APPLICATION NUMBER: R-2020/0539/PND-Officer Report

LOCATION: FORMER PUMPHOUSES ADJACENT TO RIVER TEES AND DARLINGTON TO SALTBURN RAILWAY LINE AND EAST OF SMITHS DOCK ROAD SOUTH BANK

PROPOSAL: PRIOR NOTIFICATION OF PROPOSED DEMOLITION OF

1. RIVERSIDE TRANSFORMER PENS - A SINGLE STOREY BRICK BUILT BUILDING WITH CONCRETE SLAB AND BEAM ROOF INCLUDING BRICK BLAST WALLS FORMING TRANSFORMER PENS (APPROX FOOTPRINT 18M LONG BY 4M WIDE HEIGHT OF 2.5M;

2. REDUNDANT RIVERSIDE 2.75K SUB STATION - SINGLE STOREY BRICK BUILT BUILDING WITH CONCRETE SLAB AND BEAM ROOF (APPROX FOOTPRINT 19M LONG BY 9.3M WIDE AND HEIGHT OF 3M);

3. REDUNDANT OUTBUILDING - A SINGLE STOREY BRICK BUILT BUILDING WITH CONCRETE SLAB AND BEAM ROOF (APPROX FOOTPRINT 2.5M LONG BY 1.7M WIDE WITH HEIGHT OF 2M);

4. FORMER RIVERSIDE PUMP HOUSE SOUTHERN STRUCTURE - SINGLE STOREY BRICK BUILT BUILDING WITH STEEL BEAM AND SHEET ROOF ( APPROX FOOTPRINT 33M LONG BY 10M WIDE WITH HEIGHT OF 2.5M;

5. FORMER RIVERSIDE PUMP HOUSE NORTHERN STRUCTURE - SINGLE STOREY BRICK BUILT BUILDING WITH CONCRETE SLAB AND BEAM ROOF (APPROX FOOTPRINT 24.7M LONG BY 13.7M WIDE WITH HEIGHT OF !2.5M

The application seeks prior approval for the demolition of buildings and structures comprising the old pumphouses located at South Bank.

The pumphouses at South Bank have become redundant and obsolete from their original use and, therefore, are proposed to be demolished to make way for redevelopment in the future. The site is adjacent to the Tees Estuary in a part of the Teesworks area referred to as the South Industrial Zone within the South Tees Regeneration Master Plan. The site is surrounded by an old concrete wharf to the north west and undeveloped scrubland on the remaining boundaries. A private road runs parallel along the south eastern boundary of the site.

The applicant has provided the following description in a supporting letter outlining the works that are intended to take place.

This comprises of four main structures and one minor building which can be described as follows:

• Riverside Transformer Pens – a single storey brick built building with concrete slab and beam rood, including brick blast walls forming the transformer pens. Approximate footprint is 18m long by 4m wider with a height of 2.5m;
• Redundant Riverside 2.75k Sub-station – a single storey brick built building with concrete slab and beam roof. Approximate footprint is

19m long by 9.3m wide with a height of 3m;

• Redundant Outbuilding – a single storey brick built building with concrete slab and beam roof. Approximate footprint is 2.5m long by

1.7m wide with a height of 2.0m;

• Former Riverside Pump House Southern Structure – a single storey brick built building with steel beam and sheet roof. Approximate footprint is 33m long by 10m wider with a height of 2.5m; and
• Former Riverside Pump House Northern Structure – a single storey brick built building with concrete slab and beam roof. Approximate footprint is 24.7m long by 13.7m wide with a height of 2.5m.

The application has been supported by Demolition Method Statement as required by legislation which sets out the detail of the proposed demolition scheme. The applicant has again provided a short summary of the key points relating to the proposed demolition works within the supporting letter.

• Erection/installation of suitable measures to prevent the spread of debris into the river channel;
• Erection of temporary barriers/fencing and signage to provide a suitable perimeter around the building/structure to be demolished;
• Removal of Non-Notifiable asbestos containing materials;
• Tracing of existing services, followed by isolation and removal within the buildings. Any residual live underground services to be retained are to be identified and protected;
• General soft strip of buildings, where required, followed by demolition to top of floor slab;
• Crushing of demolition rubble to Class 6FA specification and infill of voids where necessary;
• General levelling of site to existing site contours using site won materials;
• Temoval of all arisings off-site including recycled metal, where not used above; and
• Removal of debris containment measures.

The proposal to demolish the pump houses falls within the definition of

Schedule 2 Development as specified in the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017, but the demolition is not considered to result in significant environmental effects, due to the location of the structures to be demolished with the significance not being beyond the local area.

Prior Approval for demolition deals only with the method of demolition and the after care of the site and this issue is examined below.

The proposed structures to be demolished are considered to be in a visually non prominent location surrounded other industrial buildings and structures.

While the demolition and clearance of the site will leave an empty part to the site, it is considered that their removal would not have a significantly detrimental impact upon the surrounding area either with regard to general amenity or visual appearance and will allow for future development of this site and the wider STDC site.

Contact has previously been made with Natural England with regard to any impacts on the ecology from demolition of buildings of this scale in comparable locations. Advice has been given that based on the information provided there is no objection to the works.

The proposed method of demolition and retention of the site thereafter is considered to be acceptable given the location of the site and the potential development that will take place at the site in future years.

Taking into account the content of the report the recommendation is to:

PRIOR APPROVAL NOT REQUIRED

Case Officer

Mr D Pedlow

Principal Planning Officer

David Pedlow

7 October 2020

Delegated Approval Signature

Claire Griffiths

Development Services Manager

07/10/2020