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| Chapter 12 |
| Utility Services |
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Introduction |
| 12.1 |
The occupants of new and existing developments
generally require the supply of modern utility services including
water, electricity, gas, drainage, sewage treatment and disposal,
and telecommunications. This Chapter seeks to guide the provision
of new infrastructure for these services, whilst controlling its impact
on the environment and public amenity. It also seeks to protect, conserve
and promote the efficient use of energy and water resources and to
minimise the risk of flooding. |
| 12.2 |
New service provision can be very expensive
and environmentally disruptive. New development should therefore either
utilise spare infrastructure capacity, or be provided with new services
in a manner that would have a minimal environmental impact. |
| 12.3 |
The settlement policies in the Cambridgeshire
Structure Plan and the Housing Chapter of this Plan propose the concentration
of development, so helping to keep down the per capita cost and environmental
impact of installing utility services. |
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Aims |
| 12.4 |
The aims of the Plan for utility services
are: |
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- to ensure the timely provision of appropriate utility services;
- to minimise the adverse impact of services on public amenity
and the environment;
- to resist development where it would prejudice the provision
or maintenance of services;
- to minimise the risk of flooding;
- to minimise the risk of polluting and wasting water resources;
and
- to encourage the efficient generation and use of energy.
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Water and Drainage |
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Water Supply, Sewage
Disposal and Surface Water Drainage |
| U1 |
Development which increases
the demand for off- or on-site water supply, sewage disposal or surface
water drainage infrastructure will only be permitted if facilities
of adequate capacity and design are available, or will be provided
without detriment to the environment, prior to the occupation of the
development. Where improvements in off-site infrastructure are programmed,
the commencement of development will be co-ordinated with their provision.
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| 12.5 |
Where there is no water supply, sewerage
or drainage system, or where existing systems would become overloaded
by a proposed development, there will be a potential risk to public
health and the wider environment. It is, however, the function of
the water and sewerage undertakers to provide adequate infrastructure
for domestic purposes and such services may be requisitioned by developers.
Residential development should not therefore be frustrated by a lack
of such infrastructure unless the provision of that infrastructure
would cause harm to the environment. However, major developments with
strategic implications for service provision will require a co-ordinated
and phased approach, and in these circumstances the Council will impose
conditions on any grant of planning permission restricting occupation
of the development until the necessary service infrastructure is in
place. |
| 12.6 |
Where foul water from a development site
cannot be drained into a public sewer, the City Council, Anglian Water
Services Ltd. and the Environment Agency require the provision of
a treatment works rather than a septic tank. These organisations are
concerned at the use of septic tanks on modern infill developments.
The small size of many such plots, the local ground conditions in
some parts of this District and the increased risk of flooding in
the future make the use of septic tanks generally unacceptable. Developers
are therefore advised to contact the Environment Agency before submitting
an application for planning permission. |
| 12.7 |
Development reliant on non-domestic supplies
may have a considerable impact on infrastructure provision; planning
permission may be refused unless agreements have been reached with
the relevant service providers to provide the necessary infrastructure
in a manner which does not cause significant environmental damage. |
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Sustainable Surface
Water Drainage |
| U2 |
The City Council will only
grant planning permission for development that would discharge surface
water into a watercourse if it is satisfied that: |
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(a) |
the increased flows into
that watercourse would not increase the risk of flooding in the immediate
vicinity, upstream or downstream of the proposal; and |
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(b) |
appropriate provision has
been made to secure any necessary improvements to the watercourse
in a way that would not cause significant harm to any amenity or nature
conservation value of the watercourse or endanger public safety; and
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(c) |
appropriate provision has
been made to secure the future maintenance of the watercourse, flow
balancing area or other drainage feature. |
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If a proposed development
would otherwise increase the risk of flooding, planning permission
may be granted if appropriate attenuation or mitigating measures (on-site
or off-site, as necessary) are included as part of the proposal. |
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Drainage systems that follow
the principles of 'best management practice' as described in "A Guide
to Sustainable Urban Drainage" will
be preferred, but conventional systems may also be accepted. |
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| 12.8 |
Development of any sort will inevitably
disrupt the natural flow of water from land into watercourses. Under
normal conditions the ground can absorb large quantities of water
and attenuate its flow into watercourses - only in exceptional conditions
would the ground become saturated, the watercourses become overloaded
and flooding occur. Development, especially the creation of new hard
surfaces, such as roads and buildings, means that the ground is no
longer able to act as a "sponge", and that the rate of run-off to
watercourses from any given area of land will increase beyond the
natural rate. This has the potential to cause flooding. |
| 12.9 |
Policy U2 will be used to ensure that:
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- drainage systems can accommodate the increased surface water
run off from developed areas without causing flooding on- or off-site;
- the risk of pollution to the surface water drainage system
is minimised;
- every opportunity is taken to re-charge groundwater resources;
- new drainage infrastructure will be properly maintained in
the future; and
- opportunities are taken to create or improve the amenity or
wildlife habitat of the watercourse when drainage systems are
extended or otherwise improved.
