Policy information sourced from the Watford Local Plan 2021-2038.
CC8.5: Managing the Impacts of Development
Development should be designed to protect the amenity of adjacent land uses and their occupants and local amenity, and to enhance the public realm. In accordance with the ‘agent of change’ principle, new development must ensure it does not cause existing uses in the vicinity to curtail their activities. New development will be required to assess its potential impacts on neighbouring land uses, including the cumulative effects, and set out mitigation measures where appropriate. To achieve this, development must have regard to the risk related to:
Light pollution
Developments must be designed to minimise any significant detrimental impact of external lighting on local amenity and safety, biodiversity, heritage assets, roads and watercourses.
Noise pollution and vibration
Where development is noise sensitive, noise-generating, or the surrounding area is sensitive to noise and vibration, applicants must undertake a noise assessment to identify potential issues and the required attenuation measures to achieve acceptable noise levels, as defined in national guidance. Noise assessments should also consider the risk of noise reflection, particularly on new developments near to railway lines and major roads.
Contamination, including contamination of groundwater
Applicants are required to carry out a comprehensive ground investigation report and take appropriate remediation measures for development on or near a site that is potentially contaminated.
Development that could adversely affect the groundwater quality, flow or volume will not be granted permission.
Where a proposal is located within a Groundwater Source Protection Zone, applicants will be required to demonstrate there will be no significant impacts or risks to controlled waters. If a potential impact is identified, appropriate mitigation measures need to be incorporated as part of the scheme. Within Source Protection Zone 1 (SPZ1), infiltration via deep borehole soakaways will not be acceptable, other than when a drainage and hydrogeological risk assessment shows this to be the only viable option and that any risks to groundwater will be adequately mitigated. Certain discharges into the ground may require an Environmental Permit.
Odour
Development must address the adverse impact of odour through the incorporation of appropriate mitigation measures where the development is considered to generate or development is sensitive to odours.
Unstable land
Applicants will be required to remediate unstable land and further issues related to subsidence, before development can commence. Appropriate measures must ensure that the proposed development will not lead to land instability during works or following completion. A Land Stability Risk Assessment report may be required in line with national guidance if unstable land is considered to be a potential risk.
Power lines
The statutory safety clearances between overhead lines, the ground, and built structures must not be infringed.
For more information, please see the Watford Local Plan 2021-2038.