Agenda and draft minutes

Cllr Bagge as previous Chairman of the Pinewood Community Liaison Group welcomed Members to the first meeting hosted by Buckinghamshire Council. Cllr Bagge chaired the meeting.  

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Bradford.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Minutes of the last meeting held on 27 January 2020 to be agreed as a correct record.

(Note: This meeting is now being organised by Buckinghamshire Council instead of the legacy South Bucks District Council, however the membership has not changed).

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 27 January 2020, hosted by South Bucks District Council, were agreed as a correct record.

Jason Turner, Development Manager gave an update on Pinewood West Development and Phase 3. A presentation was given which would be available on the website.

Phases 1 and 2 of the Pinewood Studio Development Framework (PSDF) were built out and operational and work was now being carried out with Phase 3 of the PSDF to deliver the studios expansion. At the meeting of the Buckinghamshire Council Strategic Sites Committee on 11^th March, a planning application would be considered to build 4 sound stages and a workshop on zone 4 and 4a of the fields (near the attenuation pond) which form part of Pinewood’s phase 3 expansion plan. This had been recommended for approval. Members noted the stage locations for stages V, W, X, Y and Z and photos were displayed of these areas.

The 2014 outline planning application anticipated that Phase 3 would deliver two three storey office buildings and car parking. The proposals for Phase 3 have since evolved due to operational needs at the Studios. Pinewood Studios were also looking to deliver new planting and landscaping in the southern fields, between the site for Phase 3 and Pinewood Green. Work started in late November on the site to erect a large temporary stage whilst full planning permission was sought for the permanent development. The temporary structure would be in place until 4 July 2021.

In terms of sustainability Sir Robert McAlpine have regular visits with their regional sustainability manager to assist with targets and all of the major components have been sourced in the UK. 100% of electricity used across Pinewood was from green energy sources. Site location plans were shown for Phase 3.

Greg Nightingale from LUC (planning, impact assessment, landscape design, ecology and geospatial consultancy) provided a short presentation on the 2020 Annual Ecological Monitoring Report. He referred to the work being carried out which included bat activity surveys, breeding bird surveys, sett surveys, inspection of bat boxes, assessment of reptiles etc. The completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 and proposed Phase 3 landscape works, comprised: new species rich meadows, enhanced existing meadows, new native woodlands, new native hedgerows, new native scrub planting, new species rich green roofs, new scattered trees, approximate total was 31,900 trees/shrubs and 1 reptile underpass, 25 invertebrate features, 16 hibernacula’s, 5 bird & 16 bat boxes. The slides provided more information on habitats, species, birds and adapted management recommendations to ensure Pinewood Studio Groups commitments were being met.

During discussion the following questions were asked:-

• The Chairman referred to the Computer Generated Image of the X and Y stage and mentioned if this is the same as the other stages ? Jason Turner mentioned that this stage replicates a more traditional stage, with brick work on the lower levels and sinusoidal cladding above. This was to help reference the Grade 11 listed building Heatherden Hall.  The materials of this stage were agreed with the conservation officer at South Bucks and were outlined in the planning decision.
• Cllr David Brackin asked  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Update by Hydrock

Iain Hissett, Flood Risk Consultant, Hydrock gave a presentation on rainfall and flow monitoring. He made the following points:-

•         The National Planning Policy Framework sets out requirements for new development in England. Any new development must not increase flood risk off-site. Surface water drainage strategies provide attenuation storage (e.g. tanks, basins, ponds) so that water can safely backup behind a peak flow control device (e.g. HydroBrake) to release water/mimic pre-development conditions. The NPPF also sets out the requirement for biodiversity net gain. The pond improves water quality and creates a natural habitat for wildlife to flourish.

•         The slides presented show the new development and drainage strategy which ensured there was no increase in flood risk on or off site during and following the development. The Pinewood Studios Development Framework introduced new hard surfaces to the area of Pinewood Studios site east of Pinewood road. The drainage strategy designed in 2014 was installed prior to the development.

•         In summary the Drainage strategy was used to manage run-off to greenfield rates and rain gauge and flow sensors were installed to monitor the situation. The Strategy also was sized to accommodate future Phase 3 development on top of existing hard surfaces. Maintenance was undertaken in January 2021 to restart accurate date recording as there was a drop out in data due to a blockage and dead battery in February 2020.

Cllr Brackin asked about what action was being taken to ensure there was no flooding onto Seven hills Road. Reference was made to the northern attenuation pond which was there so that any new development did not increase flood risk off-site. The pond had been sized to accommodate a large volume of water which also took into account climate change (100 years plus 30%).

Updated terms of reference

Progress from Pinewood

Revised Terms of Reference

TBC- end of June/July 2021