WARNING - By their nature, text files cannot include scanned images and tables. The process of converting documents to text only, can cause formatting changes and misinterpretation of the contents can sometimes result. Wherever possible you should refer to the pdf version of this document. CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY Planning Paper 7 14 November 2008 CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY Title: REPORT ON CALLED-IN PLANNING APPLICATION Prepared by: HILARY MACBEAN PLANNING OFFICER (DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT) DEVELOPMENT PROPOSED: FOR THE ERECTION OF BOTTLING HALL AND STORAGE (PHASE 1 OF REDEVELOPMENT OF THE BREWERY) AND TEMPORARY PERMISSION FOR RESITING OF 2 NO. PORTAKABINS FOR OFFICE USE AT CAIRNGORM BREWERY, DALFABER DRIVE, AVIEMORE REFERENCE: 08/259/CP APPLICANT: CAIRNGORM BREWERY CO LTD. DATE CALLED-IN: 11 JULY 2008 RECOMMENDATION: APPROVAL Fig. 1 - Location Plan SITE DESCRIPTION AND PROPOSAL 1. The existing industrial site measures 0.24ha and the proposed site would be enlarged to 0.47ha. including the existing landscape areas. The existing site is almost flat whilst the enlarged site includes parts of the raised landscaped bearms to the east and north and a strip of land running along side the railway to the north east. The bearms substantially screen the site from view apart from the north and west sides, facing into the industrial estate. To the east of the site is the Speyside Railway line and residential property at Lockhart Terrace. To the south of the site is the Cairngorm Technology Park, a modern office in landscaped grounds. 2. The proposal is for a new bottling plant and storage building at the existing brewery. The business and sustainability objectives of the development are described below. The current proposal, for the first phase of the building would comprise a 7.5 m high x11m x19m storage building and a 5.2m high x 13m x8m bottling hall and a 5.2m high x10m x9m plant room. The roof would be flat to accommodate an upper floor visitor facility in Phase 3. Figure 1 Colour photo of Cairngorm Brewery looking South Figure 2 Colour photo of the site looking North West from over the railway Figure 3 Architect's drawing of the proposed site layout Figure 4 Architect's drawings of Elevations North and East Figure 5 Axiomatic view from the South West DEVELOPMENT PLAN CONTEXT Cairngorms National Park Plan 2007 3. Strategic objectives for Landscape, Built and Historic Environment include; ensuring that development complements and enhances the landscape character of the Park. New developments within settlements and surrounding areas should complement and enhance the character, pattern and local identity of the built and historic environment. Strategic objectives for Sustainable Communities include making proactive provision to focus settlement growth in the main settlements. Strategic objectives for the Economy and Employment include maintaining sustainable growth, year round employment and higher incomes to provide “an international shop window” for the best the country has to offer. Strategic objectives for Sustainable Tourism include strengthening and maintaining the viability of the tourism industry in the Park and the contribution it makes to the local and regional economy. National Planning Policy 4. Scottish Planning Policy 2 (SPP 2) Economic Development seeks to secure new development in sustainable locations, to improve integration between transport and locations for development and to encourage more sustainable forms of development. The planning system should therefore be responsive and sufficiently flexible to accommodate the particular requirements of mobile inward investment, growing indigenous firms and other major investments. Highland Structure Plan 2001 5. Policy B7 Business Development in Rural Areas encourages business development and extensions. Badenoch and Strathspey Local Plan 1997 6. The flat part of the site is allocated for business and industry whilst the embankments to the South and East are allocated as amenity woodland. Policy 2.2.1(a) states that new economic development will be encouraged where it is compatible with a clean environment. The policy principles for Aviemore include environmental enhancement, the “greening up” of the village and its reconnection with the wider landscape. Policy 6.2.11 Business in Aviemore allocates land for business and encourages a consolidation on industrial sites whilst endeavouring to ensure that buildings are of a scale and design capable of being absorbed into the overall landscape framework. CONSULTATIONS 7. Scottish Water has no objection but states that a separate assessment of the impact of the proposal on the existing supply and disposal infrastructure will be required. There is sufficient capacity in the water supply system. There is limited capacity in the Aviemore Waste Water Treatment Works to serve the new demand. 8. SEPA advise that polluting parts of the site such as service areas, washing areas, fuel areas and skip areas should be connected to the public mains whilst other areas require two or three levels of SUDS for surface water disposal. Roof water run-off requires a single level. Details of a SUDS system have been submitted and satisfactory to SEPA. 9. Aviemore Community Council -no response. 10. Highland Council’s Area Roads Manager has raised a number of concerns regarding HGV servicing and vehicle parking at the site, particularly for visitor coaches and during the construction phases. These have been addressed by designing a parking and servicing scheme during and following each phase of development. The Roads Manager remains concerned about the lack of on-site HGV parking and turning and seeks a solution in later phase. The Roads Manager has no objections, subject to conditions 11. Environmental Health Officer has been consulted concerning possible noise nuisance from the bottling plant. A detailed noise assessment and proposals for noise insulation of the building have been submitted. The Environmental Health Officer is satisfied that there is unlikely to be a noise nuisance to the nearest dwellings and no mitigation conditions are recommended provided that the building is insulated as planned. 