The government is demanding strict monitoring of Elstow Brook for pollution and sediment in its latest update on the planned Universal theme park near Bedford.
The instructions, published today (21 September), apply when building work starts on the Universal Studios development on a 476-acre site at Kempston Hardwick.
These documents set out the conditions ministers laid down through the construction management plan for the £6bn project, backed by a £1.3bn infrastructure support package from the UK government.
Currently, the focus is on mass grading, which involves the earthworks that prepare and shape the site for construction.
The government is seeking to make sure the construction environmental management plan is effectively implemented.
Universal did not comment on the update, but it is likely a standard aspect of the development and enabling works.
Water monitoring
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A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government letter said: “Within two months of the start of the endorsed construction works, monitoring of Elstow Brook shall take place, and every three months thereafter, to ensure there’s no excess sediment or pollution occurring.”
The ongoing monitoring aims to ensure the mass earthworks do not pollute the local watercourse or disrupt nearby ecosystems.
New rules also permit a different location for the construction traffic access to the site, a bigger building compound, and continued use of the plant and machinery crossing over Manor Road.
The ongoing use of the plant and machinery crossing over Manor Road allows construction machinery to move between the Core Zone and the Lake Zone.
The letter added, “Within two months of the construction of the new access, all current vehicle accesses to the south of Manor Road to the Core Zone shall be stopped up.”
Wildlife corridor
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Ministers also outlined specific requirements to protect local nature, including the Manor Road bat corridor.
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government letter states: ‘The habitat and creation plan covering the Manor Road bat corridor will need to comply with conditions set out, and trees, vegetation and shrubs in that corridor aren’t to be removed other than in the area shown in the endorsed vegetation retention plan.
‘Any habitat creation and improvement plan or master plan in the Lake Zone will need to show how it addresses the loss of trees and vegetation.
‘The use of only one construction access shall take place at any one time, unless in an emergency situation, in the interests of highway safety.
‘The re-use of any closed construction traffic access along the southern side of Manor Road, or any new access, other than those endorsed already, requires the endorsement of the Secretary of State.
‘Should any part of any construction compound on the northern side of Manor Road be used in association with mass grading, notification is required under condition 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Entertainment Resort Complex, Bedford) Special Development (No. 2) Order.
“This helps to protect human health and the environment from land contamination.’
The government confirmed the latest conditions help ensure there are no adverse environmental impacts and do not materially change the project.
By Euan Duncan
Local Democracy Reporter
Additional reporting by Paul Hutchinson
Editor, Bedford Independent
