A & M SMITH SKIP HIRE LIMITED Bankhead Recycling and ......SEPTEMBER 2014 A & M SMITH SKIP HIRE...

SEPTEMBER 2014

A & M SMITH SKIP HIRE LIMITED

Bankhead Recycling and Resource Centre Development, Portlethen

Environmental statement (Volume 3) Non-technical summary

190369

Bankhead Development, Environmental Statement: Non-technical summary i

Contents

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 1

The project team ............................................................................................................................. 1

SITE DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................................... 1

Site and its surroundings .................................................................................................................. 2

CONSULTATION .................................................................................................................................... 2

NEED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT ......................................................................................................... 3

PROJECT DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................................... 4

Project alternatives ....................................................................................................................... 5

APPROACH TO THE EIA ...................................................................................................................... 7

EIA ISSUES AND FINDINGS ............................................................................................................... 10

Construction and environmental management ........................................................................... 10

Physical Environment ................................................................................................................. 10

Hydrology and drainage.............................................................................................................. 11

Cultural Heritage ......................................................................................................................... 11

Ecology .................................................................................................................................... 11

Noise and vibration ..................................................................................................................... 12

Transport and access ................................................................................................................. 12

Waste management .................................................................................................................... 13

Cumulative impacts .................................................................................................................... 13

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? .................................................................................................................... 14

CONTACT DETAILS ............................................................................................................................ 14

FIGURES

Figure 1: Site location..……………………………………..…………………………………....15

Figure 2: Site layout......…………………………………..……...……………………………....16

Bankhead Development, Environmental Statement: Non-technical summary 1

INTRODUCTION

This is the non-technical summary (NTS) of the

environmental statement (ES) for the Bankhead

Development, near Portlethen, Aberdeenshire. It

describes in non-technical language the proposed

development (see Box 1) and the potential impacts

it may have on the physical and biological

environment and on people. It also lists the

measures that the developer will implement to

avoid or reduce adverse impacts, and describes

how environmental issues will be managed during

and after construction.

The ES presents the complete findings of the

environmental impact assessment (EIA), and is one

of the documents accompanying the outline

planning application submitted under the Town and

Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. The primary

purpose of the ES is to inform the planning and

decision making process by reporting the results of

the EIA, and in particular identifying any significant

environmental effects. The authority determining

the application is Aberdeenshire Council. They have

confirmed that the development requires an ES to

be submitted alongside the planning application.

If you have any questions or would like to

comment on the application then you can find out

how to do so at the end of this NTS.

The project team

The site developer is A&M Smith Skip Hire Ltd. The

Project Team working on behalf of the developer

on planning, design and environmental issues

included:

• Cameron and Ross who are the Engineers for

the scheme

• Cumming & Co, architects who prepared the

masterplan for the site and accompanying

illustrative drawings of the proposed

development

• RSK Environment Limited (RSK) who undertook

the EIA and prepared the environmental

statement.

RSK was responsible for undertaking and managing

the EIA studies, using their in-house resources

supplemented by the following specialist

consultants:

• Mott MacDonald Ltd for the transport

assessment

• Cameron & Ross Ltd for all engineering and

design issues including site drainage and

hydrology assessment.

Box 1: Overview of Proposed Development

The proposed development is on around 15.5 ha of land, of which approximately 8.5 hectares is currently

operational as a skip hire business and active waste management facility, consisting of a non-hazardous

solid waste transfer station and inert landfill operations. The landfill has been in operation since 1974 and

is currently licensed to dispose of 25,000 tonnes of inert wastes every year. The waste transfer station has

been operational since 1998 and is licensed to handle 75,000 tonnes per annum (tpa).

The site is allocated in the 2012 Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan for employment uses and an area

of search for waste facilities and associated uses. The applicant is seeking to secure full planning

permission for Phase 1 and 2 of the proposed scheme, as well as outline planning permission ‘in principle’

for Phase 3 of the proposed scheme.

