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HISTORY OF SAWSTON STORAGE DEPOT SITE, Mill Lane, Sawston Cambridgeshire,
This document was prepared to accompany the application by Mr Paul O’Keeffe , Ref. S/0840/12/FL, for the approval of 6no. Small Business Support Units on the Sawston Storage Depot , Mill Lane Sawston, submitted to South Cambridgeshire District Council, to highlight the usage of the Site over the past 100 years or so. Our Design + Access Statement has stated that the site was occupied as far back as 1886. This document provides additional visual information illustrating the uses of the site using archive aerial photographs and historic maps dating back to 1886. It shows that the site was occupied prior to the establishment of the Green Belt and prior to the building of the A1301 Sawston By-Pass. From 1995 til 2006 the site has had commercial usage and is subject to South Cambridgeshire District Council Non-Domestic Rates, which have been collected by the Council and is still registered as a storage depot. This information quite clearly shows that the Site:
1.Was occupied and therefore had established use.
2.Has been altered from Green Belt status.
3.Has been used commercially.
4.Has an established commercial value.
The site is located at the junction of Mill Lane and the A1301 Sawston By-Pass. It lies to the south and east of Spicers land and next to the railway line and level crossing of the main Cambridge to London line.
We know that the Site lies within the Green Belt and we fully understand and support the Green Belt policies, however in this particular instance, the Site has had a history of usage that cannot be ignored. The Sawston Conservation Area Draft council policy document 2007 (Ref: DCV 0050) stated in paragraph 4.9 that: "Together these factory enterprises (Spicers and the Tannery) gave Sawston an industrial character different from most villages in the area, and this was deliberately encouraged after World War II when the County Council designated Sawston as the site of a light industrial estate in an attempt to keep Cambridge itself free from industrial development."
It is clear that local opinion is that this site should be developed. The Site has been an eyesore for many years and the groundswell of feeling is that our development will enhance the area and not be considered ‘inappropriate development’. We are proposing an environmentally sustainable development that not only helps the local economy but fits with the continuing development of a rural village and is not disrespectful to its surroundings. Notwithstanding the usage of the site by Cambridgeshire County Council during and after the construction of the Sawston By-Pass A1301, there are two main facts of hard evidence that we believe clealry distinguishes the Site from any other site in Green Belt:
1.The Site has been occupied since the 19th Century. 2. The Site has been on the Non-Domestic Rates Register of South Cambridgeshire District Council since April 2005 as a commercial Storage Compound.
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.
Our investigations have revealed that for many years there has been an assortment of buildings and outbuildings on or in very close proximity to this site prior to the construction of the A1301. It appears that occupation of the site was evident from the 1800’s there were a number of residential buildings and outbuildings relating to the operator of the railway crossing. The main cottage was know as "Gate Keepers Cottage". The buildings on the land, or immediately adjoining, have ranged in size from a single cottage, to a bungalow and ancillary outbuildings.
Reference OS maps that depict the site and show evidence of occupation of the site include Ordinance survey maps:
CAMBRIDGESHIRE & ISLE OF ELY Scale: 1:2,500 Date: 1886
CAMBRIDGESHIRE & ISLE OF ELY Scale: 1:2,500 Date: 1903
CAMBRIDGESHIRE & ISLE OF ELY Scale: 1:10,560 Date: 1948-1950
CAMBRIDGESHIRE & ISLE OF ELY Scale: 1:10,560 Date: 1960
CAMBRIDGESHIRE & ISLE OF ELY Scale: 1:10,560 Date: 1951
Airial black & white photo 1949 showing railway house & road entrance to site
Airial black & white photo 1967 showing railway house & road entrance to site
Airial black & white photo 1968 showing site in use by the highways as storage depot on behalf of South cambridge district and county council
Airial black & white photo 1968b showing site in use by the highways as storage depot on behalf of South cambridge district and county
Airial black & white photo 1974 showing site in use by the highways as storage depot on behalf of South cambridge district and county also showing the use of a large new entrance on corner of site.
Airial black & white photo 1974b showing site in use by the highways as storage depot on behalf of South cambridge district and county also showing the use of a large new entrance on corner of site
Airial black & white photo 1995 showing site in use as storage depot and show the house in bottom right corner.