12. CNPA Economic and Social Development Officer advises that the brewery is a major local production company and an important diversification of the Aviemore economy. The proposal also provides an opportunity for improvements in waste reduction, lower running costs and a heat recovery plant. It is located on an existing industrial site and the development should be welcomed and supported. 13. CNPA Heritage and Land Management (Landscape Officer) states that the design of the building should have a positive effect on the generally utilitarian character of the area. The location of the building into the current landscaped bearms will mean the loss nearly the entire southern section (adjacent to Dalfaber Drive) and much of the South East corner. The corner adjacent to the railway crossing holds a prominent stand of planted Aspens (an LBAP species) that are also likely to be removed. The bearms and trees screen the worst aspects of the industrial estate from public view from the road, railway and houses to the East. There is a loose pattern of planting down Dalfaber Drive, (most recently expressed in the landscaping of the Technology Park opposite) and the loss of the trees would be significant in the landscape. The building should be repositioned further west into the existing industrial area. REPRESENTATIONS 14. Statement of support by the Brewery Manager. APPRAISAL Key Issues 15. The key issues relating to the current Phase 1 proposal are the significant improvements to sustainable transport, energy saving and the costs of production that it would represent, employment opportunities and working conditions, parking and servicing, noise, the appearance and public presentation of the site, tree screening and the loss of amenity landscaping. Business and Economy Issues 16. The proposal is the first phase of a three phase project that would ultimately bring economies of production, better organisation of the production line and energy savings through heat recovery, biomass energy from spent grain and building insulation. It will also provide more comfortable working conditions, replacing the current add-hoc collection of semi- open sheds. Ultimately, in Phase 3, a strong visitor attraction will replace the current on-site shop and limited tour arrangements. In summary, the Phases comprise: Phase 1 (current planning application): bottling plant, plant room and product store (increase from 12 to 15 jobs); Phase 2: new brewery and malt store (3 additional jobs); Phase 3: removal of old brewery building and shop and erection of first floor visitor area including viewing areas, corporate and office space, catering and shop (jobs not yet specified). 17. The applicants Statement in Support of the proposals is published in full as an appendix o the report as it clearly sets out the current difficulties in production, the need to tanker beer to Stockport for bottling, the costs of off-site bonded warehousing and the need for large production runs. An on-site bottling plant would bring the whole process to Aviemore. It will also allow smaller production runs to better supply customer needs. There would be more deliveries of finished beer from Aviemore to locations around the UK but this would be direct to customers, including some large retailers, rather than through off-site bonded warehousing in England. Parking and Servicing 18. The site is currently very constrained and a parking and servicing plan for each phase, including during construction, has been put forward. The Phase 1 bottling and storage building is located to the east and south sides of the site where parking, servicing and storage currently take place. Construction space will be required along side the continuation of production. Key features are a temporary construction access closer to Dalfaber Drive and additional parking for up to 18 cars in an unused area to the north east side of the site, abutting the Speyside railway. The repositioning of temporary portakabin office space will ease servicing to the rear of the existing building and visitor parking will continue as it is. The HC Roads Engineer would prefer on-site turning for HGV’s but this is not possible due to the large telecoms compound located at the centre north of the site. The artics. will therefore continue to reverse off the public industrial estate road 3 times per week and will be unloaded on-site. This is common on Dalfaber industrial estate. Noise 19. The site is located on a general industrial estate but presently benefits from a significant bearm and maturing landscape scheme that protects the amenity of residential property to the south whilst recognising that the Speyside railway passes at the level of the houses below. Current activity is restricted to working hours and there is limited noise from service vehicles. The bottling plant has been examined for a potential noise nuisance to residents but, with suitable insulation to the building already planned for operational reasons, is not expected to cause a nuisance during working hours. A condition controlling hours of operation is recommended (*****check) Appearance and Public Presentation of the Site 20. The proposed building is functional, creative, environmentally informed and contemporary, a far cry from the series of sheds and portakabins that have built up on site currently. The