityforroostingbatsareshowninFigure2.2.

4.11 Anumberofresidentialbuildingsinthe north-westofthesite(Buildings1–5)hadseveralfeaturessuitableforbatstoaccesstheloftspaces,includingdisplacedtiles,gapsbelowridgetiles,gapsbetweenthewallsandsoffits,andventilationgaps(someofthesebuildingshavepreviouslybeeninspectedandfoundtocontainbatdroppings).ThesewereassessedashavingatleastModeratesuitabilityforroostingbats.Building8andBuilding12wereofModeratesuitabilityforroostingbats,aseachhadseveralpotentialaccesspointstoroofvoids,includingdisplacedandliftedtilesand

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AEL1157_007-00_Walkover_BatBuildings_20160513 A4 5/18/2016

Map Scale @ A4: 1:7,500

Bat Roost Building InspectionKey Findings

Figure 2.2

Surveyed by: RD/OG


Drawn by: RD

Checked by: DP

Status: Final


Buildings affected by development

Bat roost potential

none/negligible

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moderate

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AEL1157_007-00_Walkover_BatBuildings_20160513 A4 5/18/2016

Map Scale @ A4: 1:7,500

Bat Roost Building InspectionKey Findings

Figure 2.2

Surveyed by: RD/OG


Drawn by: RD

Checked by: DP

Status: Final


Buildings affected by development

Bat roost potential

none/negligible

low

moderate

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0 70 140 metres´

Batroostbuildinginspectionkeyfindings


gapsbetweenthewallsandsoffits.Building7wasassessedashavinglowsuitability,asithadvariouspotentialaccesspointsofpotentialuseforsmallnumbersofbatsbutlackedaroofvoidandwaspoorlysituated.

Birds

4.12 Anumberofthebuildingsinspectedwerebeingusedbynestingbirdsorhadfeaturespotentiallysuitablefornestingbirds.Buildings1–4allhadventilationgaps,someofwhichwerecoveredinmesh,whileothersheldbreedingjackdawsCorvusmonedulaandhadthepotentialtosupportotherspeciessuchashousesparrowandstarling.Building5hadtwopairsofhousemartinsDelichonurbicumnest-buildingbeneaththeeaves,andapairofstarlingsalsobreedinginaholebeneaththeeaves.

4.13 Inordertoavoidthedevelopmenthavinganadverseimpactonthepresentbirdpopulation,theworksshouldbecompletedoutsidethebirdbreedingperiodofMarchtoAugust,oroncetheareahasbeenclearedbyanecologist.

Conclusionsandrecommendations

Great crested newts

4.14 ThemaximumnumberofGCNcaughtinpond1onanyoneoccasionwas40newtswhichrepresentsamoderatebreedingpopulation.

4.15 AnydevelopmentthataffectssuitableterrestrialhabitatforGCNwithin250mofpond1orpond5islikelytoresultinanadverseimpactonGCNintheirterrestriallifestages,suchthatsiteclearanceandconstructionmayneedtobeimplementedundertheauspicesofaGCNdevelopmentlicenseonceplanningpermissionisgranted.Inthelongterm,considerationshouldbegiventocreatinganewGCNpopulationinsuitablehabitatelsewherewithintheCranfieldCampus.

Reptiles

4.16 PriortoanydevelopmentoftheroughgrasslandareaIthesouthofthesite(seefigure2.1),areptilesurveyshouldbecompletedduringthereptileactiveperiodofApriltoOctobertoverifyreptilepresence/absence.

Bats

4.17 Thebuildingsidentifiedashavingbatroostpotentialshouldbesubjecttointernal(roofvoid)inspectionsbyasuitablyexperiencedecologistandbatworker.

4.18 Inaddition,thebuildingsidentifiedashavingbatroostpotentialshouldbesubjecttoemergence/re-entrysurveysduringthepeakbatactiveperiod(MaytoAugust).Lowsuitabilitybuildingsshouldbesubjecttooneduskemergenceordawnre-entrysurvey;moderateandmoderate/highsuitabilitybuildingsshouldbesubjecttouptothreeseparateemergence/re-entrysurveysinlinewithbestpracticeguidelines.

Birds

4.19 Vegetationclearancetoenabledevelopment,orthedemolitionofanybuildingsidentifiedashavingthepotentialtosupportnestingbirds,shouldbecompletedoutsidethebirdbreedingperiodofMarchtoAugust,orimmediatelyfollowingacheckbyanecologistthatbreedingbirdsandtheirdependentyoungareabsentfrom the area.


Drainage

4.20 Theexistingstormwaterdrainageonthesiteisextensiveandcomplex.Workshavebeencarriedoutthroughoutthelifeoftheoverallsitewhichmaynothavebeenaccuratelyrecordedorindeed,notrecordedatall.

4.21 ThroughdialoguewiththeUniversity’sEstatesandFacilitiesteamareviewoftheexistingsitedrainagehasbeenundertaken.Thisinvolvedasitewalkovertoviewthekeyelementsofthedrainagenetworkandalsoinvolvedareviewofallavailableincludingthatinarchive.Throughthisreviewcertainissueswereraisedandgenerallyrelatedtotheacademiczoneandalsotheresidentialandrecreationalzone,thefollowingpointswerehighlighted:

• Maintenanceissuessuchastreerootingressandalsopartialcollapseofsewerswithintheacademiczonecausingsurchargingofthenetworkupstreams

• FloodingissuesassociatedwiththelargeformerhangerbuildingsonthecampuswhicharenowpartoftheUniversitys

• Occasionalpollutionincidentsgeneratedwithinthecampuspotentiallyaffectingdownstreamwatercourses.

4.22 AsaresultofthefirsttwoissuesnotedabovetheEstatesandFacilitiesteamhavebeenundertakingaprogrammeofmaintenanceandsurveyworkstodeterminepipesizeandinvertlevelsonthestormwaternetworkwithintheacademiczone,thisworkisongoing.Theimagebelowillustratesthecurrentdrainagerecordsavailable.

Drainagestrategy


Existingdrainagecatchments

4.23 Theairportsiteisdrainedviaanextensivenetworkoflanddrainswhichwereconstructedoriginallywiththeairfield.Therunwayandtaxiwayareasaredrainedviaperimeterfrenchdrains.Thestormwateriscollectedviaanetworkofpipeswhichconveythestormwaterandgroundwatertoanoutfallpositionintoawatercourseadjacenttocollegeroadwhichflowstothesouth-westforadistancebeforeheadingnorthintotheresidentialandrecreationalzone.

4.24 Thereceivingwatercourseisdirectlylinkedupstreamtoawatercoursewhichcrossestheairfieldanddefinedtheoriginalairfieldboundarypriortothenorthernrunwayextensionbeingconstructed.Thissectionofthewatercoursecollectsstormwaterandgroundwaterfromthenorthernpartoftheairfield.

4.25 Theacademiczoneisheavilydevelopedandisdrainedviaagravitystormwaternetworkwhichbroadlyfollowsthesitetopography.Thestormwaterdrainagefortheeasternsideofthecampus,includingthelargeformerhangerbuildings,connectstothepipednetworkfromtheairfieldclosetothelowpointoftheairfield.Thereare3x450mmdiametersewerswhichcollectallofthestormwaterfromtheseareaswhichoutfallsviaaheadwallintothewatercourse,asnotedabove.

4.26 Thewatercoursewhichislocatedparallelandadjacenttocollegeroadappearstobeaformernaturalwatercoursewhichmayhavebeenrealignedandre-profiledhistoricallyandnowhastheformofasteep-sidedditch.

4.27 Therearealsofielddrainsandditchesonthewesternsideofcollegeroadwhichconnecttothereceivingwatercourseforthecampusandairfieldwhicharepartofthewidercatchmentareabutoutsideofthesiteownershipboundary.

4.28 Thereisalsoawatercoursewhichislocatedparallelwithuniversitywayontheeasternsidewhichflowssouthtonorth.Thisisintheformofare-alignedandre-profiledditchandreceivesstormwaterdischargefromthewesternsideofthecampus.Therearesectionsofthiswatercoursewhichhavebeenculverted.Thiswatercourseflowstoapointwhereitmeetsthesimilarfeatureflowingintheoppositedirectioncarryingthestormwater

flowsfromtheairfieldandeasternsideofthecampus.Atthispointthewatercourseseffectivelycombineandflowtothenorthbelowcollegeroadviaaconcreteboxsectionculvert.Fromthispointthewatercourseenterstheresidentialandrecreationalzoneandbecomesbrieflymorenaturalised.Thewatercourseisknownaschicheleybrooktothenorthofcollegeroad.

