RE: Rivenhall Airfield Photographic Survey and Visualisations
On Sunday 4th January 2009 and on the weekend of January 17th/18th 2009, a team of local residents, councillors and landowners took part in a co-ordinated photographic survey of Rivenhall Airfield and the site of the proposed Regional Waste Site and Incinerator.
Conditions were sunny with good visibility. All cameras used were digital and set to automatic exposure at 50mm or 80mm focal length. Processing was carried out using AstroArt and Photoimpression 4. No misleading manipulation of the images was carried out. The montages are "stitched" images, processing from the raw originals without attempting to change contrast or brightness, etc. The visualisations are constructed from drawing in the features of the proposed development using the colours and dimensions stated by the applicant and using scaling as per below.
Photographs were taken from 10 locations around the airfield. 4 of the locations were within the grounds of, or close to, listed buildings. 9 of the locations were on, or close to, public footpaths or permissive rights of way.
They cover a range of issues including:
1. Scaling images - showing the actual heights of the trees and other features on the airfield.
2. Images and montages showing how the airfield looks now.
3. Using the same images and montages to produce visualisations showing what the site could look like if developed as per application ESS/37/08/BTE.
The scaling and visualisation exercises have been checked to make sure that dimensions stated as as accurate as possible given the image scales. This has been done using known scaled features (ie the existing Hanger (12.5m main ridge height) and radar tower (48m), a scaling pole (4m in length accurate to less than 1cm), allowing for distance scaling and the small variations in ground levels across the area.
The reasons for the photographic exercise are to:
1. Show that the application site and surrounding area is largely open countryside and not an industrial area as the applicant has tried to suggest.
2. Show that the tree screening is lower in height and less opaque in depth than the applicant has stated.
3. Show that the impacts on the settings of listed buildings are greater than stated by the applicant.
4. Show that the entire proposal will be more visible in the landscape than stated by the applicant.
5. Show the potential visual impacts of the gas flare stack and incinerator stack at current and possible higher levels, which the applicant has not done.
6. Show the area and site from more viewing points, and from more realistic viewing points, than the applicant has done - including from people's homes and well used local footpaths.
SUBMISSION 15 - Visual Impact of the Waste Site in the Landscape
View from Rook Hall
RookHallVis 2 and 3 show the two stacks as they would appear from the listed Rook Hall and adjacent footpath. Vis 2 shows a 35m main incinerator stack and Vis3 shows a 45 m high stack. In both images, a 27 m high gas flare stack is shown.
This view is from nearly 2km away, looking North West and uses a landscape image already submitted.
SUBMISSION 16 - Visual Impact of the Waste Site in the Landscape
View from Wolverton
WolvertonVis 2 and 3 show the two stacks as they would appear from the listed Wolverton, in Silver End, and adjacent footpath. Vis 2 shows a 35m main incinerator stack and Vis3 shows a 45 m high stack. In both images, a 27 m high gas flare stack is shown. The profile of the main waste site buildings can also be seen.
This view is from about 1.5km away, looking East North East and uses a landscape image already submitted.
SUBMISSION 17 - Visual Impact of the Waste Site in the Landscape
View from Porters Farm
PortersFarmVis 2 and 3 show the two stacks as they would appear from the listed Porters Farm and the newly planted Trafalgar woodland, Ruffians Wood. Vis 2 shows a 35m main incinerator stack and Vis3 shows a 45 m high stack. In both images, a 27 m high gas flare stack is shown.
This view is from about 1.2km away, looking North West and uses a landscape image already submitted.
SUBMISSION 18 - Visual Impact of the Waste Site in the Landscape
View from Parkgate
ParkgateVis2 and 3 show the two stacks as they would appear from the footpath/track near Parkgate. Vis 2 shows a 35m main incinerator stack and Vis3 shows a 45 m high stack. In both images, a 27 m high gas flare stack is shown.
This view is from about 1 km away, looking North and uses a landscape image already submitted.
SUBMISSION 19 - Visual Impact of the Waste Site in the Landscape
View from Western Road
WesternRoadVis2 and 3 show the two stacks as they would appear from the permissive paths north of Western Road. Vis 2 shows a 35m main incinerator stack and Vis3 shows a 45 m high stack. In both images, a 27 m high gas flare stack is shown. Due to the open nature of the landscape from this view, much of the profile of the proposed waste site buildings can be seen, as would also be the case from the nearby houses on the Eastern side of Silver End.
This view is from about 0.9 km away, looking North East and uses a landscape image already submitted.
SUBMISSION 20 - Visual Impact of the Waste Site in the Landscape
View from Herons Farm
HeronsFarmVis2 and 3 show the two stacks as they would appear from near the southern edge of Herons Farm, adjacent to the public footpath. Vis2 shows a 35m main incinerator stack and Vis3 shows a 45 m high stack. In both images, a 27 m high gas flare stack is shown. Due to the open nature of the landscape from this view, much of the profile of the proposed waste site buildings can be seen, and would extend well beyond the edge of the view, to the right (West).