At completion of Phase 2 the site will handle up to 107,000 tpa comprising approximately (subject to

demand and licencing restrictions, if any, to be agreed) 46,000 tpa non-hazardous wastes, 32,000 tpa inert

wastes, 21,000 tpa timber wastes, and 8,000 tpa green waste

Environmental factors were considered from the earliest stage of the proposals and so the engineering

design and layout has been developed in response to awareness of the environmental issues of the area.

The layout plan already incorporates a number of measures designed to avoid or reduce environmental

impacts.


SITE DESCRIPTION

Site and its surroundings

The site is located to the north west of Portlethen

in a predominantly rural area. The land is bounded

by forestry to the north (separated from the site

by a small watercourse running along the northern

edge of the site boundary) and agricultural fields

to the south and west. To the east is a former pipe

storage yard and beyond that the A90, which is a

dual carriageway that provides access to the city of

Aberdeen. There are agricultural fields used for

cattle grazing and silage within the site as well as

an open water pond in the north-western corner.

A small watercourse runs through the middle of

the western half of the site.

The main site access is off Duffshill Road (U58K) to

the south, which provides existing access to the

northbound and southbound A90. The site is

located in close proximity to the route of the

recently approved Aberdeen Western Peripheral

Route (AWPR), which is being developed to

improve travel in and around Aberdeen and the

north east of Scotland. The AWPR will run close to

the north eastern and western boundaries of the

site.

There are four residential properties located

nearby, with two located off Duffshill Road close to

the southern boundary of the site (Balmoss and

Fair View), and two located off the access track

which forms the western boundary (Turnamiddle

House and Turnamiddle Cottage). A location plan

is provided in Figure 1.

The existing waste management facilities are

located on about 8.5 ha of the site and the

remaining 7 ha of land in the western part of the

site consists of either agricultural fields that have

not been subject to any development, or land that

has been raised over the last ten years with inert

soils from the waste transfer station activities,

under licensed exemption.

The site is not located in an environmentally

sensitive area and there are no recorded breaches

of environmental standards (nitrogen dioxide and

particulate pollution concentrations are well

within the applicable air quality standards). In

addition, there is no ecological, landscape,

recreation or cultural heritage designation on or in

close proximity to the site.

CONSULTATION

Pre-application discussions with Aberdeenshire

Council and various statutory consultees have

taken place in tandem with design of the proposed

development.

An EIA screening and scoping opinion was received

from Aberdeenshire Council (including comments

from the Major Applications Unit and SEPA) on

29th

April 2013. A project Scoping Meeting was

held with the Council on 31st

October 2013 to

agree the scope of the EIA and the planning

application process.

A subsequent planning application for 3m high

landscaped bunds surrounding the entire site was

approved and so a case was made to the Council

on 29th

April 2014 that a landscape and visual

assessment of the proposed development was no

longer necessary. The Council subsequently agreed

that such an assessment would not be required

and could be scoped out. The applicant’s team also

considered that due to the absence of any surface

peat/ wetland areas and the patchy occurrence of

buried peat across the site (as evidenced from

previous site investigations), there would be no

need for a peat assessment. However, SEPA

responded on 24th

June 2014 maintaining that

peat should be considered in the EIA. Accordingly,

the subsequent EIA has addressed all the issues

raised in the scoping opinion, subsequent

correspondence and meetings, apart from

landscape assessment.

The following departments in Aberdeenshire

Council were consulted:


• Planning

• Infrastructure Services (Roads,

Contaminated Land, Environment Team,

Flood Prevention Unit, Waste

Management, and Environmental Health

Input was also sought from the following:

• SEPA

• SNH

• Historic Scotland

• Community Councils

• Transport Scotland

In accordance with Regulations, a Proposal of

Application Notice (PAN) was issued to

Aberdeenshire Council on 4th March 2014 and

public consultation took place during February and

March 2014. The consultation has been

summarised in the Pre-application Consultation

Report.

In addition to the formal EIA process, other

correspondence and discussions took place with a

range of organisations including local landowners,

utilities and transport companies, and local

groups. Pertinent feedback from the consultation

process has helped to shape and inform the

development proposals and project design.

NEED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT

The proposed development at the Bankhead site is

needed due to the operational requirements of

the current business, including opportunities for

business growth and enhancing operational

efficiency, as well as meeting drivers of increasing

regulatory requirements.