4.29 Theresidentialandrecreationalzonegenerallycomprisessuburbanstreetswithsignificantgreenspacesbetweenintheformofgrassedareasandplayingfields.Inaddition,locatedclosetothenorthernboundary,thereisawoodedarea.

4.30 Thedevelopedareasaredrainedviaastormwaterdrainagenetworkwhichoutfallsinseverallocationsintothemainwatercourse(chicheleybrook)whichflowstothenorth.Thiswatercourseistheprimarymeansofconveyanceofstormwaterfromasignificantproportionoftheairfieldandalsoeffectivelyalloftheacademiczoneandresidentialandrecreationalzone.Chicheleybrookappearstobeanaturalwatercoursewhichhasbeenhistoricallychannelisedinsectionsandalsosignificantlyre-profiledsuchthatithastheformofasteep-sideddrainageditchformuchof its length.

4.31 Atthenorthernboundaryofthesitechicheleybrookcontinuestoflownorththroughfarmland.Ithastheappearanceofamorenaturalisedwatercoursefromthispoint.

4.32 Thereisanoff-linestormwaterstoragefeaturelocatedadjacenttoChicheleyBrookonthewesternsideatthenorthernboundary.Thisisknownasthe‘Lagoon’asreferredtopreviously.Thetitleissomewhatmisleadingasthefeatureiseffectivelyadetentionbasinandisdryforthevastmajorityofthetime.Thereisaflowcontroldevicewithinthewatercoursewhicheffectivelycausesthefeaturetofillwhentherearesignificantflowsupstreamduringastormevent.Thestoredwaterflowsbackintothewatercoursewhentheflowsarereturnedbelowthelimitoftheflowcontroldevice.Theflowcontroldeviceisaconcreteweirwithanorificehoweverduringvisitstothesiteduring2015andearly2016theorificesizehadbeenartificiallyadjustedwithtimber.WewereadvisedbytheEnvironmentalteamatCUthatthiswasinresponsetocontrolofpotentialpollutionincidents.


4.33 TheformoftheLagoonisagrasseddepression.Thefeatureisfencedofffromthewatercourseandplayingfieldstothesouthandthereisnoclearmeansofaccess.ItalsoappearsthatthereisnomaintenanceregimeinplacefortheLagoonwhichisheavilyvegetated.

4.34 Thereisalsoawastewatertreatmentworkslocatedclosetothenorthernboundarywhichisaprivatefacilitywhichreceivesdomesticwastewaterfromtheacademicandresidentialandrecreationalzones.Thetreatedwaterdischargesintothechicheleybrookatthenorthernboundary.

4.35 Thestormwaternetworkfortheexistingtechnologyparkeffectivelyoperatesindependentlyofthecampustothenorthandtheairfield.Thisisprincipallyduetothetopographyasdetailedabove

wherebythehighpointofthetechnologyparksiteisclosetothesouthernboundaryoftheacademiczoneandthereforemuchoftheexistinginfrastructureandbuildingsareconstructedatalowerlevelfurthersouth.

4.36 Whentheroadinfrastructurewasre-alignedandreconstructedintheearly1990’stheassociateddrainagetoreceivedischargefromfutureplotdevelopmentswasconstructedtoflowtothesouth.Thisisapipednetworkwhichflowssouthandthenwestfromtheroundaboutfollowingtheroadalignment.Thereisapondlocatedtothesouth-westoftheInnovationCentrewhichisusedtocontrolandprovidestorageforstormwaterdischarge.Theoutfallfromthepondflowstothewestandthendischargesintoawatercourselocatedadjacenttothewesternboundary.Thisdrainage(apartfromthepond)isadoptedbyAnglianWater.

Surfacewaterdrainageexistingcatchmentstudy


Existingfloodrisk

4.40 Presently,thecampusisnotspecificallyreferredtoinCentralBedfordshireCouncil’sPreliminaryFloodRiskAssessmentorLocalFloodRiskManagementStrategy.HowevertheCouncilhaverecentlyengagedanexternalconsultanttocarryoutaStrategicFloodRiskAssessment(SFRA)oftheareainsupportofitsnewLocalPlan.

4.41 TheEnvironmentAgencyrecordsindicatethefollowing:

• Thereisnomajorfloodriskfromriversandsea.ThereisevidenceoffloodingtoChicheleyBrookhoweverthisissignificantlyfurthernorthofthesiteboundarys.

• Thereisnofloodriskonthesitefromreservoirs.

• Thereissomeriskoffloodingfromsurfacewater,andthisisshownontheEnvironmentAgencyfloodmapbelow.TheareasatriskappeartobeassociatedwiththewatercoursesparticularlytotheChicheleyBrookandalsotothewatercoursetothenorthernsectionoftheairfield.NotethatthereisfloodingriskassociatedwiththedischargefromthesouthernpartoftheairfieldclosetotheconnectionwiththeAcademicZone.

4.37 ThestormwaterdrainageforMartellHouseisaseparatenetworktotheabove.ThisisapipednetworkwhichwasdesignedtoreceivedischargefromthecurrentlyundevelopedplottothenorthofMartellHouseplustheMartellHousesiteitself.ThisflowstothesouthofthecarparktoMartellHouseanddischargesintoadetentionbasinonthesouthernsideoftheadoptedhighwayknownasCranfieldRoad.Theoutfallfromthisfeatureflowstothewestbelowthehighwayanddischargesintoawatercoursewhichflowstothesouth.

4.38 ThesouthernpartoftheNissanTechnicalCentretothesouth-westofthesitehasanindependentstormwaternetworkwhichdischargestoanaturalwatercoursefurthertothesouth-west.ThenorthernpartoftheNissansiteoutfallsintotheadoptedTechnologyParkdrainagenetworktothenorth.

4.39 TheAnglianWaterplansshowtheadoptedfoulwaterdrainagefromtheTechnologyPark.Notethatthereisapumpedmainwhichflowstotheeastadjacenttothesouthernboundaryofthesite.

Environmentagencyfloodmap


Floodevent–June2016

4.42 AsignificantstormeventoccurredintheCranfieldareaontheeveningof7June2016.Itisunderstoodthatbasedonpublishedrainfalldatathestormwasapproximatelyaonein30yearevent.

4.43 Thisstormeventresultedinmajorsurface

floodingofthemaincampusareainadditiontofloodingofvaryingseveritywithinapproximately30no.oftheUniversitybuildings.Itisalsobelievedthatwatercourseswithinthecampusareaandalsofurtherdownstreamovertoppedinanumberoflocations.

4.44 Adetailedinvestigationwouldberequiredto

assessthespecificissuesandthemechanismswhichtookplacewithinthecatchmentandcampusareastormwaterdrainagenetworkduringthisevent.Howeverbasedonobservationsmadeduringandafterthestormeventitisreasonabletoconcludethefollowing:

• Localisedsurfacefloodingoccurredduetoinsufficientcapacitywithintheexistingstormwaternetwork.Thiswasprobablyduetoacombinationofinadequatelocalcapacityordesignissues,defectsorinadequatemaintenanceandalsodownstreamissuescausingsurchargeofthenetwork.

• Restrictionsonflowcapacityand/orinsufficientwatercoursecapacitycausedovertoppingofthewatercourses.

• Thereisevidencetosuggestthatinadequatedrainageonhigherpartsofthecatchment,includingpartsoftheairfield,resultedinoverlandfloodingtowardsthecampusareaandthelowpointofthesitewhichwouldhavesignificantlycompoundedfloodingissueswithinthecampusarea.

• Itisunderstoodthattheattenuationbasinknownasthe‘lagoon’locatedclosetotheoutfallofthesiteintotheChicheleyBrookperformedasperexpectationsduringthestormeventandthesubsequentshort-termperiod.

4.45 Thestormeventon7June2016effectivelydemonstratedtheexistingissueswithinthestormwaternetworkonthesitewhicharediscussedwithinthisreportanditalsostronglyreinforcestherequirementfortheSuDSandstormwatermanagementstrategytobeimplemented.IfconsistentlyandcoherentlyappliedduringthedeliveryoftheMasterplan,itisconsideredthatthedrainagestrategywill

willimprovetheoverallsituationandreducetheeffectsofmajorstormeventsinthefuture.Howeveradditionalworkwillneedtobecarriedouttoassesstheexistingcatchmentandnetwork.ThisisinordertounderstandwherespecificissuesmayexistandthereforeidentifyandimplementworksindependentlyoftheMasterplanwhichcouldimprovetheexistingsituation.

