4 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT & ALTERNATIVES

ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT

The Proposed Development & Alternatives

P17-0534_04_ProposedDev&AltsRevB_260318 Bio Plant, Deeside

4 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT & ALTERNATIVES

4.1 INTRODUCTION

4.1.1 This chapter of the Environmental Statement (ES) sets out the description of the

Proposed Development and its construction, and identifies the main alternatives to

the Proposed Development that have been considered and the reasons why these

were rejected.

4.2 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT

4.2.1 The planning application seeks detailed planning consent for a municipal solid waste

(MSW) and commercial and industrial waste (C & I) recycling and recovery plant on

land at Deeside Industrial Estate, Flintshire Enterprise Zone. More specifically this

includes hydro mechanical separation and preparation and multi stage anaerobic

digestion waste recycling plant.

4.2.2 The Proposed Development is described in more detail throughout this chapter,

however comprises the following principal elements:

• Processing unit where the hydro-mechanical separation and preparation

occurs. This includes a waste reception hall with ground level tipping area,

sorting hall, with associated equipment for separation and processing. The

waste areas will be housed under a negative pressure with fast acting doors.

The building also includes a Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) hall, control room,

electrical room and workers facilities;

• Anaerobic Digestion tank farm, including digester tanks, acetogenic tanks,

methanogenic tank and a balancing tank, where the biological multi stage

anaerobic digestion processing occurs;

• Biogas holder balloon of approximately 1000m3;

• Waste water treatment area and dewatering area;

• Generator;

• Bio-filter;

• Internal access road with pedestrian walkways and passing places;

• Car parking area, bin storage area and maintenance depot/fuel and oil

storage;

• Two way weighbridge for trucks delivering waste or recyclables in and out;

• Washing station for trucks prior exiting the site;

• Access from Weighbridge Road; and

• Ancillary infrastructure (including utility services, drainage, retaining wall,

internal roads and related lighting) and associated earthworks.

4.2.3 In accordance with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) case law, the EIA has

been carried out with regards to a range of fixed development parameters to

enable a robust assessment of the proposals to be completed.

4.2.4 The Proposed Development which has been the subject of this EIA is shown within

Figure 4.1. This plan has been assessed against baseline conditions within each

environmental discipline. Figures 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 also provide indicative

elevations and visuals of the main structures proposed on the site.



Bio Plant, Deeside P17-0534_04_ProposedDev&AltsRevB_260318

Project Description and Process Logic

4.2.5 The proposed waste facility seeks to recycle and recover raw materials from MSW

and C & I waste, either pre-sorted or unsorted. The Arrowbio technology, which this

application utilises, includes a separation system that segregates mixed MSW into

different fractions, specifically to isolate organic matter which is used as a feed

stock material within an anaerobic digestion system.

4.2.6 This is achieved effectively through two separate stages; firstly hydro mechanical

separation and preparation, and secondly multi stage anaerobic digestion. This

process logic is illustrated in the below diagram, with each stage discussed

separately in the below sections.

4.2.7 The residual matter from the separation system is a relative small fraction, and the

landfill requirements are therefore reduced dramatically.

Hydro-Mechanical Separation

4.2.8 The preliminary dry waste preparation and separation stage is based on the

different settling properties of different materials and that most of the

biodegradable organic materials are smaller thus can be separated together with

the waste’s liquids by a trommel and disc screens. The system includes several

steps to ensure that each fraction of the waste will get to its designed destination,

as set out below.

4.2.9 The hydro-mechanical separation system includes a range of equipment, including

bag openers, trommels, disc screens, ballistic separators, settling water vats,

shredders, in-line wet shredders, belt conveyers, screw conveyors, magnets, eddy

currents, wind sifters, pumps and hydro-cyclones.

Hydro Mechanical Separation & Preparation Multi Stage Anaerobic

Digestion




4.2.10 The main separation steps are as follows:

• Mixed MSW is fed into a bag opener. Then into a trommel with 150mm &

300mm hole size;

• The oversize (>300mm) materials will continue for manual picking

(cardboard, metals, large HDPE) and a wind sifter for recovering light

fraction;

• The midsize (150-300mm) will continue to a ballistic separator for dividing

2D and 3D materials.

