Environmental Planning
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Client: Salisbury District Council
Background: In order to improve efficiency and accessibility, the Council planned to centralise its operations from a number of sites throughout the city of Salisbury into one office base at Bourne Hill. The development involved renovation of the Grade II* Listed Council House, demolition of a Victorian extension to the building and construction of new offices within the parkland garden.
The application site lies within a Conservation Area and an Area of Archaeological Significance, adjacent to the Grade II* Listed building and close to a Scheduled Monument within the Council Grounds. In recognition of the cultural significance of the site and setting, the Council commissioned Landmark to undertake an EIA to inform applications for Planning and Listed Building consents.
Description: Landmark's environmental planners managed the EIA, advised the development team and liaised with the planning authority and statutory consultees to bring together a complex set of information to inform the consents process. In addition to the compelling constraints to re-development posed by the historic setting and structures, centralisation of all city-based staff and functions into one site raised a range of other environmental challenges. The development masterplan and detailed prescriptions for impact avoidance and mitigation were informed by the EIA, which also set out the principles for development and environmental management that were incorporated into planning conditions to secure delivery of a genuinely sustainable and prestigious scheme.
Client Benefits : Planning and Listed Building consents were granted in early 2006. Tight, well-informed management of the EIA process enabled a comprehensive approach to development constraints and opportunities. This gave clarity and confidence in the quality of the applications to the client and the receiving authority, and achieved a Good/Excellent Grade at Review by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).