Regulatory drivers at European, National and Local

level seek to divert waste from landfill by

improving rates of recovery, re-use and recycling,

thus moving waste operations further up the

“Waste Hierarchy”. Recycling rates in Scotland

continue to rise, and volumes of waste being sent

to landfill are declining. In particular, The ‘Zero

Waste Regulations’ aim to help Scotland become

one of the most resource efficient nations in

Europe. From 2014 onwards, various requirements

come into force, such as the provision of a

minimum recycling service to householders,

separate collection for metal, plastic, glass, paper

and card, and a ban on any metal, plastic, glass,

paper, card and food collected from going to

incineration or landfill. The Scottish Government's

Zero Waste Plan sets the path towards 70%

recycling of all waste in Scotland by 2025.

Implementation of the Government’s policy will

require more and better waste management

facilities, but this will result in considerable

environmental improvements (Box 2).


PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The proposed site layout plan, which shows the

main development areas (and indicative phasing)

and infrastructure such as buildings, weighbridges,

roads and access, is shown in Figure 2. This Figure

also shows the area subject to the planning

application (the site ‘redline’), which encloses an

area of about 15.5 hectares.

The site development (Box 3) would be

constructed in three distinct phases in order to

limit detriment to surrounding neighbours and to

minimize disruption to the current site operations.

Phases 1 and 2 comprise the detailed planning

application. The area covered by the proposed

Phase 3 development is subject to a “planning

application in principle”.

Work to construct a 3m high perimeter bund that

will enclose the entire site area is already

underway under an existing planning permission. A

separate planning application has also been

submitted for the construction of a workshop with

washbay, garage and office accommodation and

electricity substation, formation of a car park and

access road and formation of an internal bund

(that will separate access to the future Phase 1/2

and the Phase 3 area to be operated by others).

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the development will be built in the

north-east part of the site and will comprise

extensions to the existing transfer station shed, a

soils/aggregate washing plant, a concrete batching

plant, processed materials stockpiling areas and a

sustainable drainage system (SuDS) providing 3

levels of treatment in 2 settlement lagoons. The

main components are summarised in Box 3 below.

Phase 2

This phase will be developed following completion

of the new Aberdeen Western Peripheral Road /

A90 link. Bunds separating Phase 1/2 and future

Phase 3 areas will be completed, allowing

construction of two access roads into each part of

the site. In Phase 2 there will be a new double

weighbridge and associated admin buildings,

additional staff and visitor car parking and an

additional area of hardstanding for skip storage.

Box 2: Main benefits of the development

• Contributing to Scotland’s aim to be one of the most resource efficient nations in Europe, and

meeting the long term target of recycling 70% of all Scotland’s waste requiring that waste is

sorted into separate streams for recycling and reprocessing, leaving only limited amounts for

residual waste treatment

• Providing a modern waste management facility, meeting increasingly stringent regulatory

standards, which is located close to the sources of waste and with good transport connections, at

a previously developed site

• Reduce environmental impacts, improve site safety, improve operational controls and resource

efficiency (to maximise recycling and minimise residual wastes to landfill)

• Carry out on-site servicing and repairs on the A & M Smith fleet rather than at other locations

out-with the site and to maintain skips and recycling equipment on-site, so minimising traffic

movements in and out of the site

• Construction of a new access road entrance into the site for improved safety and efficiency

• End the inert waste landfill operation by replacing it with a soil and aggregates washing plant

• Install a concrete batching unit to utilise sands and aggregates produced by the washing of

incoming waste soils. The concrete will initially be used for construction projects within the site

• Provide further opportunities for other waste management businesses in the future Phase 3

development of the site, providing business synergies.


Once the new access is operational the existing

access will be removed to allow additional areas of

existing inert landfill to be remediated on-site to

prepare for future development.

A new wood processing shed and reclamation

centre (for storage) will be constructed; it is

anticipated that any buildings constructed on the

site would be steel framed storage sheds, and

would have a maximum height of twelve metres.

The wood processing shed will house equipment

for shredding/ chipping and screening, plus a

loading excavator.