• 3D materials will be sorted manually/automatically to recyclables as metals,

PET, HDPE depending on the market. Wind sifter at the end of the line.

• 2D materials will be sorted manually/automatically for paper/cardboards and

wind sifter at the end of the line.

• The undersize (<150mm) with 95% of the organic fraction will continue to a

disc screen of 60/80mm.

• Undersize (<60/80mm) is conveyed under an over belt magnet (for ferrous

metals) and then through a liquid screen (2.5mm slots) into the settling vat,

that divides to 3 streams a) heavy fractions e.g. glass and stones; b) light

fraction e.g. plastics and fibres; and c) organic fraction that will be pumped to

the biological treatment area (AD tanks). See below section for this separate

process

4.2.11 The materials from each of the above separation steps are then dealt with as

follows:

• Oversize (>60/80) passes a magnet and an eddy current to separate the

ferrous and none ferrous metals; manual picking conveyor for recyclables;

wind sifter; then shredded and screened with another disc screen.

• The undersize will go to a settling vat and then will be pumped to the

biological area.

• Stream to AD tanks all organic and other materials that are pumped to the

AD tanks will be chopped to the size of 10mm with inline shredders.

• Recyclables such as paper and plastics will be accumulated in bunkers and

will be conveyed to a baler for optimizing shipments to the customers.

• Glass – whole bottles will be picked manually into collection bins. Broken

glass that will come out from the settling vats will be separated with X-ray

fluorescence or Near-Infrared spectroscopy.

• Sand removal most of the sand will fall with the under size of the liquid

screen (2.5mm), and will be removed from the process by hydro-cyclones.

• Wet residue from the settling vats or the biological area will pass a screw

press prior going to landfill offsite, the pressed liquids will be recycled back in

to the process.

Anaerobic Digestion and Wastewater Treatment

4.2.12 The organic material isolated in the above process is then used as a feed stock

material within the multi stage anaerobic digestion (AD) system, which takes place

in an advanced high efficiency reactors where environmental conditions can be

controlled to maximize microbe activity, gas production and waste decomposition

rates.

4.2.13 The anaerobic process occurs in two phases; firstly, acetogenic micro-organisms

breakdown complex materials into smaller molecules of organic acids (this includes

both low solid and high solid feed streams as generated by the earlier separation

technology); and secondly, methanogenic micro-organisms breakdown the organic

acids to form biogas. Further information on the processes can be found within

Appendix 4.1.




4.2.14 The process above produces 3 main outputs which will be utilised as follows:

• Biogas: the Biogas is likely to contain the following components:

Table 4.1 Biogas Components

Component Units Value

CH4

%

60-75

CO2 25-40

N2 0-3

H2S ( after adding FeCl3) <150ppm

H2 0-1

O2 0-1

NH3 0-1

H2O 0-3

Pressure at connection point mbarg 50

Temperature at connection point 0c 35-42

Density Kg/m3 1.09

LFL in air % 4

UFL in air % 17

Lower caloric value( 60% CH4) KJ/kg 17,000

The biogas hourly production rate is expected to be around 500m3

(dependant upon the amount and quality of the organic fraction in the waste).

The biogas will be used for producing energy with a cogeneration system for

use within the development only, and for heating the tanks. A biogas holder

balloon is used for balancing the gas pressure in the system and can

accumulate biogas of 2 hours (if no biogas is used). Excess biogas will be

burned with a closed and controlled flare.

• Digestate / sludge: this will be of low volume, approximately 30tons per

week, due to the low growth rate under anaerobic conditions. The sludge can

be dewatered and used as soil amendment/fertiliser or alternatively used for

energy production (offsite use) as part of a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF)

system. The RDF will be processed to have a maximum moisture value of

15% and a minimum calorific value of 17mj/kg. It is intended that both soil

amendment and RDF fuel will be sold to market as flakes or pelletized.

