upperlands - Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment

12 ContaminationTo determine baseline soil and groundwater quality atthe application site, contamination investigations and riskassessments have been conducted. The aim was also to identifywhether contamination is present at the site with the potentialto impact upon the proposed end users of the development,including residential, commercial and industrial land uses, andalso environmental receptors including the Knockoneil River.The contamination investigation included the completion of apreliminary risk assessment (PRA) comprising of the collectionof desk based historical information on contaminative uses anda site walkover. Areas with the potential for contamination wereidentified due to the presence of a dye and bleaching house,use of chemicals, use and storage of fuels and areas of filledground. This was followed by completion of a site investigation,including the collection and analysis of soil and groundwatersamples to determine actual contamination levels, particularlyat locations where contamination was suspected. The resultswere assessed through completion of a generic quantitativeand detailed quantitative risk assessments (GQRA & DQRA) todetermine potential unacceptable risks.The results of the contamination assessment found severalareas of the application site, with reduced quality soils orgroundwater due to contamination from the site’s use as a Milland due to the presence of fill material. Remedial works areconsidered necessary in these areas to protect the end users ofthe development and the Knockoneil River. This includes areasof metal contamination in made ground or fill materials, an areaof hydrocarbon (fuel) contamination in soil and groundwater, andan area with elevated ground gas.Necessary remedial works for metal contamination includeproviding proposed gardens and landscaped areas with a cappinglayer or clean layer of soils which will prevent future users fromcoming into contact with contaminated soils. It is proposed toremediate hydrocarbon contaminated soils and groundwaterthrough bioremediation which involves encouraging the soilsnatural bacteria to degrade the contaminants, and pumpingand treating of groundwater to lower contamination levels toacceptable concentrations.It is considered that the development and required remediationwill have some impacts. The remediation should result in a slightbeneficial impact by improving soils and groundwater qualitythrough remediation and potential importation of clean soils.Potential slight negative impacts have been identified due tothe potential for cross contamination of clean areas of the siteduring remediation and construction works. It is anticipated thatthe negative impacts will be easily mitigated through provision ofsuitable pollution control measures.13 LandscapeThe landscape and townscape of Upperlands village is integrallylinked to the history of the William Clark and Sons’ Linen Mills.The integration of architectural built form, mature man-made andnatural landscapes, landscape history and unique legacy hasseen the application site being made subject to several proposednatural and built heritage designations that can be summarisedas “conserving the integral relationship between the built andnatural environment, which is the essence of its character andappearance”.The proposed Local Landscape Policy Area (LLPA) highlightsthe key high value landscape features including the maturevegetation along the Knockoneill River and elements of the millcomplex (including the listed buildings and dams). While there is avalued “sense of place”, there is also a melancholic characteristicassociated with its decline and current dilapidated, derelict andabandoned state that reduces much of the landscape value andquality. The construction of many utilitarian warehouses in the20th century is somewhat incongruous with what is a largelyintact 19th century mill complex and this, in conjunction with theabandoned buildings, has been very detrimental to the site’soverall character.The location of the site within a low wooded valley ensures thatvisibility into the application site is very limited and any changeson this site would not have a significant effect on the areas muchbeyond the immediate site boundary. While the new buildingsand degraded appearance on the site may reduce the historicambience of the Mill complex, they have been absorbed into theRiver Knockoneill valley character without significant detrimentto either it or Upperlands village itself.The proposals are for a major restoration project for the existingMill complex and creation of a hierarchy of streets, access,parking, open space, private gardens, recreational areasand public walkways in amongst a predominantly residentialdevelopment. The application site will be changed from anhistoric industrial landscape to a primarily residential landscapein a restored built and landscape setting. The proposed built areais predominately located on the footprint of existing mill buildingswith existing utilitarian sheds and structures being replacedwith new buildings and listed buildings being restored and/orconverted. William Clark and Sons’ premises will be relocatedto the art-deco building (Building No. 22) to the east of the site.The external appearance is integral to how this former Millcomplex will be perceived and extensive landscape proposalsinclude development of internal areas and courtyards within thesite and aside the river, dams, a village green and Bleach Green.The overall objective is to provide a high standard of layout anddesign that ensures the proposed site layout can be integratedinto the retained Mill complex and landscape in the best possibleand most appropriate manner that respects the intrinsic heritageof this site. The proposals also ensure that the majority ofperipheral vegetation is retained thus ensuring a continued levelof visual screening of much of the application site area.The landscape and visual effects will predominantly be confinedto the application site and the immediate valley area and thereis likely to be short term slight to moderate adverse visualdisturbance during the construction period.The proposed development will have a negligible effect on thewider Upperlands landscape as the mature landscape settingand augmentation planting will ensure that it will not be visiblefrom much of the surrounding area. Where views are affordedinto the site, the proposal offers betterment in terms of visualamenity as the works to the degraded landscape and abandonedbuildings constitute a significant improvement in such views.The proposed development sits comfortably into the existinglandscape setting. Where it extends beyond the existing built oryard areas, it is within areas considered less sensitive in terms oflandscape character and these areas are visually well containedand such effects are very well contained. The only part of thePage 14UPPERLANDSNON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY, MARCH 2009