Development Project in Cheltenham
About This Project
Project Team:
HBD, hgh Consulting, Arcadis, Grant Associates, BDP, Grimshaw, RWDI, Cheltenham Borough Council, Tree Frontiers
Site:
Golden Valley, Cheltenham
Introduction:
Golden Valley is a landmark £1bn development scheme located adjacent to GCHQ in Cheltenham. Tree Frontiers provided arboricultural information and advice to support the overall design and layout of the scheme, enabling the architects and planners to put forward an outline planning application which has recently secured consent.
The Project Team:
Golden Valley is a flagship innovation and technology project designed to provide around 2,500 new homes and 1.25mill square feet of commercial space focused around the National Cyber Innovation Centre. The project is being driven by HBD, an award-winning property development team with a portfolio that includes industrial, residential and urban development schemes. They have appointed Arcadis as their project managers and hgh Consulting planning consultants, with a design team made up of BDP, Grimshaw , Grant Associates and RWDI.
The Opportunity:
Tree Frontiers were brought into the project in 2022 to provide updated arboricultural input to the design team. An initial tree survey in July of that year allowed us to identify that the tree constraints that had previously been used as the basis for developing plans for the site were no longer accurate.
A principal finding was that the Root Protection Areas (RPAs) of veteran trees, which are proposed for retention in the Innovation Centre courtyard, had not been sufficiently accounted for within the current plans. Standing Advice provided by Natural England and Forestry Commission for the extent of the RPAs of these trees is that a significantly larger area than previously calculated needs to be protected for the trees to remain viable. We provided advice that without a redesign of the Innovation Centre, the likely impacts to the trees would be significant and the trees would unlikely be sustainable in the long-term.
In collaboration with the design team it was confirmed that all reasonable efforts should be made to ensure that these trees would not only survive, but also become an integral feature of the design scheme. We provided further advice regarding the larger buffer zones required by veteran trees in order to minimise potential impacts.
With proactive involvement from Tree Frontiers, both the building design and footprint of the Innovation Centre and courtyard have since been redesigned based on the above to provide greater separation from the veteran trees. The building footprint has been adjusted so that it is now approximately 11-20m away from these trees. This redesign has resulted in the entire ground floor of the building being remote from the RPA with only very minor encroachments into the wider extents of the rooting environment. In addition to the building redesign, a sensitive design for the courtyard area, focusing on replacement planting and soft landscaping as a priority with minimal new hardstanding, means that potential disturbance to the RPAs and micro-climate of these trees has been achieved (indicative CGIs of the courtyard are included below).
The Results:
As a result of these design changes we were able to provide a report as part of the planning application submitted to Cheltenham Borough Council supporting the proposed development insofar as it relates to trees. By retaining and protecting the veteran trees, as well as ensuring replacement planting to result in a net gain in canopy cover, the likelihood is that this irreplaceable habitat can be preserved in the long-term, providing not only biodiversity benefits, but also actively contributing to the amenity and aesthetic value of the site.
We are now working with the design team on Reserved Matters Applications (RMAs).
If you require arboricultural advice or assistance at any stage of a planning proposal please contact us at info@treefrontiers.com
Find out more: Trees, Structures & Development