• Water effluent: much of the water will be recycled for internal water

utilization, however some effluents will be required to be discharge from the

system and are treated by a separate wastewater treatment (WWT) unit

within the ArrowBio process. The effluent amount is approximately 300m3 per

day. The site has the benefit of a main effluent reception and settling tanks

and connection to the main sewerage. Further generic information on the

wastewater treatment unit and its four main stages are contained within

Appendix 4.2. The WWT unit is designed according to the local standards for

the municipal sewage treatment plant.




Layout

4.2.15 The layout seeking permission, and that which has been assessed within this ES, is

illustrated on Figure 4.1. Figure 4.2 also provides indicative elevations of the

main structures on site.

4.2.16 The layout proposes to use the existing access to the site off Weighbridge Road in

the site’s south western corner. The layout beyond this point has been driven by

the operational needs of the facility and has been heavily determined by the

proposed vehicular movement on the site.

4.2.17 Once entering the site, the road leads to a car park with approximately 34 spaces

for staff; a visitors and disabled car park is located further into the site adjacent to

the entrance to the main processing building. The main processing building, where

the mechanical separation and preparation occurs (as discussed earlier in this

chapter), is situated to the eastern area of the site allowing for refuse vehicles and

HGVs to pass through the necessary weighbridges prior to manoeuvring into the

building, where they will either deposit the MSW at the waste reception hall (within

the main building), or collect RDF or recyclables (within the main building) or

containers for landfill. The internal areas of the plant will operate under a negative

air pressure and have fast acting automatic doors.

4.2.18 The input is expected to be 600 MT of waste per day or 182,000 MT per year, with

the majority of the waste expected to be domestic household MSW type, along with

commercial and industrial waste and food and organic waste in general. The source

of the waste is likely to come from some of the local county councils (assuming c.

50 mile radius initially) in the form of local waste trucks direct from the residents

homes, thereby diverting away from landfill.

4.2.19 The length of the technical processes utilised necessitates a north/south orientation

of the processing building on the site with the tank farm at the northern end of the

building. In addition to the mechanical separation and preparation, the building will

also include office and welfare facilities at first floor level, and the Refused Derived

Fuel (RDF) storage hall. The main building extends to c. 122m in length, excluding

canopies (c. 145m including canopies), and varies in width from c. 53.75m at the

southern end to 34.6m at the northern end. The maximum height of the building is

20.59m, with the gross internal floor area (including first floor office/ancillary

accommodation) totalling 7,370 m2.

4.2.20 The internal road is designed to ensure an accessible ‘loop’ can be made by the

goods vehicles, which includes, on exiting the site, the vehicles to pass through a

wheel washing facility and the (2-way) weighbridge once more.

4.2.21 The anaerobic digestion area is located to the north of the main building, in the

north east corner of this site. This includes a number of tanks for each stage of the

process, in addition to the Waste Water Treatment dewatering system and

laboratory. The whole area has a sunken bund. The proposed tanks and types are

provided in Table 4.2 below:




Table 4.2 Tank Farm Schedule

Name Maximum

Diameter/Height

(m)

Quantity Matter in tank

Acetogenic 9/12 3 2.5mm<X<30mm organic

with some plastics

Digester 10/12 3 0.75mm<X<2.5mm

Fine organic with small

plastic chips

Methanogenic 16/15 1 X<0.75mm organic liquid

Balance 10.5/11.5 1 Treated waste water for

separation area

SBR 6/7 1 Waste water after sludge

dewatering

Settling 6/6 1 Aerated waste water

Sampling 5/5 1 Treated waste water

before sewage

Biogas holder 12.5 (D of sphere) 1 Biogas (potential to hold

1000m3)

2.5mm drum

screen

1.8/4 (D/length) 3 Receiving from Acetogenic

0.75mm drum

screen

1.8/4 (D/length) 3 Receiving from Digester

and undersize of 2.5

screen

Screw press 0.6/1/1.5 W/H/L 3 Sludge for dewatering

DAF TBD (according to

quality of organic

waste)

1 Waste water after sludge

dewatering

4.2.22 In addition to the above, the facility also proposes a maintenance depot/fuel and oil

store in the south eastern corner of the site, in addition to a bin storage area

located on the internal road loop to the west of the site. A biogas generator which

will produce electricity to run the plant is also proposed to the east of the main

building, alongside a bio-filter. The location and sizes of these are depicted on

Figure 4.1.