Stormwaterdesignphilosophy

4.46 ThestormwaterphilosophythroughoutthedeliveryoftheCranfieldMasterplanwillbebasedonconsiderationoftheexistingconditionsandhydrologyandensuringthatthepost-developmentconditionsreplicatethepre-developmentconditionsascloselyaspossible.Thereforeissuessuchasgroundwaterrechargeandwatercoursedischargecapacitiesandlocationswillbeakeyelementofthedesignapproach.Specificexistingsitefeatureswillrequireparticularconsiderationinrespectofthedevelopment.

4.47 Theexistingwatercoursesandchannelsgenerally

onthesitewillremainlargelyunchangedhydraulically.Howeversomeworksmaybecarriedouttothewatercourseprofilesforsafety,amenityorbiodiversityissuesaspartofawiderimprovementandintegrationwiththewiderlandscapestrategy.

4.48 ThestormwatermanagementapproachwillvarysignificantlyindetailthroughoutthevariousdevelopmentareasdefinedbytheMasterplan.Howevertherewillbeaunifiedstrategyintermsofaspirationsandtechnicaldesigncriteriatobeadopted.Forexample,developmentwithintheacademiczonewillbepartiallyconstrainedbytheexistingstormwaterdrainagenetworkandalsospaceconstraints.Conversely,proposeddevelopmentwithintheTechnologyPark,particularlytothe‘new’areastothesouth-east,willallowgreateropportunitiesforinfrastructureSuDSfeaturesandalsocreativeintegrationwiththelandscapedesign.

4.49 TheoverallstormwatermanagementstrategywillalsobeinfluencedbythesequencingandtimescalesfordeliveryoftheMasterplan.Forexample,therewillbeSuDSfeatureswhichareassociatedwiththeinitialinfrastructuredesignofatypicalareawithinthedevelopmentsiteandalsoSuDSfeatureswhicharepartoftheindividualplotdevelopmentsorgroupofplots.Thiswillbepartlydrivenbyfinancialconstraintsbecauseinfrastructurecostswillgenerallyneedtobekept


aslowaspossible.Therefore,SuDSfeaturesassociatedwithinfrastructuredevelopmentmayneedtobeflexibleinordertoallowsubsequentmodificationorexpansionwithoutcompromisingcompletedworks.Temporaryfeaturesandinterimoutfallsmayalsoneedtobepartoftheworks.TheoutlinestrategywillprovideguidanceastohowthisistobeachievedhowevertheMasterplanwillbealiveandevolvingdocumentandthereforethedetaileddeliveryofthestormwatermanagementwillneedtobereviewedaccordingly.Futurechangestopolicyandlegislationarealsolikelytoinfluencedetail.

4.50 TheSuDSandstormwatermanagement strategyisdefinedbyidentificationof sub-catchmentswithinthesiteownershipboundaryandthisispartlybasedonconsultancyworkcarriedoutbyRodgersLeaskLimitedin2008andPPIConsultantsin1990.Thisinvolvedadetailedcatchmentstudywhichcomparedpre-developmentdischargeswithpost-developmentandalsoreflectedfutureplanneddevelopmentswithintheTechnologyParkarea.AnumberofthefutureplanneddevelopmentsarepartoftheMasterplanonthebasisthatthefinalTechnologyParkareacomprisescompletionoftheoriginalsitelayoutinadditiontotheextensionoftheTechnologyParkintotheairfieldarea.

4.51 ToensurethesuccessfuloperationofSuDSfeaturesandtoencourageamoreintegratedSuDSschemeitisproposedtolimitthesizeofindividualstorageareasincorporatingthemintothebuiltenvironmentwithoutcompromisingthekeyaspectsoftheurbandesignandlayout.Forexample,useofpublicrealmareasoftheproposedlayoutswillbeusedwheresuitableaspartoftheinfrastructureSuDSmanagementtrain.

4.52 AllproposedstormwaterdrainageincludingSuDSfeaturesaretobeconstructedonprivatelandwithinthesiteownershipboundary.Assuch,thereisnointentionatthisstageforLocalAuthorityadoptionoftheproposeddrainagesystem.

Stormwatertechnicaldesigncriteria

General

4.53 ThefollowingsectionsdescribethetechnicalcriteriaforstormwaterdesigntobeappliedtotheMasterplandevelopmentsite.Thedesigncriteriaarepartlybasedonscopingopinionfromthepreconsultationprocessandalsobasedonassessmentofavailablelegislationandtechnicalguidancedocumentation.

Specific technical design criteria

4.54 TheSuDStreatmenttrainphilosophywillbeappliedfordeliveryoftheCranfieldMasterplan,utilisingasequenceofSuDSfeaturesarrangedtoensurerun-offpassesthroughtherequirednumberoftreatmentlevelspriortoreachingthereceivingwatercourse.

LevelsofTreatment:

• Run-offfromroofareastobeprovidedwithonelevelofsurfacewatertreatment.

• Run-offgeneratedbyresidentialpaving,carparkingareasandsharedsurfaceswillbeprovidedwithtwolevelsofsurfacewatertreatment.

• Roadswillalsobeprovidedwithtwolevelsofsurfacewatertreatment.

4.55 AseriesofSuDSfeatureswillbeadoptedwhichdependonthespecifictechnicalrequirementsforeachphaseoftheworks.Typicallythesewillincludethefollowing:

• Specificplotdevelopmentprivate‘at-source’featuressuchasrainwaterharvesting;greenroofs(whereapplicable);privatepermeablepaving;soakawaysandfiltertrenches.

• Public‘at-source’featuressuchaspermeablepaving;bioretentionplanters.

• Infiltrationbasinsandswales.

• Detentionbasins.

4.56 Greenfieldrun-off:

• Existinggreenfieldrunoffratesandvolumeswillbeestimatedtodeterminetheacceptablepostdevelopmentdischargerate(s)whichwillbelimitedtothatproducedbythecriticaldurationoftheoneintwoyearevent.Thiswillquantifyinterception,detentionandlongtermstoragerequirementsforallstormsuptoandincludingtheonein100yeareventwithoutcreatingtheriskoffloodingtobuildingsoremergencyaccesswaysfromflooding.

• Themethodforgreenfieldrun-offcalculationadoptedistheInstituteofHydrologyReport124asappliedbytheJointDEFRA/EApublication;‘PreliminaryRainfallRun-offManagementforDevelopments’.


StormwaterDesignDiagram


4.57 Thedevelopmentwillbedrainedinareasbasedontheexistingtopographyandflowsfromeachareawillbedirectedtoexistingwatercoursesandoutfallsatthecontrolledrates.Localstorageandinfiltrationisproposedinordertoretainanddisposeofatleastthefirst5mmofanystormevent,knownasinterceptionstorage.Extendeddetentionbasinswillbecreatedtoprovidethelongtermstoragerequirementsandwillbeintheformoflargedepressionsincorporatedintolargeopenspacessuchasparksandgreenspaces.

4.58 Traditionalpipedsurfacewaterdrainagewillbedesignedtoaminimumvelocityof1m/sforpipesreceivingdirectsurfacewaterrun-offand0.3m/sforthoseonlyreceivingoverflowdischargefromSuDSfeatures.

4.59 Thepipenetworkswillbedesignedfornosurchargeduringtheoneintwoyeareventandnofloodingduringtheonein30yearevent.

4.60 DownstreamSuDSfeatureswillneedtobedesignedforexceedanceeventsi.e.greaterthanonein30yeartoprovideLongTermStorage(LTS).

4.61 HydraulicdesignofSuDSfeatureswillgenerallybecarriedoutinaccordancewithCIRIAC753;TheSuDSManual.

Stormwaterdesignproposals

4.62 TheStatementsetsoutthestormwaterstrategyhoweverthedetailedSuDSandstormwaterdesignwillrequireallaspectstobeconsideredandbalancedintermsofcost,sequence,programme,buildabilityandtechnicalissuespriortofinalselectionofthestormwatermanagementsolutionsforeachofthedevelopmentareasdefinedbytheCranfieldMasterplan.ConsultationwithCBCandotherstakeholderswillberequiredonanongoingbasis.

Residential and recreational zone

4.63 Masterplanincludesafundamentalstrategytorelocatecarparkingfromwithinthecentralcampusareatoperipherallocationswithintheresidentialandrecreationalzoneandalsotheextendedtechnologyparkareas.IntermsofsequencingandprogrammetheseworksaretobegenerallycarriedoutearlyinthetimelineoftheMasterplandelivery.Inrespectofthe

ResidentialandRecreationalZonetherearecarparkstobeconstructedinthefollowinglocations:

• Adjacenttotheexistingsportscentre.

• Within the Residential area.