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| 12.10 |
The City Council will promote and encourage
the provision of new drainage systems that follow the principles of
Best Management Practice as described in "A Guide to Sustainable Urban
Drainage". This incorporates features such as flow-balancing areas,
swales and infiltration basins, which all serve to slow the rate of
discharge of storm water to watercourses. Such features also help
to improve the quality of water discharged into watercourses, to re-charge
underlying groundwater resources, and to create new wildlife habitats.
If appropriately landscaped, they can contribute to the amenity of
an area. However, because of their nature, they are unlikely to be
available for recreation or amenity use all year round and the City
Council will therefore not include them as part of the formal open
space provision required by policy LT1. |
| 12.11 |
In certain circumstances, the City Council
(or other drainage authorities) may adopt such drainage infrastructure.
If an adoption agreement is not secured it will be the responsibility
of the developer to arrange for the long-term maintenance of such
areas and inform the public of their rights to use or not use such
land. |
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Development in the
Padholme Surface Water Catchment |
| U3 |
Development which would
increase the need for surface water drainage infrastructure within
the Padholme Surface Water Catchment, as shown on the Proposals Map,
will only be permitted if sufficient capacity already exists or extra
capacity will be provided in time to serve the development. When improvements
in offsite infrastructure have been programmed, the commencement of
the development will be co-ordinated with their provision. |
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| 12.12 |
The Strategic Flood Risk Assessment of
Peterborough District and advice from the Environment Agency indicated
that the surface water drainage infrastructure of the Padholme Catchment
would require improvement to accommodate the development allocated
in this Plan. |
| 12.13 |
A Strategic Flood Protection Strategy
for the Padholme Catchment has been prepared by Atkins Water on behalf
of Peterborough City Council and English Partnerships. An Implementation
Plan has been endorsed by the Environment Agency and is awaiting formal
approval. The Implementation Plan proposes improvements to watercourses
in the catchment and other measures that will provide the catchment
with protection sufficient for a 1 in 100 year event in accordance
with PPG25, taking into account the effects of planned development
and climate change. |
| 12.14 |
The Padholme Catchment now benefits from
this Strategic Flood Protection Strategy and development for which
provision has been made, including all the allocations in this Plan,
can proceed once the works have been carried out. The City Council
will seek contributions from developers towards the comprehensive
programme of improvements identified in the Implementation Plan. Development
proposals will require site specific Flood Risk Assessments, although
a number of the issues normally addressed can be provided by reference
to the Implementation Plan. |
| 12.15 |
Policy U3 will be applied to prevent development
that would increase the surface water runoff from any site and so
aggravate the risk of flooding, only until such time as necessary
improvements to the infrastructure have been completed. |
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Water Conservation
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| U4 |
The City Council will welcome
planning applications for developments which maximise water efficiency
through their location, layout or design or which make full use of
water conservation techniques. Development which is wasteful of water
in its location, layout or design or which would not use water efficiently
will generally be resisted. |
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| 12.16 |
The District is in the driest, eastern,
part of the country where increased demand for water will have significant
environmental impacts. This policy aims to encourage the efficient
use and conservation of water by seeking the provision of water butts,
grey water recycling, and other appropriate schemes. Development that
would be wasteful of water will generally be resisted and proposals
that require large volumes of water will be encouraged to include
water recycling schemes. |
| 12.17 |
Locating new development to make full
use of existing infrastructure and resources will be pursued through
settlement policies of this Plan. Measures to promote the water efficiency
of surface water drainage systems are addressed by policy U2. |
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Floodland and Washland
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| U5 |
Within the areas of floodland
and washland shown on the proposals map, planning permission will
not be granted for any development which would: |
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(a) |
be at an unacceptable risk
of being flooded; or |
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(b) |
be likely to interrupt the
return of floodwater to a watercourse; or |
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(c) |
deprive the river system
of floodwater storage capacity, unless an acceptable alternative area
for storage is provided; or |
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(d) |
increase the number of
people using premises that are currently at an unacceptable risk of
being flooded. |
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| 12.18 |
This policy will be applied to prevent
development in the functional flood plains and washlands and to control
development that would prevent the return of floodwater to watercourses. |
| 12.19 |
Significant areas of land within the Nene
and Welland valleys and alongside some of their tributaries are at
risk from flooding. This gives rise to three areas of concern relating
to: |
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- development on land which is at risk from flooding for natural
reasons;
- development on land that is flooded intentionally to store floodwater
and reduce the risk of flood damage elsewhere in the river system;
and
- development on any land which would exacerbate the problems
of flooding downstream through an increase in run off from additional
impermeable surfaces such as roofs and paved surfaces.