Anticipated Vehicle Movements

4.2.23 Based on the above proposals, the following approximate vehicle movements are

assumed, and have been used accordingly in relevant environmental assessments.

Table 4.3 Approximate Vehicle Movements

Vehicle Categories Movements

RCV 80

Residue Trucks 20

Recyclable Trucks 2

RDF Trucks 4

Employees/Deliveries 40

Total 146

Daily Movements 292




Hours of Operation and Staff Levels

4.2.24 The core operational hours are assumed to be from 6am to 8pm 5 days a week,

with deliveries from 6am to 4pm 5 days a week. The biological area will operate 24

hours a day, 7 days a week, to some degree. After regular shift hours it switches to

night mode and only self-circulating systems work.

4.2.25 The process will be fully automated from a central control room via a SCADA

system with remote access, alarms and telemetry.

4.2.26 The plant is likely to employ (in the order of) the following number of staff:

General Manager …………………..………… 1

Operation manager ………………..……….. 1

Control operator ……………………..………. 2

Maintenance ……………………………..……. 5

Machine/forklift/crane operators……… 6

Biological area operator/laboratory ... 2

Regular workers ……………………………. 18

Weighbridge ……………………………………. 1

Other part time ………………………. 4

Total employees……………………… 40

General Maintenance, Management Systems and Monitoring

4.2.27 General maintenance will be done during operation hours where possible and will

include weekly cleaning and inspection. Periodically it may be necessary to

grease/oil/change parts according to supplier's demand and according to safety

regulations.

4.2.28 Plant surfacing will be subject to daily cleaning walkway and vehicle drive areas

with high pressure water, with mechanical sweepers and manually.

Safety and Security Elements

4.2.29 Incidents and non-conformances, including spills from conveyors or other

machinery will happen from time to time during operation or maintenance; all

designated pedestrian areas will be marked and covered if needed.

4.2.30 All ‘wet’ areas are bunded and surrounded with troughs to ensure that any leaked

liquid drains back into the system.

4.2.31 The plant is equipped with firefighting equipment and safety outlet doors and signs

according to local regulations, in addition to an in house sprinkler system to help

contain any fire incidents.

4.2.32 All areas with waste will be closed or covered and closed areas will have air

circulation system with mechanical or biological filters.

4.2.33 The site will be monitored with CCTV for process, safety and security purposes. On

site biometrics will be utilised to monitor personnel.

4.2.34 Whilst the biogas that is produced contains a lower level of methane than natural

gas, the same safety regulations will be applied and to avoid explosion/flame while

handling biogas the following precaution must be taken:




• 1. Measure the methane content in the biogas. (See LFL/ UFL data)

• 2. No static electricity contact to biogas.

• 3. No smoking is allowed in the tank farm area.

• 4. No sparks, Welding, Electrical circuits or any other ignition factor near

biogas.

• 5. All equipment must be with explosion proof enclosure .

• 6. Avoid breathing the biogas. If needed, use mask with filter.

• 7. The only authorized person regarding handling the biogas / work near the

biogas is a safety expert or other person that is authorized by the safety

expert.

4.3 CONSTRUCTION

Program and Methodology

4.3.1 It is anticipated that construction of the plant is likely to take in the order of 18

months, with the plant being operation in 2020.

4.3.2 It is anticipated that the working hours will be as set out below:

• 08.00 – 18.00 Monday to Friday; and

• 08.00 – 13.00 Saturday

4.3.3 All work outside these hours will be subject to prior agreement, and/or reasonable

notice, with the LPA, who may impose certain restrictions. Night time working will

be restricted to exceptional circumstances.

4.3.4 These working hours will be agreed prior to the commencement of the works and

will be set out in the CMP/CEMP.