building will offer a much more attractive feature when viewed from outside the industrial estate and will present a much better appearance at the entrance to the industrial estate. The Phase 1 building is flat roofed to accommodate the Phase 3 visitor facility above. The walls will be finished in light coloured render and cladding, picking up on the corporate gold colours of the company. The existing building is barely visible outside the industrial estate. The aim is to achieve a more public profile and draw the attention of the public to the business and the processes going on inside. This has implications for the landscape character of the area. These are discussed below. Screening and Landscaping 21. Dalfaber Road is characterised by commercial and residential premises set back, with maturing tree-planting being the most obvious feature along the road sides. Local plan policy seeks to “green up“ Aviemore and protect established amenity planting. 22. In order to accommodate the proposed building on the site, provide for construction space and storage, continue production in the existing building and ultimately, provide parking and landscaping for the new building, it has proven necessary to breach the existing landscaped bearms and set the building into the embankments. This also achieves the aspiration to give the site and building a more public profile. This will necessitate the removal of much of the existing planting down Dalfaber Road. Existing smaller Aspen and Birch trees will be retained on the outer edges and a stand of planted Aspen will be retained and supplemented at the south east corner. A vista approximately 12m in width would rise from the road edge to a glazed façade of the bottling hall and a wall containing the company name. This is likely to be lit and the area in front would be grassed. This would present an attractive frontage but I consider that the existing amenity of Dalfaber Road should be upheld by securing replacement trees along other parts of the southern bearm. This should be done at the post Phase 2 stage. 23. To the east, incursion into the bearm would necessitate removal of all the semi-mature pines along the top. It is proposed to replace these along the new line of the bearm. Other trees and shrubs on the outer face would remain. The new building would be partially visible from houses on Lockhart Drive but they would not be overlooked. Measures to protect their privacy may be necessary at the Phase 3 stage when an upper floor is proposed. 24. The bearm to the north east would be partially breached to allow for parking space. This faces the railway and Lockhart Terrace gardens. The present 2m embankment is topped within 2 metre shrubs. The composition would be reduced to a 1m bank topped by 2 m replacement shrubs. The site would be much more exposed in the short term although parked cars would be largely screened behind the remaining bearm and retaining structure. Equally, windows in the repositioned portakabins should be faced away from views of houses to the east. Conclusions 25. The proposal represents a strong project for the growth and development of an indigenous company. It is located on an industrial estate in a central location but one which would benefit from an upgrade of its built fabric. The proposal would achieve this but would have some impacts on the character and amenity of the surrounding area and the established amenity planting. This would be contrary to local plan policy but qualities of the building, a sufficient replacement landscaping scheme and conditions to protect against loss of amenity and noise nuisance are sufficient to offset the likely changes to the immediate environment. over all, both on policy and site assessment grounds, the proposal should be supported. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE AIMS OF THE PARK Conserve and Enhance the Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Area 26. The further development of brewing in Aviemore would underpin the cultural heritage and diversity of the area. 27. The proposal would not wholly conserve and enhance the amenity screen of native species that currently surrounds the east and south of the site. This would be largely removed but some mitigation is provided in retaining parts of the bearm and planting and a partial replacement tree-planting scheme using native species. Promote Sustainable Use of Natural Resources 28. Phase 1 would lead to significant operational improvements that would bring the bottling process on site, materially reducing transport impacts. It would introduce energy saving buildings and processes. Promote Understanding and Enjoyment 29. The new buildings both at the Phase 1 stage and at later stages would improve the appearance of the site and raise the visibility of an interesting operation to public view. This would improve its visitor potential, product profile and understanding and enjoyment of the process and product. Promote Sustainable Economic and Social Development 30. Employment in brewing and bottling would increase from 12 to 15. The diversification and tourism aspects would have wider benefits for the economy of the area as a whole. RECOMMENDATION 31. That Members of the Committee agree to a recommendation to: Grant Full Planning Permission for the erection of bottling hall and storage (phase 1 of redevelopment of the brewery) and temporary permission for resiting of 2no. portakabins for office use at Cairngorm Brewery, Dalfaber Drive, Aviemore, subject to the following conditions: 1. The development to which this permission relates must be begun within five years from the date of this permission. 2. The portakabins hereby approved shall be removed from the site within 3 years of the date of this notice and the site reinstated, within 1 month of removal, to match surface finishes in the immediate vicinity. 