4.64 Thedetaileddesignprocessforbothofthesefacilitiesiswellprogressed.Consultationwiththeconsultingengineerandalsothelandscapearchitecthasbeenundertaken.Thestormwaterproposalsforbothareasisbasedonthestrategydetailedwithinthisdocumentandthedesignincorporatespermeableblockpavingtocarparkingbaysinconjunctionwithatankedvoidedsub-base.Filterdrainswithperforatedpipeworkreceivedischargefromtheseareas.Thisarrangementwillstoreandattenuateflowstotheappropriategreenfieldrun-offrate.Fortheresidentialcarparkthereisalsoanunder-drainedswaleadjacenttothepavedareaswhichthenoutfallsintotheadjacentChicheleyBrook.

4.65 TheSuDSstrategywillprovidetwolevelsoftreatmentfromcarparksandaccessroads.

4.66 Therearealsoproposalstodevelopfurtheraccommodationwithintheresidentialandrecreationalzone.Ingeneralthisislocatedinareaswhichareonplotsoccupiedbyexistinghousingandaccommodationblocks.ItislikelythattheoverallimpermeableareawillbemarginallygreaterthanexistingandonthisbasislocalisedSuDSfeatureswillberequiredtolimitdischargetogreenfieldrun-offlimitsduetoanynettincreaseinimpermeablearea.Itisenvisagedthatthesefeaturesmaybeshallowdetentionbasinswithinthesoftlandscapingzonesoftheproposeddevelopments.Outfallfromthesefeaturestothereceivingwatercourse,ChicheleyBrook,willgenerallybeviatheexistingpipednetwork.

4.67 Itshouldbenotedthattheproportionofimpermeableareawithintheresidentialandrecreationalzoneisverylowparticularlycomparedtomuchdenserdevelopmentareassuchastheacademiczoneandthetechnologypark.

Academic zone

4.68 Theacademiczoneisawell-establishedanddenselydevelopedareaservedbyasignificantstormwaterdrainagenetwork.TheMasterplan


withinthisareaisintendedtoachieveamorecoherentandpedestrian-orientatedcampusexperiencebyimplementingthefollowing:

• Removalofexistingcarparkingwithinthecentralcampusandrelocatingittowardsthesiteperiphery.

• Creationofkeypublicrealmareas.

• Removalofunsuitableandredundantbuildingsandreplacementwithnewdevelopmentplots.

• Extensionstoexistingbuildings

4.69 IntermsoftheSuDSandstormwatermanagementstrategythisisenvisagedasbeingdeliveredasfollows:

• Newplotdevelopmentswithintheestablishedcampusareawillbeassessedusingthefollowingcriteria.Acalculationwillbemadeoftheexistingstormwaterdischargefromthespecificareaofthesiteunderdevelopment.Acalculationfortheproposedimpermeableareawillbemadeandanassociatedcalculationforpermitteddischarge

carriedoutbasedonthedesigncriteriaadvisedbyCentralBedfordshireCouncilprovidedduringconsultationdicussions.Onthebasisthattheproposedvalueislessthan5l/sandtheexistingvalueisgreaterthan5l/stheplotwillbedesignedforamaximumdischargeof5l/s.Onthebasisthattheexistingvalueislessthan5l/stheproposeddevelopmentwillbedesignedforthelowerexistingvalue.Iftheproposedvalueisgreaterthan5l/sthehigherfigurewillbeapplied.

• Therelocatedcarparkswilloccupylargeareasandthesearelocatedatthe north-eastandalsotothesouthoftheexistingacademiczonewhichiseffectivelywithintheextendedtechnologyparkarea.Thecarparkstormwaterdesignwillbeassessedbasedonsimilarcriteriatotheplotdevelopmentswithinthecampus.Onthebasisthatthesearelargeareasamaximumdesigndischargevalueofgreaterthan5l/smaybeapplicable.

• Publicrealmislikelytocomprisehardandsoftlandscapedareaswhichagainwillbedesignedinaccordancewiththeabovecriteria.

Outlinestrategy:proposedsoutherncatchments


4.70 ThepreferredstrategywouldallowacoherentapproachbetweenSuDSfeaturedesignandconstructionforinfrastructureandthoseassociatedwithindividualplotdevelopmentsorgroupsofadjacentdevelopments.

4.71 WheretheopportunityforSUDsfeaturesislimited,forexampleforlargerdevelopmentsoccupyingrelativelysmallplotareasstoragemaybelimitedtobelow-groundtanksoroversizedpipesalthoughthisshouldbeavoidedwhereverpossibleandanintegrateddesignsolutionwiththelandscapingispreferred.

4.72 Ingeneral,theproposeddevelopmentswithinthecampusareawilldischargeintotheexistingstormwaternetwork.OnthebasisthatimprovementwillbemadeinrespectofreductionofdischargecapacitiesandalsoimprovementsinwaterqualityduetouseofSuDSfeaturestheoverallsituationwillbeimproved.

Airport

4.73 TheairfieldwillremainlargelyunchangedexceptfortheexpansionoftheTechnologyParkintothewesternarea.ThedrainageinthisareaisanetworkoflanddrainsandalsoFrenchdrainsadjacenttotherunwaysandtaxiways.ThedrainageintheproposedTechnologyParkexpansionareawillbemodifiedtosuittheproposedworks.Asnotedabove,thisiswithinCatchment‘B’andfutureoutfallfromtheTechnologyParkdevelopmentswilldischargeintotheairfielddrainageasdiscussedwithinSection

Technology park

4.74 TheTechnologyParkisthemostcomplex areaoftheMasterplaninrespectofstormwaterdrainage.Thereareeffectivelyfour sub-catchmentareas(A,B,CandD)eachwithadefineddischargepointwhichwillreceivestormwaterdischargesfromboththeexistingandproposeddevelopmentareas.

4.75 AkeyelementoftheproposedinfrastructuretodelivertheMasterplanisasectionofnewroadwhichwilleffectivelyconnecttheTechnologyParkdirectlytotheheartoftheacademiccampus.ThiswillcommencefromtheexistingadoptedhighwayadjacenttoMartellHouseorientatedwesttoeastacrossthenorthofMartellHouseandcontinuingfurthereastbefore

turningnorthandconnectingtotheexistingsiteroad.Thissectionofroadandassociatedservicesisaseparateprojectplannedtocommenceonsitein2017andisknownastheMUEAVIroadproject.Thissectionofinfrastructurewillprovideanewprimaryreceptiongatewaytotheoverallcampusandalsoprovideaccesstotheinitialrelocatedcarparkfacilitiesplusaccesstofuturedevelopmentplotsalongitslength.

Development site to north-east of Masterplan boundary

4.76 ThisdevelopmentareaisoutsideoftheCampusMasterplanboundarybutconsiderationoftheimpactontheexistingandproposedacademiczoneandwiderMasterplanareaisrequired.Ingeneraltopographicalterms,thehighpointisclosetothenorthern-mostpartoftherunway.Thereforethenorthernhalfofthesitewilldrainandoutfalltowardsthenorth-east.ThiswillneedtofollowthesameSuDSandstormwatermanagementprincipleshoweveritshouldhavelittleimpactonthecampusandMasterplanarea.

4.77 Thesouthernhalfofthesitehowever

slopesdowntowardsMerchantLanesostormwatermanagementismorecriticalintermsofpotentialimpactontheMasterplanarea.ThereareexistingwatercourseswhichfollowMerchantLaneandeffectivelycollectstormwaterfromthewholenortherncatchment(i.e.fromMerchantLaneuptothehighpointclosetotherunwayextent).Historically,thisnorthernareawasalaterextensiontotheoriginalairfieldandpreviouslyMerchantLaneanditsassociatedwatercourseranacrossthesiteattheoriginalboundarytowardthevillage.Thewatercoursesarenowpipedacrosstheairfieldanddischargeintotheremainingsectionsofopenwatercoursetowardsthewest.

4.78 Theaforementionedwatercoursecontinues

towardsCollegeRoadandconnectswiththewatercoursewhichfollowsCollegeRoadtothesouth-west.Atthelowpointofthecampusareaallwatercoursesmergeandturnnorth-westpastMitchellHalltowardsthe‘Lagoon’ThesouthernhalfofthedevelopmentareawillbethereforedischargingintotheMerchantLanewatercourseandthereforecoulddirectlyaffectthewholecampusstormwaternetwork.Thecriticalissueisto


ensurethatthestormwaterdischarge post-developmentdoesnotexceedthecurrentdischargeandideallytheproposedarrangementshouldbeanimprovementovertheexistingbearinginmindtherearesignificantexistingissuesduringmajorstormevents.ClearlythiswillrequireadetailedSuDSandstormwatermanagementstrategywhichfollowstheprinciplesoftheoutlinestrategyfortheMasterplanincludinganassessmentoftheexistingstormwaterdrainage.