A large area at the northwest part of the site will

be developed (in stages to meet demand) as a

green waste composting facility and would

comprise up to four open composting areas with

windrows formed up to 3 m high (dust suppression

provided as necessary using a water bowser and

sprayer).

Phase 2 (and Phase 3) will likely create additional

foul sewage flow on the new site. It is therefore

proposed to construct new foul drainage to

connect to the Scottish Water foul sewer system.

Phase 3

The large area at the southwest part of the site will

be subject to future development by others and so

permission ‘in principle’ is sought at this stage for

future employment and waste facility uses. Future

detailed planning applications will come forward in

due course for any proposed development.

It is likely that the equipment and buildings/

structures in Phase 3 would be of similar

dimensions and types as that proposed in Phases 1

and 2, i.e. an overall building height of less than

12m. For illustrative purposes the indicative layout

plan shows a workshop/ office block of dimensions

36m x 60m x 8m high with associated parking

spaces, along with an open surfaced (hardcore)

storage area and a concrete yard area. Only the

access road and hardstanding areas will be

prepared by the current applicant.

Construction approach

Construction works will follow a standard

sequence including the following:

• advance works including topographical,

geotechnical and other surveys

• phased remediation of areas of the site

that have previously been subject to inert

landfill activities, programmed to

commence following the installation,

licensing and commissioning of the soils

washing plant

• establishment of temporary construction

compounds within the site area

• preparatory earthworks and site levelling

as necessary (all material to be retained

on site, for instance in formation of the

earth bunds and localised fill where

suitable)

• concrete formation works by an

appointed contractor

• building foundation works (likely strip or

pad foundations) and building

construction by an appointed contractor

• delivery and installation of plant and

other equipment by the supplier[s]

It is anticipated that construction work will take

place from 7 AM to 6 PM seven days a week

excluding Public Holidays. The existing 24-hour site

security lighting and CCTV would be sufficient and

no additional measures are envisaged to be

necessary.

It is anticipated that up to ten temporary

construction site jobs could be created during

Phase 1 for local contractors and up to 15

temporary jobs in Phase 2. It is expected that up to

13 additional full time jobs could be provided for

site operations and administration personnel.

Project alternatives

The main alternatives include:

• Develop an alternative site

• Use different technology

• Adopt different site layout

• Do nothing

The option not to develop the site (thus to

maintain the status quo by retaining the existing

business at the currently operating site, and to

retain the additional land in agricultural use), is not

preferred for several reasons:


• opportunity cost to the business unable

to meet the increasing demands of its

customers

• the need to develop similar facilities at

additional sites to meet demand, perhaps

entailing increased transport distance,

emissions and costs

• inability to fully introduce operational

efficiencies at the existing site

• difficulty in meeting potential changes in

waste planning policy requirements and

tightening environmental legislation

• compromise in the ability to reduce the

amount of waste material disposed to

landfill, at considerable cost and with

adverse environmental implications,

particularly on available landfill capacity

• less ability to resell increased amounts of

recyclable material to the market.

Other sites were not considered for development

because of the additional time, cost, and

uncertainty this would entail. The existing site,

under ownership of the applicant, is allocated in

the 2012 Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan

for employment uses and as an area of search for

waste facilities and associated uses. The site is

considered to be suitable for the development of a

recycling and resource centre development.

The initial design was to access the site using only

one main access road and weighbridge but it was

deemed too restrictive on potential users of the

Phase 3 development land. Therefore it was

determined that construction of an additional

access serving only the Phase 3 area would be

required. No other designs were considered,

although careful thought has been given to the site

layout to maximise site operational efficiency.

Providing two access points will help reduce traffic

congestion and queuing. Allowing modular and

staged build-out of the development to meet

future demand provides flexibility. Opportunities

have been taken to enclose previously open air

activities, with both business and environmental

benefits.

Alternative waste treatment technologies such as

anaerobic digestion were considered but rejected

and it is considered that the resulting proposed

development provides a good, environmentally

acceptable solution for the site. Treatment

technology including SuDS has been adopted to

maximise opportunity for recycling drainage water

for use on site (in composting areas and dust

suppression).