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| 12.20 |
In exceptional circumstances some limited
form of built development may be permitted, such as sports pavilions
on piers, provided it would not consume a significant amount of flood
storage capacity or interrupt the flow of floodwater. Other development
which would remove flood water storage capacity may be permitted if
acceptable alternative floodwater storage capacity could be created
elsewhere. |
| 12.21 |
Proposals for the redevelopment or intensification
of use of existing buildings within an area with an unacceptable risk
of flooding will only be granted planning permission if appropriate
flood protection measures, funded by the developer, are included in
the scheme. |
| 12.22 |
If the granting of planning permission
is dependent on the provision of some infrastructure to reduce floodrisk
to or as a result of the development proposal and there is also a
need to improve the existing infrastructure, the developer will be
encouraged to enter into partnership with others to produce a scheme
that meets both existing and new needs. It is recognised that developers
are under no obligation to do more than is necessary to meet the needs
of their development. However, joint provision is often advantageous
as this may provide economies of scale or reduce the impact of new
works on the environment and its occupants. |
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Development at Risk
of Flooding |
| U6 |
Development will only be
permitted if the risks of flooding have been assessed for the lifetime
of the development and, taking into account any defence and/or mitigation
measures: |
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(a) |
the risk to the development,
and to land elsewhere, is acceptable; and |
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(b) |
any necessary defence and/or
mitigation measures will be provided before the development is occupied
(and measures are in place to maintain the works); and |
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(c) |
in the case of land outside
the urban area/village envelopes, the development cannot be appropriately
located in an area of lower flood risk. |
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| 12.23 |
This policy will be applied to development
proposals across the District, but only where the risk of flooding
to the development or land elsewhere is a material consideration.
It does not apply to forms of development where the issue of flood
risk is not relevant. |
| 12.24 |
Where proposed development could potentially
be affected by flooding or could significantly impact other land,
planning applications should be accompanied by a site-specific flood
risk assessment, as advised by the Government in PPG25 (Development
and Flood Risk). The assessment should: |
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- determine whether the proposed development is likely to be
affected by flooding and whether it will increase flood risk elsewhere;
- specify the measures proposed to deal with the identified risks,
including, where appropriate, proposals to reduce existing and/or
future risk levels; and
- satisfy the Council that any flood risk to the development or
additional risk arising from the proposal will be successfully
managed with the minimum environmental effect, to ensure that
the site can be developed and occupied safely.
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Where necessary, the Council will seek
planning obligations to secure the future maintenance of any flood
defence or mitigating facilities. |
| 12.25 |
Flood Zones Data is produced by the Environment
Agency, and will be revised and updated over time. The data indicates
the potential extent of flooding without flood defences in place.