Additionalrecommendations

4.79 TheexistingarrangementswithintheTechnologyParkareacanbesummarisedasfollows:

Catchment ‘A’ Thisisdefinedbytheexistingdevelopments

withinthenorthernpartoftheTechnologyParksite.TheoriginaldesignallowedforstormwaterdischargefrombothplotdevelopmentsandinfrastructureroadsviaprivateandadoptedsewersintoDischargePoint‘A’onthewesternboundary.ThisincludedanallowancefordevelopmentsnotconstructedtotheimmediatesouthofConwayHouseandalsoincludedtheimpermeableareaoftherunwayadjacentwhichwillnolongerbedischargingintotheCatchment‘A’stormwaternetworkwhentheMasterplanisconstructed.

ThereportissuedfollowingtheRodgersLeasksimulationcarriedoutin2008suggestedthefollowing:

• BalancingPond‘A’hadacapacityover6000cu.malthoughtheirsimulationindicatedthatthe100year60minwinterstormonlyrequiredstorageofc.3000cu.m.

• Theflowfromthecatchmenttodischargepoint‘A’wasacontrolleddischargeof252l/s.ThisvaluewasbasedonaCatchmentstudyofthepreand post-developmentsituations.

• Theimpermeableareaofthecatchmentusedforsimulationwas8.39Ha.Thisincluded0.70Haassociatedwithadevelopmentareawhichhasnotbeenconstructedandalso0.81Haofrunway/taxiwaywhichwillberemovedaspartoftheMasterplandelivery.

• The1990’soriginaldesigndrawingsbyPPIConsultantswerenotavailableandthe

originaldesigncriteriausedforthenetworkandbalancingpondwerenotknown.Thesimulationwasapparentlybasedondetailedsurveydata

ItisnotclearwhetherallowancesforClimateChangewereincludedbyRodgersLeaskintheirsimulationsalthoughitwasrequestedbytheEAatthattime.

PDChavecarriedoutahighlevelassessmenttoverifytheaccuracyoftheRodgersLeaskreportwhichsuggestedthatforaonein100yearevent(including20%ClimateChange)therequiredvolumewouldbeintheorderof3000cu.mindicatingthattheirsimulationappearedbroadlycorrect.Adetailedsimulationshouldproducealowerstoragevolumecomparedtoahighlevelassessment.

Catchment ‘D’ ThisisdefinedbytheMartellHouseplotand

alsothedevelopmentplottotheimmediatenorthofMartellHousewhichwasdesignedtodischargeintothestormwaterdrainagenetworkconstructedaspartofMartellHouse.

ThereportissuedfollowingtheRodgersLeasksimulationcarriedoutin2008suggestedthefollowing:

• BalancingPond‘D’southofCranfieldRoad.Thesimulationindicatedthatthe100year600minwinterstormwascriticalwhichrequiredstorageofc.1200cu.m.Thisincludedafreeboardof400mmalthoughapparentlyupto600mmisavailable

• TheflowfromthecatchmenttoDischargePointDwas14.2l/sbasedona100year15minutesummerevent.Originally11l/shadbeenagreedbytheEAandBedfordandRiverIvelIDB.ThedifferencewasapparentlyduetothefactthatanorificeplatewasinstalledratherthanaHydrobrake

• The1990’soriginaldesigndrawingsbyPPIConsultantswerenotavailableandtheoriginaldesigncriteriausedforthenetworkandbalancingpondwerenotknown.Thesimulationwasbasedonsurveydataforthehighwayelementsonly.

ItisnotclearwhetherallowancesforClimateChangewereincludedbyRodgersLeaskintheirsimulationsalthoughitwasrequestedbytheEAatthattime.


4.80 TheproposedarrangementswithintheTechnologyParkareacanbesummarisedasfollows:

Catchment ‘A’ TheMasterplanproposalsincludecompletion

oftheplotdevelopmentssouthofConwayHouseoriginallyenvisagedduringthe1990’sbutnotcarriedoutatthattime.Thestormwaterdrainagenetworkwasdesignedtoreceivetheassociateddischargeplustherunwayadjacent,asnotedabove.

TheproposedadditionalimpermeableareawithinCatchment‘A’isestimatedtobe1.30Hawhichislessthantheimpermeableareaallowedwhicheitherhasneverbeenbuiltorwillberemoved(1.41Ha).DuetothesignificantapparentcapacityavailablewithinBalancingPond‘A’theproposalwouldbetoallowroofstormwaterdischargesfromtheMasterplandevelopmentareatodischargedirectlyintotheexisting600mmdia.seweradjacentdesignedforthispurpose.ThehardstandingareaswouldrequireonelevelofSuDStreatmentonplot.Howeveritisrecommendedthatanewsimulationiscarriedouttodemonstratecompliancewithcurrentdesigncriteria.

TheproposedMasterplanCatchment‘A’developmentareaislikelytoneedtoeffectivelyincrease,asdiscussedbelow,relatingtoprobablelevelsissueswithinCatchment‘B’.Onthisbasis,thenewsimulationwouldincludetheadditionalarea,asappropriate.PDChavecarriedoutahighlevelassessmenttocheckthelikelyeffectofincreasingtheCatchment‘A’developmentarea.Thissuggestedthatfora1in100yearevent(including40%ClimateChange)astoragevolumewithintheexistingBalancingPond‘A’wouldneedtobec.4300cu.m.Onthebasisthatthepondhasanapparentcapacityinexcessof6000cu.mthiswouldappeartobeaviablestrategy.TheincreasedCatchment‘A’impermeableareausedforthishighlevelassessmentwas9.01Hawhichignoredanyfutureon-plotSuDS.Notethattheoutfalldischargeintothewatercoursewouldremainaspertheexistingvalueof252l/s.Adetailedsimulationshouldproducealowerstoragevolumecomparedtoahighlevelassessment.

Thereisanexistingplotsitelocatedtothenorth-westernpartofCatchment‘A’whichisreferredtoasthetestcentresite.TheMasterplanincludesredevelopmentwithin

thisareawhichalsoincludesanexistingcarparkingareausedbyNissan.TheSuDSandstormwatermanagementstrategywillrequireadetailedstudyoftheexistingstormwaternetworkandoutfallinthisspecificlocationwhichiscurrentlylargelyunknown.However,aroundhalfoftheNissancarparkareaappearstooutfallintotheadjacentBalancePond‘A’andtheotherhalfdischargesintothepipednetworkdownstreamofthepond.

Thereforethestrategyforthisareawouldbetocalculatetheexistingdischargeintothepondandsewersandprovidestorageandattenuationforthiswiderdevelopmentareatolimittheproposeddischargetotheexistingfigure.Onthisbasis,aSuDSmanagementtrainusing‘at-source’featuresconnectingtoadefinedgreencorridorcommencingwiththelandscapedcourtyardwithintheplotarealinkingtoagreenareaadjacenttotheplotboundarycouldbeadopted.

Catchment ‘B’ Catchment‘B’andtheassociatedDischarge

Point‘B’arewithintheTechnologyParkexpansionareawhichiscurrentlypartoftheairfield.Thestrategyforthisareaistoprovideapproximately50%ofthestorageandattenuationrequiredas‘at-source’featuresand‘onplot’featureswiththeremaining50%providedwithinthewiderarealandscaping.Thiscouldbeaseriesofunder-draineddetentionbasinslocatedtotherunwayaxisarea.Thiswouldallowthedurationforvisiblestoragetobelimitedto24hoursforaonein30yeareventwhichisdeemedtobethemaximumtimepermittedgiventhecloseproximityoftheairfield.TheoutfallfromthesefeatureswouldconnectintothecarparkoutfallwhichultimatelyconnectstotheexistingairfielddrainageatthenotionalDischargePoint‘B’.

AsdiscussedwithintheCatchment‘A’sectionabove,webelievethattheremaybealevelsissuewiththeproposedMasterplandevelopmentstothewestofCatchment‘B’.Thisisbecausethetopographyisflatinthislocationandalsotheoutfalldrainagetotheeastisshallow.Onthisbasis,thepreferredsolutionwouldbetoincludethesedevelopmentswithinCatchment‘A’.Thisappearstobeviablewithoutanyon-plotstorageandattenuationhowevertheplotdevelopmentsinquestionwouldstillneedtobedesignedtomeetthecriteriadefinedwithinthisdocument,priortodischargeintotheexistingpipeworktothewest.Ifimplemented,thiswouldhowever


reducethestoragedemandsforCatchment‘B’becausetheimpermeableareawouldbesignificantlyreduced.