4.3.5 In the event of unusual activities or events that can be anticipated, these will be

notified to the Council and to the relevant property owners or occupiers wherever

possible and neighbors, in advance of the activity.

Management of Contracts

4.3.6 Individual contracts (for example for waste removal) will incorporate relevant

requirements in respect of environmental control, based largely on the standard of

‘best environmental practice’ (BEP) as well as statutory requirements. Any sub-

contractors (where used) will be required to demonstrate how they will achieve best

practice, how targets will be met and how potential effects will be minimized. All

sub-contractors will be subject to stringent due diligence audit by the Applicant’s

Financial and Health and Safety departments.

Public Liaison

4.3.7 There will be a designated Construction Liaison Officer who will deal with public and

other complaints and enquiries. This nominated individual will be named at the

Application Site entrance, with a contact number, and will be identified to the

Council prior to the start of site activities, and whenever a change of responsibility

occurs.

Responses to Complaints

4.3.8 Any complaints will be logged on site, where necessary. The procedures will specify

the roles and responsibilities of the Construction Liaison Officer and the Council in




respect of breaches and complaints from the public. The required actions will be

different in each specific case, depending on the operation, equipment or location

or applying additional controls.

Decommissioning

4.3.9 Given the design life of the Proposed Development, demolition and

decommissioning has been scoped out of this EIA.

4.4 ALTERNATIVES

4.4.1 Schedule 4, Paragraph 2, of the EIA Regulations requires that the ES contain:

“A description of the reasonable alternatives (for example in terms of

development design, technology, location, size and scale) studied by the

applicant... and an indication of the main reasons for selecting the chosen

option, including a comparison of the environmental effects”.

4.4.2 The main alternatives to the Proposed Development which the Applicant has

considered include:

• The ‘No Development’ Alternative;

• Alternative Locations for the development;

• Alternative Uses;

• Alternative Designs.

The ‘No Development’ Alternative

4.4.3 The ‘No Development’ Alternative refers to the option of leaving the Application Site

in its current use and physical state.

4.4.4 Currently the site comprises an area of vacant brownfield land, that does not have

any current landuse. The site is also allocated within the Flintshire UDP as an

employment site.

4.4.1 The last former use of the majority of the site was as Shotton Power Station, a 210

megawatt gas-fire combined heat and power (CHP) generating station. The station

ceased generating in June 2012 and a restoration/remediation scheme was

submitted and subsequently completed. The majority of the site therefore

comprises remediated previously developed land, a small parcel of the land to the

north did not form part of the Shotton CHP, and therefore this remains as

undeveloped grassland.

4.4.2 The ‘no development’ scenario would leave the site in this current vacant state, and

would fail to fulfill its UDP designation. A vacant site in this location would not be an

efficient use of previously developed land within an urban industrial area, as

encouraged by planning policy. Furthermore, Flintshire’s UDP has a specific policy

EWP6 – Areas of Search for New Waste Management – the ‘no development’

scenario would therefore not fulfil this policy.

4.4.3 Without development the land would remain under utilised and could attract crime

and antisocial behavior, becoming further derelict should it not be maintained in the

long term.




Alternative Locations

4.4.4 The joint employment land study (2015) for Wrexham Council and Flintshire County

Council has been produced to analyse the employment land across both Local

Authorities. The report assesses the supply, need and demand for employment land

and premises (Use Class B) in the local authority areas of Wrexham and Flintshire.

It has been carried out on behalf of Wrexham County Borough Council (WCBC) and

Flintshire County Council (FCC) to provide robust evidence to underpin and inform

the Council’s respective Local Development Plans (LDP) to bring them in line with

the updated requirements of Planning Policy Wales (PPW) and Technical Advice

Note (TAN) 23. It will analyse employment land and premises demand, supply and

need to 2030.

4.4.5 Forecast analysis suggests a net negative land requirement of -19ha over the next

17 years. Again this reflects projected contractions in the manufacturing sector.

However, looking at sectors projected to grow gives a positive requirement of 38.5

ha is required to 2030, or 1.90 ha/year.