The Site was occupied as a residential property until the late 1960s when the property was included, along with the adjacent land, that is The Site for the building of the Sawston bypass. The land was conveyed in the sale from the Archdioceses of Ely and Cambridgeshire to Cambridgeshire County Council. During the building of the bypass the land was used by the County Council as a storage depot for machinery and materials associated with the construction of the bypass. It was at this time that the site became known as the “Sawston Storage Depot Site”. During this period, over 40 years ago, there was significant dumping of materials on the site and the result has raised the ground level considerably, well over 2 metres in places, compared with the surrounding property. It is our opinion this raised level has not been taken into account in the flood plain maps for the area. NOTE: We have carried out test holes on the site and found the original ground level to be approximately 2-2.5m below the current level. At this level we have uncovered considerable evidence of road making materials including large sections of kerbing stone and tarmac. The land was leased on a commercial basis to Dockerill Plant Hire of Sawston between 2005 - 2007. The permitted use was for the storage of large plant and machinery. This was granted subject to the tenant undertaking to obtain planning consent if required by South Cambs District Council. Not far into this licensed period the tenant was found by South Cambs Planning Enforcement officers to be using the site for the processing and transfer of waste - which was deemed to require a change of use. A retrospective planning application was applied for under reference S/1649/05/F, but this was eventually refused. Despite that the tenant continued this use for a further period until risking action for breaching an enforcement notice. The Licence was close to its expiry time by this point and after considering alternative uses for the site, the tenant handed back possession at the licence expiry date in April 2007.
Prior to Dockerill’s use of the site NTL used the site for storage without a formal tenancy in place when laying communication lines in and around the area. There are no formal records of this. During all this activity, significant dumping of material has occurred. As an attempt to keep the site secure, Dockerills created a bund of spoil around the north and eastern boundaries to prevent entry by travellers and theft from the site.
Since Dockerills Plant Hire vacated the site in 2007, the property has since remained vacant, however there has been significant waste building material has been deposited on site and fly tipping has occurred in spite of the large security gates and bunding. A considerable amount of material deposited to the north end of the site and a large bank of material around the boundary of the property to up to depth of up to 5 meters in certain areas. This practice of dumping is considered undesirable, if not illegal, and we perfectly understand and support the Council’s decision to issue an Enforcement Notice that could be the only way of dealing with the noise and air pollution that took place in the past.
Business Rates
It should be pointed out that even although there was no formal planning permission for use of the site, SCDC records show that the site was listed as a ‘Storage Compound Mill Lane Sawston CB33 3HZ’ with a rateable value of £12000 . The site was brought into the SCDC commercial rates register on 1 April 2005 and is still listed as a commercial premises attached our the latest commercial rate demands
Mr O’Keeffe, present owner purchased the site on behalf of Conrad Bay ltd, has embarked on a clear up program of these materials in addition to removing fly-tipped material, however during the period whilst awaiting planning permmision approval the site continues to experiance illegal occupation, dumping and similer related activities.
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.
Sustainability is an essential part of the proposed development. All businesses, and particularly small businesses, are dependent on keeping their fixed overheads at a minimum. It is our philosophy that if the buildings are designed to be as self-sufficient as possible then we can help businesses to be successful. The buildings will incorporate natural materials that can be carbon positive, such as hemp insulation. The buildings will designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, be naturally breathing using natural sustainable materials. Timber cladding will be larch or sweet chestnut which are long lasting and rot resistant. Passive systems will be used wherever possible and the use of windcatchers will naturally ventilate the buildings. Green roofing will provide mass to the construction and provide many other benefits, such as low maintenance roofing, additional insulation and rainwater attenuation. Recycled materials will be used in the construction of the buildings, such as in the gabion walling in the buildings and boundaries of the site, or recycled material for the concrete mixing of floor slabs. Heating of the buildings will be provided by stand-alone or integrated systems using bio-mass boilers, ground source heat pumps and solar collectors. Electricity will be generated on site using PV solar cells to provide power for low energy LED lighting. Initial calculations show that the site could be self-sufficient
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