TheoutfallfromtheMUEAVIroadprojectwhichwillbethefirstconstructedworkswithinthiscatchmentwillneedtooutfall,viabioretentionplanters,closetothenorthofthecatchmentboundarytowardstheairfieldandwillbedesignedaspartoftheoutfallfromtheAIRCcarparklikelytobeconstructedatasimilartime.

AhighlevelassessmentbyPDCsuggeststhatthetotalvolumerequiredtolimitdischargefromdevelopmentareasto4l/s/Hawillbearound5200cu.mintotal,basedonaonein100yearevent(including40%ClimateChange).ThiswouldbereducedassumingpartoftheMasterplandevelopmentareaswithinCatchment‘B’neededtodischargeintotheCatchment‘A’drainagenetwork,asdiscussedabove.Inaddition,thisfigureincludesthewholedevelopmentareabuttheMUEAVIroadandAIRCcarparkwillbeconstructedinadvanceofplotdevelopmentswithattenuationandstoragefullyincludedtoagreenfieldrun-offrate.

Furthermore,theaboveexerciseexcludesthepreviouspre-1990impermeablearea(2.16Ha)drainedintothecatchmentdischargepoint.DiscussionandagreementwithCBCwillberequiredontheextentthatthisvaluecanbeusedtooffsetfuturedischargerates.

Catchment ‘C’ Catchment‘C’incorporatesallproposed

developmentareaasdefinedbytheMasterplan.ThiscomprisesasectionoftheMUEAVIroadasdiscussedaboveandalsotheplotdevelopmentsandassociatedcarparkingwhichwillbeaccessedviathissectionofproposedinfrastructure.

IdeallythestrategyforthisareawouldallowallinfrastructuredrainageincludingSuDSfeaturestobeconstructedwiththeMUEAVIroadprojectwhichwouldallowsubsequentplotdevelopmentstobeconnectedtotheinfrastructure.FundingconstraintsmaynotallowthisstrategytobeadoptedthereforetheproposalistoprovideatemporaryoutfallfromtheMUEAVIroadtoDischargePoint‘C’.ThiscouldcompriseapipedsectionofsewerfromroadbioretentionplanterstothesouthofthefutureplotstoaswalewhichthenconnectstotheoutfallintotheexistingditchatDischargePoint’C’.Aseriesofdetentionbasinsfromtheplotdevelopmentscouldconnecttothe

swaleatalatertime.TheintegratedSuDSandlandscapingdesignisenvisagedtobenaturalisedwithinthisarea.

SubsequentplotdevelopmentswillneedtofundconstructionofsectionsofthepermanentSuDSmanagementtrainsuchthatthiscanbeexpandedlaterasfurtherplotdevelopmentareadded.

Thestrategywouldseparateroofstormwaterrequiringoneleveloftreatmentandexternalareasrequiringtwolevelsoftreatment.

TheproposedSuDSmanagementtrainwouldbeasindicatedontheproposedcatchmentplanonpage22whichfollowsthenaturalsitetopography.Thiscouldbeaseriesofunder-drainednaturaliseddetentionbasinsallowingthedurationforvisiblestoragetobelimitedto24hoursforaonein30yeareventwhichisdeemedtobethemaximumtimepermittedgiventhecloseproximityoftheairfield.TheoutfallfromthesefeatureswouldconnectintoDischargePoint‘C’viaaheadwall.

AhighlevelexercisebyPDCsuggeststhatthetotalvolumerequiredtolimitdischargefromdevelopmentareasto4l/s/Hawillbearound3500cu.mintotal,basedonaonein100yearevent(including40%ClimateChange).ThisfigureincludesthewholedevelopmentareabuttheMUEAVIroadandsoutherncarparkwillbeconstructedinadvanceofplotdevelopmentswithattenuationandstoragefullyincludedtoagreenfieldrun-offrate.

Furthermore,theaboveexerciseexcludesthepreviouspre-1990impermeablearea(0.77Ha)drainedintothecatchmentdischargepoint.DiscussionandagreementwithCBCwillberequiredontheextentthatthisvaluecanbeusedtooffsetfuturedischargerates.

Catchment ‘D’ Asnotedabove,thisisdefinedbytheexisting

MartellHouseplotdevelopmentinadditiontothedevelopmentplottothenorthandalsothesectionoftheproposedMUEAVIroadwithinthiscatchmentarea.

WebelievethattheexistingdrainagefortheMartellHouseplotwasdesignedtoallowfutureconnectionclosetothenorthernboundary.Unfortunatelytheas–constructeddrainageinformationisnotavailableand


thereforethedetailofthisconnectioncannotbeestablished.ItwillbenecessarytocarryoutafulldrainagesurveyoftheMartellHouseplotandoutfalltodischargepoint‘D’toenablethedetailedassessmenttobemade.

ItisenvisagedthattheMUEAVIroadwillconnecttoasuitablepointwithinMartellHouseplotfollowingcollectionfrombioretentionplantingwithintheproposedhighway.OnthebasisthatthereisanexistingdetentionbasinonthesouthernsideofCranfieldRoadthiswillprovidetherequiredtwolevelsoftreatmentfromthisarea.

ThedevelopmentplottothenorthhasbeenassessedaspotentiallyslightlysmallerinareathanassumedforthecalculationscarriedoutbyPPIConsultingandRodgersLeask.TheRodgersLeasksimulationdidnotreflecttheactualMartellHouseon-plotconstructeddrainagenetworktowhichthedevelopmentplotwillneedtobeaddedaspertheoriginaldesignintent.Thedetailedsimulationreflectingtheas-builtdrainagepluscurrentdesigncriteriawillneedtobedonetodeterminethevolumeofon-plotattenuationwithinthedevelopmentplottothenorth.Thisisenvisagedtobeintheformofdetentionbasinsandswalesdrainingtheexternalareas.Theroofwaterwillconnectdirectlytotheexistingnetwork.SuitablepipedconnectionwillneedtobeconstructedaspartoftheMUEAVIroadprojectbelowtheroadconstructionforfutureuse.

AconnectionfromtheMUEAVIroadprojectbioretentionplanterswillneedtobeformedintotheheadoftheexistingon-plotdrainagetoMartellHouseorconnectedatthesouthofthecarpark.

ItshouldbenotedhoweverthattheexistingfeaturepondtoMartellHouseisapparentlynotfedviaroofstormwaterandrequirestoppingupusingmainswater.AfeedfromtheroofwaterofMartellHouseortheproposedplotswouldbeasensiblerevisiontotheexistingplotdrainage.Apipewillneed

4.81 AFloodRiskAssessment(FRA)forallmajorplotdevelopmentsandsectionsofinfrastructureroadwillneedtobecarriedout.ThiswillinfluencethedetaileddesignoftheSuDSandstormwaterbasedontheoutlineprinciplesestablishedwithinthisdocument.

4.82 DiscussionshavetakenplacethroughouttheMasterplanprocesswithCentralBedfordshireCouncilinrespectofpotentialimprovementstoexistingwatercoursesandlandscapeinrespectofamenity,biodiversityandenvironment.Thekeyrecommendationsareasfollows:

• Reprofilingofexistingwatercoursesaspartofwiderlandscapingstrategyimprovementworkstocreatemorenaturalisedprofileswhichwouldimprovesafety,visualamenityandbiodiversity.Theseworkswouldincludeconstructionofcheckdamsalongthelengthofthevariouswatercoursestoimprovevisualamenityandbiodiversity.

• Removefencingtothenorthern‘Lagoon’andcarryoutasuitablelandscapingmaintenanceregimetoallowgeneralaccessandalsocreationofcycleandfootpaths.

• RemovetemporaryflowcontroldevicetoweirtoChicheleyBrookclosetothenorthernboundaryandinstallapenstockforfutureflow/levelcontrolandpollutioncontrol.Alsoawatercoursemaintenancestrategyshouldbeimplementedingeneralbutespeciallyinthislocation.

• CarryoutappropriateworkstoallowaccessintothewoodedareatotheeastofChicheleyBrookwithsuitablecycleandfootwayslinkingtothelagoonandwiderresidentialandrecreationalzone.

• Installpenstockstoexistingmanholeswithinkeymainsewerstotheexistingstormwaternetworktotheacademiczoneforadditionalflowandpollutioncontrol.