4.4.6 The largest sector in Flintshire is manufacturing, with 20,000 jobs – representing

27.4% of total employment. Job numbers in the sector have remained broadly in

the 19,000-20,000 range over the last 5-6 years. The Flintshire Regeneration

Strategy for 2009-20 recognises the importance of manufacturing to the area. It

highlights how the sector, particularly advanced manufacturing, is increasingly a

focus for policy makers because of its significant wealth generating potential.




Document reference: http://www.flintshire.gov.uk/en/PDFFiles/Planning/LDP-evidence-base/Local/Wrexham-and-Flintshire-Employment-Land-Review-Study.pdf

4.4.7 The above tables extracted from the Employment Land Review Study show the

allocated Employment land within Flintshire.

4.4.8 The majority of the above sites would be unsuitable for industrial use, and many of

the sites are not large enough to accommodate the Proposed Development.

Furthermore, some of these sites have planning permission and schemes are

currently being implemented.

4.4.9 Each of the sites above have been assessed for their suitability to provide a

potential alternative location for the Proposed Development, and summarized in

Table 4.4 overleaf.

http://www.flintshire.gov.uk/en/PDFFiles/Planning/LDP-evidence-base/Local/Wrexham-and-Flintshire-Employment-Land-Review-Study.pdf

http://www.flintshire.gov.uk/en/PDFFiles/Planning/LDP-evidence-base/Local/Wrexham-and-Flintshire-Employment-Land-Review-Study.pdf




Table 4.4 Assessment of Alternative Site Locations

Site Plan Location/

Size

Comments

EM 1 (1)

Chester

Aerospace

Park,

Broughton

9Ha

The site is situated adjacent to a runway. A portion of the site is now being developed

for a 2,500 sqm industrial facility for SIRA Test and Certification. Land is being

developed through a partnership between UK Land and Property, Pochin in conjunction

with Welsh Government. Development should be complete by late 2014. For the above

reasons the site is unsuitable.

EM 1 (2)

Manor

Lane/Hawarden

Park Extension,

Broughton

18 ha

Outline consent for extension to existing business park for employment purposes (App.

Ref. 050673) and has been considered acceptable for b1/b8 use. Contraints include site

is bisected by Broughton Brook creating a natural division between the eastern and

western parts. Flight path limitations for Hawarden Airport serve to render the

easternmost parts of the site undevelopable. Possible habitat issues on Chester Road

frontage. Potential constraints on electricity supply




EM 1 (3)

Mount Pleasant

Road (north),

Buckley

2 ha

The size of this site would not be large enough for this waste facility.

The site has Full planning consent for warehouse and manufacturing units (App. Ref.

48990 and 049270)

EM 1 (4)

Land North of

Buckley

Station,

Buckley

0.6 ha

This site is not large enough to accommodate the proposal.




EM 1 (5)

Drury New

Road, Buckley

1.4 ha

This land is not available and would be too small to accommodate the waste facility.

EM 1 (7)

Former Power

Station,

Connah’s Quay

12.8 ha

This site is not available and there are several constraints including

In flood risk area

Remains of various cleared buildings and roadways on the site.

Electricity pylons cross edge of site




EM 1 (8)

Crumps Yard,

Dock Road,

Connah’s Quay

3.45 ha

Several constrains including access via low bridge. There are remains of buildings on

site and several trees.

EM 1 (10)

Land to North

of Shotton

Paper, Deeside

Not Available (Held as Expansion Land)




EM 1 (11)

Land East of

Shotton Paper,

Deeside

This current proposal site is situated in between these two sites and is deemed

appropriate as assessed earlier in this chapter.