Land can also be at risk of flooding from other sources such as ordinary
watercourses and localised surface water drainage/overland flow. Further
information about flood risk within the District is available from
the Environment Agency, and from the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
of Peterborough District (2002) commissioned by the Council. |
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Embanked Watercourses
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| U7 |
Planning permission will
not be granted for development that would adversely affect the integrity
of tidal or fluvial defences or which would be at an unacceptable
risk of flooding in the event of an overtopping or breaching of such
defences. |
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| 12.26 |
There are a number of stretches of embanked
watercourses within the District which protect people and property
from flooding. Where development is permitted which would increase
the risk of damage to people or property from flooding, or which would
threaten the integrity of the existing defences, an appropriate increase
in flood protection may be required (to be provided by the developer
before development starts on site) in order to reduce the risk of
flooding (ether by over-topping or breach of the existing defences)
to an acceptable level. |
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Access to Watercourses
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| U8 |
The City Council will not
grant planning permission for any development close to a watercourse,
including any watercourse which is culverted, where such development
would prevent reasonable access for maintenance purposes. |
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| 12.27 |
The City Council is concerned that new
development should not prevent statutory authorities from gaining
access to watercourses for maintenance purposes. In general, any development
closer than 4.5 metres to a watercourse is likely to inhibit reasonable
access. This policy will be applied when considering applications
for planning permission, to ensure access will be maintained. |
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Pollution of Watercourses
and Groundwater |
| U9 |
In granting planning permission
for development, the City Council will require that all necessary
measures are taken to prevent pollution of any watercourse or groundwater.
Development will not be permitted within areas around potable groundwater
resources or over vulnerable areas of aquifers if the development
would pose an unacceptable risk to the quality of the groundwater.
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| 12.28 |
The potential pollution of natural watercourses
and groundwater presents risks to the environment, amenity and public
health. This policy aims to help maintain and improve the quality
of water, to protect the amenity value of local watercourses, and
to protect the supply of drinking water. It will be used to secure
measures (such as bund walls and petrol/oil interceptors) to prevent
the seepage of petrol, oil or other pollutants into watercourses.
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| 12.29 |
The aquifers to the west of Peterborough
are vulnerable to proposals that could pollute them, or restrict their
re-charge (by lowering the water table, diverting the flow of water
away from aquifers, or consuming large volumes of water). The City
Council will take into account mapped information provided by the
Environment Agency concerning Groundwater Vulnerability and Groundwater
Protection Zones in assessing such proposals. |
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Distribution Networks |
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Overhead Power Lines
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| U10 |
Overhead power lines of
132kV or more, or high-powered electrical installations should be
sited so that they will not have an unacceptable effect on the amenity
of occupiers of nearby properties or the amenities of the area. |
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Where overhead power lines
would have an unacceptable effect on amenity and there is no feasible
alternative route, the power lines should be undergrounded, if practicable,
provided this would not be damaging to characteristics that led to
the designation of the land, or routed and landscaped to minimise
impact. |
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| 12.30 |
The City Council is consulted under the
Electricity Act 1989 on proposals for overhead power lines, for which
planning permission is not required. It is concerned that sensitive
areas should be protected from the damaging visual impact of 132kV
overhead lines and high-powered installations. This policy will be
used, together with policies in the Design and Amenity, Conservation
of the Built Environment, and Landscape and the Natural Environment
Chapters, to guide its response to such consultations. |
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Telecommunications
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| U11 |
Where planning permission
for telecommunications development is required it will be granted
where: |
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(a) |
it would not unacceptably
harm the living conditions of residents or the character and appearance
of the surrounding area, particularly in terms of size, design, prominence,
or relationship to surrounding buildings, spaces or landscape; or |
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(b) |
any such harm is outweighed
by the need for the proposal as part of a telecommunications network;
and |
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(c) |
there is no alternative
site available that would be satisfactory in technical and operational
terms, and where the environmental impact would be less; and |
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(d) |
there is no reasonable possibility
of sharing existing telecommunications installations or sites, or
of erecting antennae on an existing building or structure, with acceptable
environmental impact. |
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| 12.31 |
The City Council recognises both the need
to protect the environment and the benefits that modern telecommunications
provide, and will endeavour to restrict the erection of new telecommunications
equipment where it would have an unacceptable impact on the environment.
