Report

The Woodsmith Project - S73 Project Amendments : Planning Statement

An alternative approach would be to provide new purpose-built buildings. However, this would add to the construction programme and undermine the opportunity to repurpose existing resources in line with sustainability principles.

4.36

Security/Gatehouse

The existing construction phase gatehouse will continue to be utilised until the operational gatehouse is constructed. The operational gatehouse has been redesigned and relocated further into site, reflecting the change in location of the welfare building, and reducing views of the development from the B1416. The operational gatehouse will be located on the access road into the site and will monitor and control the access of vehicles entering the Woodsmith Mine site. Access will be via a controlled barrier/gate. The gatehouse will be 12m in length, 9m wide and 5m high. Adjacent to the gatehouse, a staging area to accommodate nine HGVs will be constructed to avoid the formation of queues on the access road, and to provide safe access for drivers and security staff. A small parking area will be constructed to accommodate the cars/work vans of visitors to the gatehouse.

4.37

4.38

4.39

Secure Storage Units

The secure storage units approved under discharge of conditions ref. NYM/2017/0505/MEIA will be retained into operations.

4.40

The alternative of removing the secure storage units would give rise to a need for more frequent and less efficient deliveries of smaller loads.

4.41

Substation

To supply the later construction phase and future operations and to allow for efficient power reticulation around the mine, a standalone substation with 66kV Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS), 66/33kV transformers and 33kV GIS switchgear will be constructed on the northern platform area. The new substation replaces the previously approved substation - which was of a slightly different configuration – to the immediate south-west of the Service Shaft building.

4.42

4.43

Landscape Bunding

As currently approved, Mine buildings will be visually screened by the amended landscaping and a combination of existing woodland and scrub cover and the habitat enhancement planting that will be delivered as part of Woodsmith Mine’s Landscape and Ecological Management Plan (LEMP). The wider amendments to the Project have had an effect on the volume of extractive material available to create the landscaping bunds required to screen Woodsmith Mine from external views. As such, there is a total reduction in material to be stored at Woodsmith Mine of 223,903m3. This reduction results in a requirement to amend the design of the landscaping to ensure it is able to meet the long-term screening requirements of the Woodsmith Mine from external views in the surrounding environment.

4.44

4.45

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