Northern site identified for a Deeside Energy Recovery Facility (energy from waste) and

has permission for an Energy Recovery Facility (App. Ref. 52626)

EM 1 (12)

Land to North

West of Garden

City, Deeside

36 ha

Not Available (Owner has aspirations for development)




EM 1 (13)

Greenfield

Business Park,

Phase I,

Greenfield

Not Available (Held as Expansion Land)

EM 1 (14)

Greenfield

Business Park,

Phase II,

Greenfield

1.3 ha

Only part available and too small to accommodate proposal. Northern site is

contaminated Some access roads are unadopted Potential flood risk Remains of buildings

on northern site




EM 1 (15)

Greenfield

Business Park,

Phase III,

Greenfield

4.40 hectares

Several owners of the site / part owned by Flintshire Council.

Constraints include Trees onsite Eastern site

Includes remains of buildings

Two sites are divided by a railway line

Amenity site adjacent to eastern area

Flood risk potential to eastern site

EM 1 (16)

Greenfield

Business Park

(III) Extension,

Greenfield

6.60 ha

Flood risk area Marshy/uneven ground

Railway adjacent

Amenity site adjacent




EM 1 (17)

Broncoed

Industrial

Estate, Mold

0.7 ha

Site has permission for light industrial units (App. Ref.: 042134)

Not available

EM 1 (18)

Mold Business

Park, Mold

5.3 ha

Eastern site has outline permission for a mixed use development (App. Ref.: 046878)




EM 1 (19)

Adjacent

Mostyn Docks,

Mostyn

3 ha

Site is not available

EM 1 (21)

Chester Road

East,

Queensferry

3.5 ha

On the market for motor trade, leisure, office and industrial uses (2015)

Situated adjacent to residential uses.

Site considered too small to accommodate proposal.




EM 1 (22)

Antelope

Industrial

Estate,

Rhydymwyn

1.1 ha

Site not available

EM 1 (23)

River Lane,

Saltney

1.1 ha

Constrained access to River Lane Flood risk




EM 1 (24)

Land East of

Saltney Ferry

Road, Saltney

14 Ha

Site considered too large for proposal.

Flood risk

Poor access to the south

Trees onsite

EM 1 (25)

Prince William

Avenue,

Sandycroft

1.8

Site not available




EM 1 (26)

Rowley’s Drive,

Shotton

0.7 ha

Site considered too small for development proposal

4.4.10 The assessment summarised in the table above clearly demonstrates there are no other allocated sites which are suitable for the

Proposed Development, and the applicant has considered this as the most appropriate site to provide this application proposal. The site is

situated away from residential areas, and is adjacent to existing industry. There are also suitable transport links making it sustainable and

easy to access for the HGV traffic and employees which will be accessing the site daily.




Alternative Designs

4.4.11 The constraints and opportunities presented by the Application Site and required

technology have been used to inform the design principles, which in turn have

helped refine and structure the Proposed Development.

4.4.12 The Design and Access Statement (DAS) that accompanies the planning

application describes in detail the design evolution and concepts.

4.4.13 The design approach for the architectural elements on the site has been driven by

the process that the building encloses, with a ‘form follows function’ approach.

That said how the building responds to its context has also been considered.

4.4.14 In terms of scale, the dimensions of the building have ultimately been determined

by the process plant dimensions and required clearances within, however every

effort to minimise the overall mass of the building has been taken by ensuring an

efficient structural solution and low profile, simple architectural solution. Shallow

pitch roofs hidden behind low parapets allow for a very simple rectangular form,

articulated by suspended canopies providing shelter at the drop off/pick up ends of

the process. To the east the building is further articulated by a second smaller

rectangular form which houses the RDF Hall at ground floor level and office, welfare

and control facilities over a partial first floor. Expressed circulation cores provide

vertical relief from the otherwise strongly horizontal aesthetic.

4.4.15 Responding to context the proposals follow a strongly industrial aesthetic with the

use of profiled coloured metal cladding across all elevations creating a clearly

contemporary response. The mass of the building is broken up with the use of

different colour tones and orientation profiling in the cladding to articulate the

different levels and create bands which pick up openings and canopies creating a

cohesive overall response. Areas of curtain wall glazing articulate vertical circulation

towers and mark the main pedestrian entrance to the facility. A further band of

intermittent glazing provides daylight and views out from the office and welfare

areas.

Documents

4 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT & ALTERNATIVES