4.83 Aspartofthisassessment,ahigh-levelexistingcatchmentstudyhasbeenprepared.Thissuggestedthatpinchpointswithinthenetworkmayexistalthoughtheassumptionsmadeinrespectofinfiltrationandtimeofentryarelikelytobesignificantlydifferentinpractice.TheculvertcrossingtoCollegeRoadisnowaconcreteboxculvertratherthantwin900mmdiameterpipesasshownontheoriginaldrawings.ThereforeitisalsorecommendedthatadetailedcatchmentstudyinvolvingmeasurementofflowsandcreationofdetailedmodelsiscarriedoutinordertoplanforfuturedevelopmentsassociatedwiththeMasterplanandcouldbebestachievedaspartofapostgraduateresearchproject.


Landscape and views

4.85 CranfieldsitswithintheareadesignatedattheForestofaidandenhanceplantinginthisareawhichtheMasterp’ansplantingandlandscapestrategyrespondto.

4.86 DevelopmentinthisareamustseektoenhanceplantingandtheUniversity’ssurroundingareaoftheUniversitylargelyopenandinsomeareasexposed.Withinthecampus,thereisnosenseofexposureowingtosurroundingtrees,woodlandandtheproximityofbuildings.

4.87 Therearethreekeylandmarkscurrentlyoncampus;CranfieldUniversitylibrarydesignedbyFoster+Partnersatthecentreofthecampus,MartellHousetotheSouth,andtheOldMilitaryWaterToweronUniversityWay.TheCentreofCompetitiveCreativeDesign(C4D)byNiallMcLaughlinArchitectsisabuildingwhichsitsintheshadowofthelibrarybuthasitsownstrongcharacterwhichcouldbeemphasisedmore.C4D

andthelibraryframethesquarewhichisfullofpoorqualityplantingandparkingwhichdetractfromthequalityofthespace.

4.88 Theairfieldisalsoanidentifiablefeatureforthecampus,andwhileviewsouttotheairfieldaresignificantfortheUniversity’sidentitythereareoftenoccasionswhentheseviewsareblockedbybuildingsorpartiallyobscuredbyfunctionalandoftenmassivebuildingssuchasthehangars.

4.89 Duetoitsslightlyelevatedlocation,CranfieldisvisiblefromtheadjacentClayValesalthoughviewsarepartiallyshelteredbywoodlandplanting.

4.90 ThefollowingviewsoftheUniversityprovideanindicativeassessmentofthevisualimpactoftheproposeddevelopment.Theviewsarenotverified,andthebuildingmassesshownareindicative,howeverthefollowingimagesprovideanindicationofthefutureimpactofmasterplandevelopment.

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Source: Google

Keynes. The land surrounding the University is predominantly open agricultural land with hedgerows and some small clusters of woodland.

assessment of the visual impact of the proposed development.

Locationofindicativeviews


View one

491 ViewnorthfromthecurrentrearexitofMartellHousetowardsthecampus.ThislooksacrossopenmowngrasstowardstheroundaboutonUniversityWaytothetwostoreybuildingsatMedwayCourt.

4.92 Theproposedmasterplandevelopmentwillsignificantlychangethisview;newbuildingsareanticipateddirectlyinfrontofMartellHouseaswellasinfrontofthebuildingsatMedwayCourt.ItisthereforeimportanttovisuallyconnectMartellHousetothemaincampus,linkingviews.

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View north from Martell House towards Medway Court

towards campus currently looks across open mown grass

Martell House.

important to visually connect Martell House to the main campus therefore linking views are important here.

This is an important pedestrian route and will have street trees


View two

4.93 ThisviewisfromthecurrentaccessroadtoMartellHouse,overlookingtheairfieldwhichispredominantlycutgrass.

4.94 Theviewwillbesignificiantlychangedbytheproposedmasterplandevelopment;anewroundaboutwillbelocatedatthisjunction,andproposedbuildingswillsitalongtheroadscreeningviewstowardstheairfield.ThefacadesshouldbewellconsideredastheywillbeprominantlyvisiblefromMartellHouse.

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View north from access road outside Martell House towards Medway Court

This view is from the current access road outside Martell

grass.

This route although not on a primary route through the


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main vehicular entrance to the University to the south of

clusters of trees.

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main vehicular entrance to the University to the south of

clusters of trees.

View three

4.95 ThisviewistakenfromCranfieldRoadwhichconnectsthemainvehicularentrancetotheUniversitytothesouthofCranfieldvillage.TherearefewverticalelementsinthelandscapetoscreenviewsacrosstheairfieldtowardstheUniversityCampus.Thethreeexistingairporthangersarevisibleonthehorizon,theirfaçadesbrokenupwithsmallclustersoftrees.

4.96 Thisviewwillbeaffectedbytheproposeddevelopment;however,thechangewillbelowasthenewbuildingswillsitin-frontandalongsideexistingbuildings.Continuingthesmallclustersoftreeswillhelptobreakupthebuildingsstructure.Theexistinghangarsarequiteattractiveandiconicinthelandscape.

Cranfield University - Landscape Strategy 51Section 5.0 Landscape Strategy: Proposed Landscape Themes

Site appraisal photograph 3: View north west from Cranfield Road across the airfield towards Cranfield University campus

Indicative proposed site appraisal photograph 3: View north west from Cranfield Road across the airfield towards Cranfield University campus - indicative building mass shown in pink

View 3

This view is taken from Cranfield Road which connects the main vehicular entrance to the University to the south of Cranfield village. There are few vertical elements in the landscape to screen views across the airfield towards the University Campus. The three existing airport hangers are visible on the horizon, their façades broken up with small clusters of trees.

This view will be affected by the proposed development; however, the change will be low as the new buildings will sit in-front of existing buildings. Continuing the small clusters of trees will help to break up the buildings structure. The existing hangars are quite attractive and iconic in the landscape; therefore, new views should not detract significantly from this.

DRAFTCranfield University - Landscape Strategy 51Section 5.0 Landscape Strategy: Proposed Landscape Themes

Site appraisal photograph 3: View north west from Cranfield Road across the airfield towards Cranfield University campus

Indicative proposed site appraisal photograph 3: View north west from Cranfield Road across the airfield towards Cranfield University campus - indicative building mass shown in pink

View 3

This view is taken from Cranfield Road which connects the main vehicular entrance to the University to the south of Cranfield village. There are few vertical elements in the landscape to screen views across the airfield towards the University Campus. The three existing airport hangers are visible on the horizon, their façades broken up with small clusters of trees.

This view will be affected by the proposed development; however, the change will be low as the new buildings will sit in-front of existing buildings. Continuing the small clusters of trees will help to break up the buildings structure. The existing hangars are quite attractive and iconic in the landscape; therefore, new views should not detract significantly from this.

DRAFT


View four

4.97 ThisviewistakenfromCranfieldRoadatthesouthendofCranfieldVillageHighStreet.Theviewislookingwestovertheopenairfield,theUniversitycampusbuildingsareprominentontheskyline,inparticularthenewAIRCbuilding.MartellHouseisalmostfullyscreenedbywoodland.

4.98 Theproposalswillhaveanimpactofthisview,newbuildingswillscreentheunattractiveMedwayCourtbuildings,andwillextendalongthehorizontomeettheexistingcampusbuildings.Continuingsmallclustersoftreeswillhelpbreakupthelongbuildingstructureandscreentherearbuildings.

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View five

4.99 ThisviewistakenfromtheendofMerchantLaneinCranfieldvillage,thehousesonthislanedonotfacethecampusdirectly.Theviewisovertheopenairfieldwithlimitedverticalelementsintheforeground,plantedwoodlandscreensviewstothenorthoftheairfieldandUniversitycampus.Thecampusisvisiblealongthehorizonwithsmallclustersoftreesprovidingvisualbreaks.

4.100 Theproposeddevelopmentwillbevisibletothesouth,howevermuchofthedevelopmentwillsitinfrontofexistingbuildings.Continuingsmallclustersoftreesalongthissectionofthecampuswillhelptobreakupthehorizonandintegratethecampusintothesetting.

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Village, the houses on this lane do not face the campus

elements in the foreground, planted woodland screens


View six

4.101 ThisviewistakenfromthewesternapproachtotheUniversityandshowsLanchesterHallstudentaccommodation.Thisviewisfarmoreenclosedthanviewsfromtheeast,woodedhedgerowslinetheroadsandscreenexistingbuildings.

4.102 Therearenonewbuildingsproposedinthisview,itisproposedthattheplantingwillbefurtherdevelopedtoprovideahabitatcorridoraroundthisedgeofthecampus.