APPROACH TO THE EIA

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a

systematic process to identify, predict and

evaluate the environmental effects of proposed

projects.

The authority determining the planning

application1 has confirmed that the development

1 Planning application submitted to Aberdeenshire Council

under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997

Box 3: Components of the development

Phase 1

• Concrete batching plant utilising sand and aggregate materials recycled on site that initially will

produce concrete for use on site in the formation of hardstanding areas

• Soils and aggregates washing plant, which will use water recycled via an on-site treatment plant

using physical and chemical settlement involving small amounts of flocculants and sterilising

chemicals

• Open stockpile areas for washed and recycled materials of about 5m maximum height and

incorporating dust suppression sprays

• SuDS system comprising two surface water collection lagoons and a filter drain providing 3 stages

of treatment prior to discharge at the existing greenfield runoff rate.

• New septic tank draining to new foul soakaways

• Extension and upgrading of the existing recycling shed, comprising:

o 780 sq m new tipping hall (maximum height 11m of portal steel frame single skin

aluminium sheet cladding with metal roller shutter doors and some sliding steel doors)

o 80 sq m extension at the rear of the existing shed to erect doors

o 530 sq m for building to house existing recycling equipment that is currently in the open

Phase 2

• Bunds within site and provide separate access for Phase 1/2 and Phase 3

• Upgrading a section of Duffshill Road from the new site entrances up to and connecting into the

AWPR link road (when that is completed by others)

• Remediation of existing inert landfill areas using Phase 1 soils washing plant

• New double weighbridge and additional car parking spaces

• Additional hardstanding area for skip storage

• Wood process shed and reclamation centre

• Additional SuDS treatment lagoon

• Hardstanding area for windrow composting of green waste

Phase 3 (details to be determined later)

• general hard-cored storage areas

• concrete open yard areas

• building(s) of approximately 2,200 m2 and up to 12m high

• an open area for inert waste reception


requires submission of an environmental

statement2. The purpose of the EIA is to:

• Provide a baseline against which actual

project impacts will be assessed

• Identify and assess the anticipated

negative and positive environmental and

social impacts of projects

• Determine measures designed to avoid,

minimise or mitigate negative

environmental or social impacts and

optimise potential positive impacts

• Use the results of that assessment to

inform option selection and subsequent

project design

• Consult with and obtain feedback from

project stakeholders.

The main stages of the EIA that were followed are

illustrated on the following page. This is only

indicative since the actual process is highly

iterative and includes additional steps such as

stakeholder interaction, which is not shown.

Baseline environmental conditions were identified

from a range of sources and field surveys as

identified in Box 4.

The scheme master plan was developed iteratively

to allow incorporation of knowledge of site

constraints gained from the baseline evaluations

and to allow impact avoidance and mitigation

measures to be ‘designed-in’.

2 The project falls under Schedule 2 of the Town and

Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2011.

Box 4: Environmental baseline surveys

• Phase 1 ecological surveys of site

• Botanical (plants and flowers) surveys

• Mammal surveys (bats, badger, water

vole)

• Breeding bird surveys

• Reptile surveys (snakes and lizards)

• Survey of Great Crested Newt habitat

potential

• Baseline noise monitoring

• Targeted ground investigations

• Site walkovers to confirm:

o Existing operations at site

including waste types and

volumes handled and any existing

issues

o Cultural heritage remains

o Physical conditions including

landforms, ground conditions,

and hydrology

o Existing traffic flows


The main stages of EIA followed during the Bankhead project

Data gathering

Project data gathering

Data to describe the construction and operation of the development, including identification of the project activities, materials to be used, discharges and emissions that are likely to occur.

�

Environmental data gathering

Collection of available information on the existing environment within a suitable area of search.

�

Scoping

Identification of environmental sensitivities

Identification of receptors and their environmental sensitivity, which could be affected by the proposed development. Consultation with regulatory authorities to discuss aspects associated with the proposed project activities.

�

Site survey work

Surveys of the existing environmental conditions to fill gaps in data, to ensure sufficient and adequate data are available and form a suitable baseline for the determination of impacts.