This view is from about 0.8 km away from the main incinerator stack, looking South and uses a landscape image already submitted.
SUBMISSION 21 - Visual Impact of the Waste Site in the Landscape
View from near the Polish Camp
PolishCampVis2a and 3a show the two stacks as they would appear from near the Polish Camp, on Footpath 8, at the point where the track joins to the Wayfarers Site. Vis2a shows a 35m main incinerator stack and Vis3a shows a 45 m high stack. In both images, a 27 m high gas flare stack is shown. Parts of the main waste plant buildings can be seen above and through the trees, which along this line of sight would only amount to about 15 metres of standing trees after development. In Vis3a, the visualised 45m stack is significantly taller than the frame will allow to be shown, so the top cannot be shown here.
From this location, the plant structures are a dominant and alien feature in the landscape. Progressing along Footpath 8 (right hand side of frame), this dominance would increase and the Footpath passes close to the South Eastern corner of the application site, tens of metres away, and not 300m away as the applicants claim.
This view is from about 300 metres away from the main incinerator stack, looking North West and uses a landscape image already submitted.
SUBMISSION 22 - Visual Impact of the Waste Site in the Landscape
Wide View from near the Polish Camp
PolishCampWideVis2a and 3a show the two stacks as they would appear from near the Polish Camp, on Footpath 8, at the point where the track joins to the Wayfarers Site. Vis2a shows a 35 m main incinerator stack and Vis3a shows a 45 m high stack. In both images, a 27 m high gas flare stack is shown. Parts of the main waste plant buildings can be seen above and through the trees, which along this line of sight would only amount to about 15 metres of standing trees after development.
These are wide field views, and include all of the span of TPO Woodland Block W3, the approach of Footpath 8 to the site and the listed Woodhouse Farm.
From this location, the plant structures are a dominant and alien feature in the landscape. Progressing along Footpath 8 (right hand side of frame), this dominance would increase and the Footpath passes close to the South Eastern corner of the application site, tens of metres away, and not 300m away as the applicants claim.
The larger trees on the right hand side of the images are in the foreground and would not provide any screening of the incinerator and gas flare stack as seen from Woodhouse Farm. The images illustrate the dominance over the size and setting of Woodhouse Farm and the harm caused to that setting.
This view is from about 300 metres away from the main incinerator stack, looking North West and uses a landscape image already submitted.
SUBMISSION 23 - Visual Impact of the Waste Site in the Landscape
View from Woodhouse Farm Front Door
WoodhouseFarmDoorVis2a and 3a show the two stacks as they would appear from the listed Woodhouse Farm, at the front door. Vis2a shows a 35 m main incinerator stack and Vis3a shows a 45 m high stack (although this extends off the top of the frame). In both images, a 27 m high gas flare stack is shown just to the right of the main stack.
This is a key viewpoint as it is the one used by the applicant in drawing 3-18 where he claims that a 16m high block of trees would screen all but the top 2 metres of a 35 metre stack.
In reality, only the highest of the trees shown in this view are that tall and these are set back near the access road, away from Woodhouse Farm. Most of the trees are lower than 16 metres and are also deciduous, and so for nearly half the year would have no leaves and would therefore not provide the screening implied by the applicants' use of fully leaved trees.
The result is that far from just 2 metres of the stack being visible, about 15 metres would be seen in this view at any time of year above the main tree line and even more of it can be seen through the trees, especially in winter. Given the 7 metre width of the stack, this would be a dominant and alien structure in the landscape and would directly harm the setting of the listed Woodhouse Farm.
In Vis3a, a 45 metre high main incinerator stack would tower 25 metres above the tree line but this is so tall it cannot fit on the frame view.
These views were taken about 180 metres from the main incinerator stack, looking towards the South West.
SUBMISSION 24 - Visual Impact of the Waste Site in the Landscape
View from Woodhouse Farm Garden
WoodhouseFarmGardenVis2a shows the two stacks as they would appear from the listed Woodhouse Farm, in the front garden near Footpath 8. Vis2a shows a 35 m main incinerator stack which reaches up to the top edge of the frame. We have not provided a 45 m high stack visualisation as the extra 10 metres would be entirely off the frame. In the image, a 27 m high gas flare stack is shown just to the right of the main stack and partly behind it.
In this wider view, parts of the main waste plant buildings can also be seen though and in places above the tree line.
Far from being screened from view as claimed by the applicant, a person in the garden of Woodhouse Farm or on Footpath 8 in this area would have no doubt that there was a very large industrial facility close by. They would be able to see it, dominating the skyline, hear it, and potentially smell it.
This location is a documented bat roost and habitat for owls. It is not known at this stage what impact the development would have on nocturnal wildlife in terms of light pollution, but given its 24/7 nature and the scale of the facility, this could be a significant impact in what is currently a very quiet rural location with no lights at all on the application site. Light pollution could also impact on the wider area, which is one of the last "dark skies" areas in mid-Essex for people to enjoy viewing the stars.
This view was taken about 170 metres from the main incinerator stack, looking towards the South West.
