DESIGN & BUILD

The proposed development seeks to fulfil the demand for low-energy low-cost commercial units to serve small businesses in the area. The units will be designed to have low-running costs to aid and sustain small businesses. We do understand that the site has its difficulties and it is within the Green Belt, however, we believe that there is a good case for these proposals to be considered as a unique local opportunity under as a special circumstance. We aim to demonstrate that there is a strong need for small developments such as this to help sustain employment in a very difficult economic climate. These units will provide local businesses with premises that have low running costs, are on the edge of Sawston Village and have good access. It is exactly this type of development that is badly needed to allow small companies to exist in premises that do not have constantly increasing energy bills that affect their bottom line and therefore their longevity. The units will be super-insulated, use natural breathable sustainable materials and incorporate renewable energies. They will be designed to be low-impact on the environment both in terms of visual appearance and energy usage. The construction materials will include larch or sweet chestnut timber cladding, sedum roofs, natural insulation, zinc cladding and rainwater goods, permeable paving and reed-bed foul waste water management. All the existing trees, mainly sycamore, will be retained and reinforced with new planting. The existing bunding will be retained but restructured with gabion walling and new topsoil with new structured planting. The existing entrance will be improved and widened to allow better visibility in accordance with Transport Planning Associates’ recommendations. Our proposed development will enhance the area, and certainly improve it over and above its current state, and be designed to be sympathetic to the environment. Since our Pre-Application advice, we have reduced the scale and number of units on the site. The buildings are single storey, almost cottage-like, and site well below the cover of the existing trees. We believe that the development will create additional local employment. Cambridgeshire County Council, the previous owner, has never returned the site to a ‘green belt’ state, has been using the site for commercial gain and it has now fallen into disrepair, so unless something is done, the site will remain an eyesore on the edge of the village.

These are the details of a submission to South Cambridgeshire District Council for Full Planning Approval of the proposed development of small business support units on the land, known as ‘The Sawston Storage Depot’ located at Mill Lane, Sawston

The site is 3.34 hectares with the main access from Mill Lane on the northern boundary. Former uses of the land as an open storage compound and tip over the past 40 years, has meant that site levels have been raised by between 1.5 and 2 metres above the original ground. The northern and eastern boundaries are protected by a continuous bund or spoil heap, approximately 1.8m high, with mature trees and shrubbery that forms a screen from the road. The bunding along the eastern boundary which was put there for security reasons, appears to be adversely affecting the existing trees.

The western boundary has a thick covering of brambles and shrubs with a deep drainage ditch alongside the railway line. There is approximately 15 metres from the site boundary to the railway line.

There is a large electricity substation to the south and west of the site across the railway line,  which has recently recieved full planning to be expanded to over double its size?

There is also a large concrete drainage pipe and ditch to the south. The existing entrance to the site is set back from Mill Lane by 5m in the centre of the northern boundary.

 North of the site is an open green field that has recieved full planning to provide a double lane fly over to service the expansion plans of the spicer site.

It should be pointed out much of the spicer land developed and land  due for expansion is within the greenbelt.

The recent history of the site is some what chequered by the non-conforming use of the site by the previous owner the South Cambridgeshire county council and their tenants as a storage compound, prior to this our investigations have revealed maps photographs and statements that provide evidence of use of the land before the County councils acquisition.

Climate Change Impact Assessment

Ground Source Heat Pumps/Bio-Mass Boilers

Solar Water Heating

On Site Wind Power

Photovoltaic Cells

Sustainable Ground Drainage

Sustainable + Recycled Materials

Tree Planting + Ecological Conservation

Green Roof Technology Green

Our strategy is to adopt a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) based on the Interim Code of Practice for Sustainable Drainage Systems , This is a technique that manages surface water and groundwater sustainably and it is our intention to adopt a holistic approach. A SuDS is extremely effective. The benefits include:

•reducing flood risk

•minimising diffuse pollution

•maintaining or restoring natural flow regimes

•improving water resources

•enhancing amenity The drainage strategy covers 3 systems: Rainwater, Surface Water and Foul Water.

1.Rainwater With the use of green sedum roofs, up to 25% of the rainwater hitting the roofs will be absorbed by the sedum plants. This helps to reduce the amount of surface water using the rainwater system. If calculations prove economical, then it is proposed that a rainwater collection system could be installed to recycle water into the buildings to flush toilets, which would then be channelled through the foul water drainage system. 2. Surface Water All surfaces across the site will be permeable. Roads/driveways and footpaths will be constructed using a permeable construction and engineered sand filters that will remove any pollutants and allow clean water to permeate through to the water table.

3.Foul Water Foul water will be collected in a drainage system in the normal way and routed to a reed bed filtration system at the south end of the site. This system will consist of a bio-digester sediment tank, a planted area of reeds that will filter the liquids before discharging clean water into an outlet tank and then into the drainage ditches, with the approval of the