�

Assessment

Environmental impact assessment

Detailed assessment of the identified potential impacts associated with project activities.

�

Evaluation of significance

Evaluation of significance, including qualitative and where possible quantitative estimation of magnitude and severity of effects.

�

Management

Mitigation measures

Identification of measures to be applied to eliminate, minimise or manage the potential significant environmental effects.

�

Compilation of environmental

statement

Presentation of the findings of the EIA in a systematic way, including determining the significance of the residual effect on the environment; schedule of environmental commitments and monitoring requirements.


EIA ISSUES AND FINDINGS

Construction and environmental

management

A construction environmental management plan,

including various other plans as identified below,

would be prepared in advance of starting

construction work at site. The plan would include

specific measures designed to reduce and control

the occurrence of potentially adverse impacts,

including control of pollution risk. Good site

practices would be adopted to ensure that

environmental conditions at sensitive receptors

would not be unacceptable.

Physical environment

Data on ground conditions, including geology,

soils, surface and ground water was collected from

existing documented information, as well as

targeted ground investigation at the site

(boreholes and trial trenches).

Considering the construction phase activities it

was concluded that the potential health risks to

construction workers, and pollution risk to surface

and groundwater quality from mobilisation of

contaminants in existing made ground and soils

would be no more than minor (hence

insignificant). There is no surface peat and isolated

lenses of relict peat horizons at depth, if

excavated, would be unlikely to result in significant

risk to climate from carbon release.

Considering the operation phase activities on site,

it was concluded that there would be negligible

effects on geology (no deep excavations or piling

would take place). There would also be no more

than minor risk of fuel or chemical spillages

impacting surface of ground waters. Furthermore,

the increased extent of impermeable surface hard

standing across the site would result in only a

minor effect on groundwater recharge (refilling of

the underground water supply from rainfall

percolating through the surface ground layer).

Various mitigation measures will be implemented

such as:

• An asbestos management plan in case

buried asbestos is encountered in

previous filled ground

• Pre-construction risk assessment for

protection of the workforce from health

risk posed by any foreseen contamination

• Adoption of a range of standard ‘good

practice’ measures for control of pollution

at the construction site and during site

operations, particularly to avoid pollution

from fuel and chemical leaks from

Box 5: Types of impact considered

Direct impacts may occur when some aspect of the development, physically impinges upon a valued

resource, for instance the proposed construction of a house may result in loss of ecological habitat or an

archaeological relic. Indirect impacts could occur in either time, or location, from the source – for instance

construction works on a slope could result in heavy rainfall washing exposed soil into a nearby

watercourse, which could smother aquatic life.

Cumulative impacts are defined as:

• impacts that result from changes caused by the proposed development together with other past,

present or future developments

• impact interactions that may arise from a combination of separate impacts on one or a small

number of receptors due to the same proposed development.

Information on possible future developments was gathered through discussions with Aberdeenshire

Council and research of relevant planning documentation. The possibility of cumulative impacts arising has

been considered in each of the technical chapters of the ES.


equipment and vehicles operating on site

and from use of concrete products

• A site waste management plan

documenting procedures for waste

handling (segregation and temporary

storage) treatment and disposal,

particularly for remediation of wastes and

reuse on site

• Provision of bunds as necessary to protect

surface waterbodies from contaminated

site runoff, plus storage of polluting

materials (if any) in suitable bunded

storage areas.

Hydrology and drainage

The site generally slopes from southwest to

northeast. There is an existing drain running from

south to north through the site, which connects to

the Drumth Whackett burn running from west to

east along the northern boundary of the site. The

existing site drainage would be culverted. Review

of the SEPA maps shows the site is not at risk of

flooding.

Foul sewage would flow to an existing septic tank

and soakaways adequately sized for Phases 1 and

2 of the proposed development. Site tests have

confirmed that soakaways would be acceptable.

Increased staff numbers anticipated during Phase

3 would necessitate connection to the public

sewer, which it is anticipated would be extended

to (or close to) the site during works for the

AWPR/ link Road and proposed park and ride, so

future connection is anticipated to be possible.

