Background
Anderson Acoustics was commissioned by Lavershot Oaks Ltd to undertake a climate change and CO2 emissions technical assessment in support of the planning application for the remodelling and improvement of the existing Merrist Wood Golf Club in Guildford.
The proposed development will see redesigning and re-profiling of the golf course to improve drainage using imported inert waste soils. This will involve the importation and deposit of some 369,038 m3 of inert waste soils to remodel approximately 55 ha of the existing golf course. It is anticipated for the works to take place over a period of three years, equating to c141 daily heavy vehicle movements.
What we did
We assessed the Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT), Heavy Duty Vehicle (HDV) % speed, and loads to calculate the CO2 emissions, and proposed the embodied climate change resilience and adaptation measures.
Construction Emissions CO2 Assessment
The construction stage will involve emissions from transport, so we advised the following measures to be incorporated:
- Design clever: introduction of habitats and vegetation and allowance for increased water storage
- Construct efficiently: use inert waste materials
- Offset and sequester: Carbon to be sequestered through the vegetation. Carbon in minerals in the inert infill to be bound as part of the mineral structures.
Climate Change Impacts & Resilience
With the proposed introduction of vegetation, habitats and rainwater storage as well as runoff areas in wetlands, water features and swales, this will improve the sustainability of the golf course and provide inbuilt resilience to climate change through reducing water requirements, making habitats more resilient and allowing for high rainfall events to be managed.
Air Quality and Dust Assessments
We undertook air quality and construction stage dust assessments producing this chapter of the Environmental Statement.
Our assessments showed that overall, there are no significant effects associated with dust, air pollutant emissions or odour from site or construction traffic in terms of environmental impacts and that the development should not be refused on dust or air quality grounds.
Noise & Vibration Impact Assessments
We also undertook noise and vibration impact assessments of the off-site vehicle movements and the on-site vehicle movements and engineering works, in terms of the nearest human receptors to those activities.
We conducted a survey to establish the baseline noise and vibration conditions, and calculations based on the anticipated number of vehicles and nature of the on-site works, in accordance with relevant guidance and reference to the relevant local, regional and national policies.
Conclusion
We concluded that the design of the course will provide embedded climate change resilience measures during both stages of construction and operations and that with the embedded mitigation in place, the development is considered compliant with governmental and Surrey County Council climate change policy and emissions requirements.
Project Progress
Public Consultation on the plans concluded April 2024. The application is still pending consideration.
