Define Planning and Design provided landscape planning and green infrastructure expertise for Indurent’s major new industrial and logistics development in Basildon, Essex. The scheme, located on greenfield land bordering the A127 to the east of the Burnt Mills Industrial Estate, was approved at planning committee following submission as a hybrid planning application.
The consent allows for up to 1.3 million sq. ft. of high-quality industrial, storage and distribution and research and development floorspace, alongside new highway infrastructure and comprehensive landscaping, within the Metropolitan Green Belt.
Define’s landscape planning team played a pivotal role in shaping the development from masterplanning through to determination. Our scope included the preparation of the Green Infrastructure strategy, Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment, and the provision of Green Belt and Environmental Colour Assessment advice.
As a key member of the multidisciplinary design team, Define’s landscape planning team led on Green Infrastructure, Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment, Green Belt and Environmental Colour Assessment advice. We oversaw the masterplanning of the development, providing strategic input on the arrangement, scale and appearance of the proposed built form.
Working closely with the project’s architects, planners, engineers, ecologists and heritage consultants, our team helped to protect and enhance valued site features, sensitively shape the appearance of earthworks and drainage infrastructure, and optimise opportunities for biodiversity enhancement, open space and landscape integration. We also prepared an addendum to the submitted Design & Access Statement, clearly articulating the design rationale and demonstrating how officer and stakeholder feedback informed the evolution of the scheme.
Image courtesy of SGP Architects
Image courtesy of SGP Architects
Image courtesy of Bradfields
Image courtesy of SGP Architects
The outcome
The approved development is anticipated to deliver substantial economic, social and environmental benefits, including approximately 1,870 full-time equivalent jobs, with a further 790 roles expected across the supply chain, alongside new areas of accessible open space and a biodiversity net gain of over 20%.
In approving the application, the local authority concluded that very special circumstances existed to outweigh potential harm to the Green Belt, with officers and planning committee members commending the quality of the proposed design and the sensitive response to the site’s landscape context and wider setting.
Supporting consents
The hybrid application was supported by three associated planning applications, also approved at committee, including a new traveller show-person site adjacent to the employment area and heritage enhancement works to Bradfield’s Farm and its curtilage listed buildings to the south of the site. Define provided technical input to support each of these successful applications.
Project Team
Peter Dunlop
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