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| 12.32 |
This balanced approach will be pursued
through the implementation of policy U9 and other policies in the
Design and Amenity, Conservation of the Built Environment, and Landscape
and the Natural Environment Chapters which aim to protect existing
features of importance. This approach will also be followed when considering
Notifications of proposed telecommunications development (which are
not applications for planning permission). |
| 12.33 |
All planning applications for telecommunications
apparatus, whether from 'code operators', private companies or private
individuals (such as those who may be interested in radio communications
as a hobby) will be considered in the light of policy U9, bearing
in mind the special needs and technical problems of telecommunications
development. |
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Protection of Utility
Mains and Plant |
| U12 |
The City Council will not
grant planning permission for any development above or close to known
or proposed gas pipelines, electricity mains, public sewers, water
mains or telecommunications apparatus where such development would
be unacceptable for reasons of safety or would prevent reasonable
access for maintenance purposes. |
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| 12.34 |
This policy will be applied to protect
public safety, following the advice of the relevant utility organisation,
and to ensure the retention of appropriate maintenance access to installations. |
| 12.35 |
However, the City Council is also concerned
that land should not be unnecessarily sterilised by utility services,
and it will encourage developers to secure their diversion or relocation
in order to bring forward suitable sites for development. |
| 12.36 |
Whilst access to all gas mains (other
than domestic services) will be protected by policy U12, proposals
for development in the vicinity of notifiable gas pipelines will be
considered in the light of policy DA15. |
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Conservation and Production
of Energy |
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Efficient Use of Energy
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| U13 |
The City Council will welcome
planning applications for developments which maximise energy efficiency
through their location, layout or design or which make appropriate
use of energy conservation techniques, provided the development would
not unacceptably harm the living conditions of the occupiers of nearby
properties, or the character and appearance of the surrounding area.
Permission will not be granted for development which is unacceptably
wasteful of energy in its location, layout or design. |
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| 12.37 |
The demand for and environmental cost
of energy is high, and one of the aims of this Plan is to encourage
both the conservation and the efficient use of energy. |
| 12.38 |
At the strategic level, the settlement
policies of this Plan locate new development within or adjacent to
existing settlements, minimising the distance between homes, jobs
and local services, and thus reducing the need to travel and associated
energy consumption. At the local level, the design and layout of new
developments can have an important effect on energy consumption and
developers will be encouraged to maximise energy efficiency by design.
Further information on maximising energy efficiency by design is available
from ETSU and NEF
and is referred to in the Peterborough Residential Design Guide. |
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Energy from Renewable
Sources |
| U14 |
The City Council will welcome
planning applications for development that would enable the production
of energy from renewable sources, provided that the development would
not unacceptably harm the living conditions of the occupiers of nearby
properties, or the character and appearance of the surrounding area.
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| 12.39 |
In accordance with the guidance in PPG22
'Renewable Energy' (1993) and Structure Plan policy SP9/1, the City
Council wishes to encourage the use of energy from renewable sources
(such as straw, short rotation coppice or forestry by-products) which
could contribute to energy needs in a significant and sustainable
way. Renewable energy resources offer the hope of increasing diversity
and security of supply, and of reducing harmful emissions to the environment.
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| 12.40 |
The City Council's policy towards developing
renewable energy resources must be weighed carefully with the other
policies in this Plan for protecting the environment, particularly
those of Chapter 9 'Design and Amenity', Chapter 10 'Conservation
of the Built Environment' and Chapter 11 'Landscape and the Natural
Environment'. In assessing such applications, the City Council will
also take the following into account: |
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- the measures that would be taken, both during and after construction,
to minimise the impact of the development on amenity;
- the local and wider benefits that the proposal may bring; and
- the fact that certain renewable resources may only be harnessed
where they occur.
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Site for Renewable
Energy Production |
| U15 |
The City Council will welcome
development that would produce energy from renewable resources on
the 5.0ha site to the south of Storeys Bar Road, as shown on the Proposals
Map, provided that it is compatible with, and would not prejudice
use of the site for major waste disposal purposes, as proposed in
the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Waste Local Plan. |
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| 12.41 |
The latest regional assessment
indicates that there is potential to harness significant renewable
energy resources in the District during the plan period. Biomass crops
are identified as an important source of energy, and could be burnt
in a non-fossil fuel power station. Other forms of production such
as wind turbines or photovoltaics could become economically viable
as technology advances. The above site offers an excellent opportunity
to develop a non-fossil fuel energy production facility as it is: |
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- well related to the existing infrastructure that serves the
adjacent gas-fired power station;
- situated where it would have least impact on townscape and amenity;
- located on the edge of the Urban Area; and
- well related a rural area having the potential to provide the
renewable resource.
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| 12.42 |
The site is safeguarded in the Cambridgeshire
and Peterborough Waste Local Plan for use as a major waste management
facility and development for that purpose would take precedence over
a renewable energy production plant. However, there may be scope for
both uses on the same site, depending on the precise scale and nature
of each one. |
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