3. Notwithstanding the details on the approved plans The portakabins shall be positioned such that windows and doors face away from the east side of the site. 4. Any windows installed in the upper floor east elevation, including the staff room window, shall be obscurely glazed, with restricted openers. 5. The building hereby approved shall be insulated against noise egress to a standard at least in accordance with Plan 201 Acoustics dated 10.10.08, to the satisfaction of the Planning Authority in consultation with the Highland Council Environmental Health Officer. 6. The development shall be landscaped and maintained in accordance with the approved scheme as shown on Plan No. 203 Planting - Completion Phase 1 dated 22.10.08, as follows:( a) Completion of the scheme during the first planting season following the completion of Phase 1 of the development as hereby approved, or such other date as may be approved in writing with the Planning Authority. (b) The maintenance of the landscaped areas in perpetuity in accordance with the detailed maintenance schedule/table. Any trees or shrubs removed, or which in the opinion of the Planning Authority, are dying, being severely damaged or becoming seriously diseased within five years of planting, shall be replaced by trees or shrubs of similar size and species to those originally required to be planted. 7. The Sustainable Surface Water Drainage Scheme for the site specified in the report by A.F.Cruden Associates CA5898 Dated October 2008, shall be installed and functional prior to the development hereby approved coming into use, to the satisfaction of the Planning Authority, in consultation with SEPA. 8. Exact details and specifications of all proposed external finishing materials (including roofing materials) shall be submitted for the further approval of the Planning Authority before any work commences on site. 9. Prior to any other work starting in connection with the proposed development the works listed in the following paragraphs shall be completed and approved by the Planning Authority in consultation with the Roads Authority: a) Construction of the access for at least the first 15 metres measured from the nearside edge of the public road shall consist of a minimum of 40mm thick Close Graded Wearing Course on 60mm Dense Basecourse on 70m thick Dense Road base, on a minimum thickness of 250mm Type 1 sub base, all on a sound formation. Thereafter construction shall consist of a minimum of 350 mm thick Type 1 sub base on a sound formation. b) The gradient of the access shall not exceed 5% for the first 10 metres measured from the nearside edge of the public road and thereafter shall not exceed 10%. c) The proposed temporary site access shall be fit for purpose and shall include bituminous construction for at least the first 10 metres measured from the nearside edge of the public road. d) Visibility splays shall be provided and maintained on each side of each access. These splays are the triangles of ground bounded by the first 4.5 metres along the centreline of the access road (the x dimension) and the nearside edge of the main road (the y dimension) measured 70 metres in either direction from the intersection with the access road. e) Within the visibility splays nothing shall obscure visibility between a driver’s eye height of 1.0 metres positioned at the x dimension and an object height of 1.0 metre anywhere along the y dimension. f) Any gates that are provided shall be set back at least 15 metres from the nearside edge of the public road and shall open into the property only. g) The applicants shall undertake pre and post construction surveys, which shall include photographic records, to record the condition of the public road fronting the site. Any damage arising to the public road during the construction of the development shall be made good by the applicants to the satisfaction of the Planning Authority in consultation with the Roads Authority. h) Sufficient temporary and permanent off road parking and manoeuvring space shall be made available, either within the site or at a suitable location nearby, to safely accommodate all vehicles associated with the construction or operation of the development. i) No water shall discharge on to the public road and the applicant shall be responsible for the provision of any measures necessary to prevent road water entering the site. Such measures shall be to the satisfaction of Highland Council. ADVICE NOTES Scottish Water advise that a separate application for connection to water infrastructure is required. Roads Authority An application for a footpath/verge crossing shall be submitted to and approved by the Transportation, Roads and Property Service prior to the commencement of the development. Such crossing when approved shall be designed and constructed to the standard specified by the Transportation, Roads and Property Service and to the satisfaction of the Planning Authority prior to the development coming into use. Hilary MacBean Date 29.10. 2008 planning@cairngorms.co.uk The map on the first page of this report has been produced to aid in the statutory process of dealing with planning applications. The map is to help identify the site and its surroundings and to aid Planning Officers, Committee Members and the Public in the determination of the proposal. Maps shown in the Planning Committee Report can only be used for the purposes of the Planning Committee. Any other use risks infringing Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Maps produced within this Planning Committee Report can only be reproduced with the express permission of the Cairngorms National Park Authority and other Copyright holders. This permission must be granted in advance.