The Northumberland County Council (A1 – South East Northumberland Link Road (Morpeth Northern Bypass)) Development Consent Order 2015

Landscaping and biosecurity

7.—(1) The authorised development must not commence until a detailed scheme for the landscaping of the land within the Order limits, taking into account the environmental statement and the CEMP, has been submitted to and approved by the relevant planning authority.

(2) The detailed landscape scheme must apply the Environmental Strategy (approved development plan HE092631/0/A197/01/84 Rev.F) and the planting proposals presented in Appendix 8.1 of the environmental statement. The landscaping scheme must include details of the following—

(a) the final soil profiles and contours of the land within the Order limits;

(b) provision for the reinstatement of watercourses and surface drainage;

(c) the final field pattern to be achieved, including details of hedges, walls, fences, gates and access tracks;

(d) a tree, shrub, hedge and marginal planting specification giving details of the phasing, area, distribution, type and density of planting throughout the land within the Order limits, the timing of planting, and requirements as to the future maintenance of the planted trees, shrubs, hedges and marginal planting;

(e) a specification giving details of seed mixes for grassland areas and their future maintenance;

(f) details of timescales for completion of the landscaping works described by sub-paragraphs (a) to (e); and

(g) a specification to minimise erosion and weed infestation of all mounds in which soils are to be stored for more than 6 months, or over the winter period.

(3) The requirements of the approved landscape scheme must be complied with in carrying out the authorised development.

(4) No excavation works, soil stripping or any movement of soils forming part of or associated with the authorised development are to be begun until details of a scheme to prevent the spread of any soil borne plant or animal diseases has been submitted to and approved in writing by the relevant planning authority in consultation with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

(5) Afterwards, excavation works, soil stripping and any movement of soil forming part of or associated with the authorised development must be undertaken only in accordance with the scheme approved under sub-paragraph (4).

(6) The following provisions must be applied throughout the construction of the authorised development—

(a) no topsoil or subsoil is to be transported from the land within the Order limits unless otherwise approved by the relevant planning authority;

(b) all topsoils, subsoils and other soil-making materials must be stored, according to their quality, in separate mounds which do not overlap and a minimum stand-off distance of 3.0 metres must be left undisturbed between topsoil mounds and perimeter ditches or fencing;

(c) once formed, all mounds in which soils are to be stored for more than 6 months, or over the winter period, must be grass seeded in accordance with the specification to minimise erosion and weed infestation approved by the relevant planning authority in accordance with sub-paragraph (2)(g); and

(d) within 3 months of the formation of topsoil, subsoil and soil making material mounds, a plan indicating the areas stripped of such materials, location of each mound and balancing the quantities of material stored with the proposed depth and texture of the soil profile to be replaced following restoration works must be submitted for approval to the relevant planning authority and the restoration works must be carried out in accordance with the approved plan.