Findingsandrecommendations

4.103 Viewsinternaltothecampusoutontotheairfieldwillbemaintainedandenhancedtoaidwithcirculationandprovideaconstantreferencepointalongthecampus.Viewsintoexistingandproposedlandmarkswillalsobeframedtoaidwithwayfindingandprovidedefinitiontoroutesandspaces.

4.104 Therewillbeanumberofsignificantviewsthroughcampusparticularlyonthenorth-southaxis,thesewillbefullviewstoaidnavigationandwillbedefinedbybuildingstructureandawiderplantingstrategy.Therearecurrentlyanumberoflandmarkswithincampusandviewstotheseshouldbeframedandcelebrated,theseincludeviewstoMartellHouseandtoCranfieldUniversitylibrarydesignedbyFoster+Partners.

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This view is taken from the western approach to the University

view is far more enclosed than views from the east, wooded

4.105 TheairfieldisalsooneoftheUniversity’skeylandmarks,airfieldviewsareuniquetotheUniversityandshouldbecelebrated.Thediagramhighlightsthreekeyairfieldviews–onefromthesouthentranceofcollegeroad,onefromthenorthcampusentrance,andonefromthecentralplazaoftheUniversity.Theairfieldwillalsobeusedasanavigationaltool,glimpseviewsbetweenbuildingswillhelpvisitors to orientate themselves.

4.106 Proposedbuildingsandlandscapefeaturesshouldbelocatedatkeypointsattheendoffullviewstodirectvisitorsacrosscampus.Thenewnorth-southlinkroadwillbepunctuatedbyaseriesoflandmarkfeatureswhichcanbeco-ordinatedwithUniversityfacultiestofurtheraidcampusnavigationandwayfinding.

4.107 ExternalviewsfromCranfieldvillagewillbealteredasaresultofMasterplandevelopment,howevergiventhescaleofdevelopmentwhichcurrentlyabutstheairfield,futureproposalsarenotconsideredtosignificantlyalterlongdistanceviewsintothecampus.However,plantingshouldbeincludedinappropriatelocationstoprovidevisualbreakstobuilddevelopment.


CranfieldUniversity:views,navigationandlandmarksdiagram


Transport

4.108 Theobjectivesofthistravelplan,asidentifiedbothbytheUniversityandthroughstakeholderconsultationareto:

• Makealternativestotheprivatecar,suchascyclingandwalking,easierandsaferforstaffandstudentstouse

• Furtherpromoteanddevelopexistingsustainabletravelinitiatives(carshare/publictransport)

• ExtendthescopeoftheUniversity’scarbonmanagementplantoincludetravelemissionsandseektoreduceCO2fromUniversityassociatedtransport.

• TackletravelissueswhichhavearisenastheUniversitycontinuestodevelopandgrow,forexampleincreaseindemandforcarparkingspaces;

• MaketheCranfieldcampusamoreattractiveenvironmenttoencouragestudentintakeandimprovestaffworkingenvironment;

• SupportfutureplanningapplicationsassociatedwiththeUniversity

4.109 Thetravelplanalsorequiresatravelsummarytobeconductedeveryyear.Whenposedthequestion

‘how often would you be likely to use alternative method of transport if any of the suggested improvements were available/provided?’publictransportscoredthehighest.Followedbycarshareforcommutingonadailybasis(89and85votesconsecutively).Themajorityofpeoplevotedtheywouldonlyliftshare/takepublictransportone-to-twotimesaweekoronanoccasionalbasis.Cyclingwouldalsobeofhighinterestiftheprovisionswereprovided.

4.110 2014v2016:In2016,thereisanincreaseinpeoplewantingtousecarshare,usepubictransportandcycleonadailybasisifimprovementswereinplace.Itshouldbenotedthatin2016,usingpublictransportonadailybasisscoredhigherthanin2014(89votesin2016comparesto63votesin2014).Cyclingalsoscoredhighercomparedto2014foradailybasis(55votescomparedto40votesin2014).

4.111 Despitenoticeableimprovementsinstaffandstudentsusing‘greener’transportmethods,thereisstillroomforfurtherimprovementtoencouragegreateruseofalternativetransport.Carsharinghasnotincreasedinthesamewaythatcyclingandbususehave.Sowewillbefocusingonimprovingthisinparticular.Wewilllookattheseandotherideastohelpmakecontinuousimprovementstotraveloptions.

4.112 FurtherdetailsinrespectoftransportimplicationsasaresultofMasterplandevelopmentaresetoutwithintheaccompanyingtransportstatement.

Travelsurveyfindings2016


Chapter five Conclusion

5.1 TheCranfieldMasterplandefinesavisionfortheUniversity’sphysicalestateoverthenext25years,andthisdocument,readinconjunctionwiththeMasterplan,representsasignificantstepforwardfortheUniversity.

5.2 ThisStatementsummarisesthepositionoftheCranfieldMasterplaninplanningpolicyterms,confirmingthattheMasterplanaspirationsconformtobothnationalandlocalpolicy.

5.3 Theenvironmentalreportswhichhavebeencommissionedhavebeenundertakenatastrategiclevelandsetoutkeyprincipalswhichfuturedevelopmentprojectswillneedtoconsiderandaddressaspartofdetaileddesign,andfurthersurveyworkwereappropriate.

5.4 ThisStatementprovidesanumberofdetailedrecommendations,andthesearesummarisedbelow:

Ecology

5.5 ConsiderationshouldbegiventocreatinganewGreatCrestedNewtpopulationinsuitablehabitatelsewherewithintheCranfieldCampus.

5.6 Priortothedevelopmentoftheroughgrasslandareatowardsthesouthofthesite,areptilesurveyshouldbecompletedduringthereptileactiveperiodbetweenAprilandOctober.

5.7 Thebuildingsidentifiedashavingbatroostpotentialshouldbesubjectedtointernalinspectionsandemergence/re-entrysurveyswhenappropriate.

5.8 Clearanceofvegetationwhichmaycontainnestingbirdsshouldbecompletedoutsidethebirdbreedingperiod.

Drainage

5.9 AFloodRiskAssessment(FRA)forallmajorplotdevelopmentsandsectionsofinfrastructureroadwillneedtobecarriedout.

5.10 Reprofilingofexistingwatercoursesaspartofwiderlandscapingstrategyimprovementworkstocreatemorenaturalisedprofileswhichwouldimprovesafety,visualamenityandbiodiversity.Theseworkswouldincludeconstructionofcheckdamslongthelengthofthevariouswatercourses.

5.11 Removefencingtothenorthern‘lagoon’andcarryoutasuitablelandscapingmaintenanceregimetoallowgeneralaccessandalsocreationofcycleandfootpaths.

5.12 RemovetemporaryflowcontroldevicetoweirtoChicheleyBrookclosetothenorthernboundaryandinstallapenstockforfutureflow/levelcontrolandpollutioncontrol.Alsoawatercoursemaintenancestrategyshouldbeimplementedingeneralbutespeciallyinthislocation.

5.13 CarryoutappropriateworkstoallowaccessintothewoodedareatotheeastofChicheleyBrookwithsuitablecycleandfootwayslinkingtothelagoonandwiderresidentialandrecreationalzone.

5.14 Installpenstockstoexistingmanholeswithinkeymainsewerstotheexistingstormwaternetworktotheacademiczoneforadditionalflowandpollutioncontrol.

5.15 Ahigh-levelexistingcatchmentstudyhasbeenprepared.Thisfoundthatpinchpointswithinthenetworkmayexistalthoughtheassumptionsmadeinrespectofinfiltrationand


timeofentryarelikelytobesignificantlydifferentinpractice.ItisalsorecommendedthatadetailedcatchmentstudyinvolvingmeasurementofflowsandcreationofdetailedmodelsiscarriedoutinordertoplanforfuturedevelopmentsassociatedwiththeMasterplanandcouldbebestachievedaspartofapostgraduateresearchproject.

Landscapeandviews

5.16 Viewsinternaltothecampusoutontotheairfieldshouldbemaintainedandenhancedtoaidwithcirculationandprovideaconstantreferencepointalongthecampus.

5.17 Significantviewsthroughthecampuswillbedefinedbybuildingstructureandawiderplantingstrategy,andareintendedtoaidnavigation.

5.18 AirfieldviewsareuniquetotheUniversity,andshouldthereforebecelebrated.Theairfieldwillbeusedasanavigationaltool:glimpseviewsbetweenbuildingswillhelpvisitorstoorientatethemselves.

5.19 Proposedbuildingsandlandscapefeaturesshouldbelocatedatfocalpointsacrossthecampus,whilsttheproposalscontainedwithintheMasterplanarenotconsideredtoimpingeuponlongdistanceviewsintothecampus.

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