DRAFT Sustainability Appraisal Report for the Emerging Local Plan ...

oundaries. The largest area of historic parks and gardens is represented by Windsor Great
Park partially located within an area to the northwest of the borough.
14.22 Data from the English Heritage’s at Risk Register in 2012 shows that Woburn Farm in
Addlestone, a Grade II listed Historic Park and Garden is at risk and in declining condition.
14.23 Historic parks and gardens are vulnerable to similar pressures as listed structures.
Evolution of Baseline in Absence of Plan
14.24 Runnymede has a diverse heritage in terms of buildings, archaeology and landscapes.
Situated in the densely populated South East, the trend in population growth for Runnymede
can be expected to continue to increase (as exemplified by the latest Census data (2011))
which in turn will result in increased demands for housing, employment space, and
supporting infrastructure (e.g. transportation, schools, hospitals and health centres, retail
provision etc). The demand for development will place the borough’s historic heritage assets
at increased risk of disturbance, damage and irretrievable loss.
14.25 In addition, likely effects will be amplified as a result of changes in the UK’s climate, which
may be severe. Those changes include long periods of hot dry weather during the summer
months and increased precipitation during winter periods. Coupled with extreme weather
events and storminess all having cumulative and synergistic affects on both archaeological
and built heritage assets (see Section 12).
Potential Impact Pathways
14.26 Historic Environment and Archaeology could be affected by several adverse potential
pathways
HE1 Impacts on heritage assets due to land take
14.27 Depending upon where development is located and the type of development being
proposed, adverse effects resulting from loss or damage to heritage and archaeological assets
can occur.
E2 Impacts on heritage assets due to inappropriate development in its proximity
14.28 Similarly to HE1 the location of development coupled with its type can result in adverse
effects due to siting.
HE3 Impacts on heritage assets due to decreased air quality and related climate change
14.29 The historic built environment can be adversely affected by the deposition of atmospheric
pollution caused by carbon base energy use in transport and domestic consumption. The
quality of Runnymede’s air is largely a product of its location and the fact that is has both the
M25 and M3 motorways running through it (see: Section 11).
14.30 Changes in the weather from increased periods of dry weather as well as other climatic
factors such as flooding have the potential to adversely affect heritage assets (see: Section
12).
HE4 Impacts on heritage assets due to disturbance
14.31 Meeting the development pressure will lead to increased numbers of residents, employees,
and visitors to heritage assets.
Consideration of Policies and its Alternatives
Policy LP01: Strategy for the Location of Development
14.32 The policy options have an uncertain or neutral impact with regard to the SEA (Appendix 4).
With regard to the pathways it is noted that LP01 has an adverse impact on HEA4 heritage
disturbance. This recognises that some aspects of our heritage assets may be disturbed. This
signals that consideration will need to be given to detailed submissions to ensure that such
assets are given due consideration.
14.33 Having regard to the conclusion of SA in Appendix 3, overall, all the policy approaches have a
mixed beneficial impact. It is noted that the impact on the air quality is adverse (RSF 16),
Page | 184 Runnymede BC FINAL Sustainability Appraisal Report – Feb 2013