Ratho Station Residential technical studies
- Client Name
- Taylor Wimpey East Scotland
- Location
- Edinburgh, UK
Challenge
SLR was appointed to undertake a range of technical studies to support the detailed planning application for this residential development in Edinburgh.
The 4.58ha site, which lies to the south of the A8 Glasgow Road, was brought forward for a residential-led development comprising 108 two, three, four and five-bedroom houses and 24 one and two bedroom flats (25% affordable).
The development embraced some key design principles including retaining existing woodland located on the fringe of the development, and investment in Ratho Station Park to improve its landscaping to create a new focal area.
New footpaths and cycle routes were also included to enhance the overall appeal of the park and encourage more people to use it, while also ensuring the new community can connect with the surrounding existing local area and its amenities through means other than the private car.
Solution
SLR was appointed to undertake a range of technical studies to support the detailed planning application.
We successfully screened out the need for an EIA through the submission of a request for a screening opinion, which reduced both the costs and timescales associated with the planning application and its determination.
Our technical teams undertook a range of site surveys (including air, noise, ecology) to establish baseline conditions and input into the design of the development, and then produced a series of technical reports on the likely environmental effects of the development during the construction and post-construction phases.
Methodologies and approaches to the assessments were all agreed with Edinburgh City Council in advance of the submission.
Our work helped protect the most valuable habitats (hedgerow and woodland) within the site boundary and led to the inclusion of a 2m high noise bund, topped with acoustic fencing, within the landscaping buffer area to ensure that road traffic noise was suitably mitigated within the design and the need for acoustic double gazing was minimised. We also demonstrated through quantitative modelling that air quality emissions during operation would not be significant, which was critical given the site’s location directly adjacent to an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA).
Impact
The development was granted detailed planning permission from the City of Edinburgh Council in December 2020.