Surface water is currently drained to ground. A

sustainable drainage scheme (SuDS) will be

constructed in Phase 1, providing 3 stages of

treatment. The SuDS will be designed to meet

appropriate standards and will be expanded in

Phase 2, to a size sufficient to accept flows from

the Phase 3 area and adequate to achieve a

discharge rate no more than the existing

‘greenfield’ rate (i.e. no additional discharge

volume above existing flows).

Cultural heritage

Information on cultural heritage resources, both

above and below ground, on the site and in the

surrounding area was collected from available

records and was confirmed by a site visit.

One non-designated site, considered to be of low

importance, was identified within the Phase 2

construction works area (possible remains of a

building demolished prior to 1888). The

significance of effect from the proposed

development would be slight. No further work is

necessary for this site.

No impacts on the setting of the one designated

cultural heritage receptor within 2km of the

construction works area were identified.

All three phases of the construction works will

disturb or damage buried peat deposits that may

contain waterlogged organic environmental

evidence of climate, land use and land use change

during the prehistoric period. Mitigation measures

have been proposed to address any direct impacts

on known or unknown, buried archaeology.

Following implementation of a mitigation

programme agreed with Aberdeenshire Council

Archaeology Service, physical archaeological

impacts within the footprint of the Development

would be fully neutralised for all three phases of

construction.

During the operational phases of the Development

there would be no impacts on any heritage assets.

Ecology

A Background Data Search of the site and vicinity

to obtain archived biological records from a range

of sources was undertaken, in addition to a range

of field surveys.

The surveys found a range of habitats on site

although no wetlands were present, having

probably been previously lost through historic land

use changes. No species of importance (either

plants or animals) were found and generally

conditions were found to be unsuitable. Surveys

considered the potential for legally protected

species and reported the following:


• No evidence of bat roosts although areas

around the site may be used for foraging

• No evidence for breeding/ nesting birds

although some habitat within the site

could be suitable

• Unsuitable conditions for badger setts or

foraging

• Existing nearby water bodies were found

to be unsuitable for Great Crested Newts

and there are no records of their

presence in the area

• No evidence or records of otters using the

streams

• Generally unsuitable conditions for

reptiles and no records of their presence

• No suitable habitat for water voles and no

records of their presence.

Measures were recommended to control the

spread of Japanese Knotweed (an invasive species)

during construction and to ensure that any site

lighting does not affect the potential of

surrounding areas to be used by bats for foraging.

Precautionary measures would be adopted as

necessary in case there happen to be any nesting

birds on site during construction.

In general it is expected that vegetation cover on

the bunds surrounding the site may increase insect

abundance and thereby have positive benefits for

bats and birds.

Noise and vibration

Noise monitoring at a nearby residence

characterised the typical existing noise

background. Predictions of the future noise

environment were made in respect of construction

work, traffic noise, and noise from various

operating plant/ equipment. Generally noise has

been predicted at the nearest residence to the

works with noise emission points located at the

nearest point of each area of works, representing a

worst case situation.

Predicted construction noise levels would be

below the applicable threshold level for daytime of

65 dB(A) but would be noticeable. Construction

traffic would not contribute noticeably to these

noise levels. The construction noise levels would

not be significant.

The noisiest operating plant at the site is likely to

be the soils washing plant and the concrete

batching plant. Noise level predictions indicate an

increase by up to 8 dB(A) at nearby residences

which although relatively minor, would be

noticeable and could generate complaints and so

is considered of moderate significance. It is

expected that noise screening could be provided

to reduce the predicted noise to an acceptable

level. A delivery management plan would also be

developed to control noise from arriving waste

loads. Additional noise from the wood shredder

operating in Phase 2 would not increase the noise

levels due to the distance from residences. Traffic

noise would not be significant in Phase 1 and

traffic noise level would only increase by around

1% during Phase 2, which is not significant.

Phase 3 development would have the potential to

result in higher overall noise levels and so future

consideration should be given to plant type,

location and the need (if any) for additional noise

screening when this development comes forward.

Transport and access

Information on existing traffic levels was gathered

from existing data provided by the Council and the

site operator. This was compared with the

estimated increase in traffic levels during

construction and operation of each Phase of

development. The proposed upgrading of Duffshill

Road and provision of the new site access roads, as

well as the future connection to the proposed

AWPR was taken into account.

Additional traffic will be generated during the

construction of Phase 1, however the estimated

level of traffic will not cause significant impacts.

The operation of Phase 1 is not expected to

generate any additional traffic and hence no

significant impacts are expected.

The construction of Phase 2 will generate

additional traffic, but this is not considered to be

significant. The operation of Phase 2 is expected

to result in around a 20% increase in traffic to and

from the proposed development, but this is not


considered to cause a significant effect as it is

below thresholds established in the ‘Guidelines for

the Environmental Assessment of Road Traffic’

published by the Institute for Environmental

Management and Assessment.

Two new accesses will be provided onto Duffshill

Road as part of the proposed development, one of

which will replace the existing access. These new

accesses will be constructed to appropriate design

standards. Duffshill Road will also be widened

from the site to its junction with the new link road

serving to access the AWPR. This widening will

allow two-opposing direction vehicles to pass,

which is an improvement over the existing

situation where two-way flow is not possible

except at a passing space.

The construction of Phase 3 will also generate

additional traffic, but again this is not considered

to be significant. The operation of Phase 3 is

expected to result in around a 62% increase in

traffic but this increase in traffic is not considered

to cause any significant transport-related effects as

it is only around a 300m long section of the

improved Duffshill Road which will experience this

impact. Furthermore, there are no permanent

receptors (dwellings or other occupied buildings

for example) along this section of road whose

inhabitants would be affected by the predicted

increase. The traffic estimated to be generated

during the operation of Phase 3 is not therefore

expected to cause any significant environmental

effects.

Waste management

Across all phases of construction and operation

the site will have either a negligible or a beneficial

effect. The site will produce low quantities of

waste to be disposed of within the Aberdeenshire

region.

The majority of wastes generated on site during

construction will be reused on the site in the

construction of the perimeter bunds or in the

production of concrete for other development. A

site waste management plan will be developed to

ensure good practice.

The site will handle a large volume of waste

generated by other organisations and other sites

but will generate only a small quantity of waste

on-site, most of which will be treated and reused

on site with only a small residual amount requiring

transport off site to other facilities for further

treatment and final disposal. The site will operate

under a licence issued by SEPA.

The waste brought to site would be generated by

other organisations whether or not this

development proceeds and so would require

treatment/ disposal somewhere. The proposed

development expands the waste management

capacity within the region, and would increase the

capacity for the management of segregated waste

streams within Scotland. Segregated materials

would be treated on site to allow them to be

reused in another form or allow future

reprocessing and recycling.

Cumulative impacts

Cumulative impacts from construction of the

AWPR would not lead to any additional impacts,

nor increase the significance of any identified

impacts at any receptors on or near the site of the

proposed development due to the distance and

the scale and nature of impacts.


WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The planning authority will consider the findings of

the ES, of which this non-technical summary forms

a part, together with other documents submitted

as part of the planning application. There is a

statutory period allowed for comments to be

returned to Aberdeenshire Council.

If the Council were to grant planning permission

(with or without conditions) then it is envisaged

that the following would occur:

• detailed design of the development

(Phases 1 & 2), taking into account any

planning conditions that may have been

imposed

• contractor tendering and appointment

• procurement of equipment and materials

• site investigations

• construction including site preparation

and foundations and infrastructure

construction including drainage and

building superstructures

• building fit-out and completion.

CONTACT DETAILS

The person to contact for further information on

the project is:

Mr Alistair Speid

Technical Director

A & M Smith Skip Hire Limited

Bankhead Recycling Centre

Duffshill Road

Aberdeenshire

AB12 4RX

Tel: 01224 780 649

Email: [email protected]

If you would like to comment on any aspect of the

ES or non-technical summary or you would like to

make an appointment to view the documents,

then please contact Mr Josh MacLean, Planner, at

the following address:

Infrastructure Services

Aberdeenshire Council

Viewmount

Arduthie Road

Stonehaven AB39 2DQ

Tel: (01569) 768300

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Bankhead Recycling and Resource Centre Development

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