The Town and Country Planning (Northwood Headquarters) Special Development Order 2025

SCHEDULE 1 Conditions subject to which planning permission is granted

Article 2 Part 1 General Interpretation of Schedule 1 1 In this Schedule— “CEMP” has the meaning given in paragraph 7(1)(a) (construction and environmental management plan); “contamination risk” means a risk to human health or the environment, including a risk of groundwater becoming contaminated, arising from— construction work, or the presence, in, on, under or over land, of hazardous substances, including gases, vapour concentrations or radiological contamination, that such work may release or spread; “ordnance risk” means a risk to human health or the environment associated with the presence of unexploded ordnance in, on, under or over land; “rainfall event” means a rainfall event of any intensity that may reasonably be expected to affect the Order land, up to and including the intensity of a 1 in 100 year rainfall event, increased by 40 per cent to allow for the effects of climate change. Parameters 2 (1) No temporary building or structure that— (a) is or forms part of relevant development, and (b) is erected for a purpose specified in the first column of Table 1, may exceed the height specified in the corresponding row of the second column of Table 1. Table 1 Purpose of development | Maximum permitted height Providing facilities and amenities for construction workers | 18 metres Noise attenuation (including by means of fences and hoardings) | 8 metres Protection of construction work (otherwise than by means of fences and hoardings) | 28 metres Preparation and storage of concrete and other materials for use in construction work | 22 metres (2) Subject to sub-paragraph (3), no construction work may result in a permanent building or structure that— (a) is or forms part of relevant development, and (b) falls within a type specified in the first column of Table 2, whose height exceeds that specified in the corresponding row of the second column of Table 2. Table 2 Type of building or structure | Maximum permitted height Multi-storey car park | 22 metres Living accommodation for single personnel, other personnel and their families | 15 metres Other buildings within the type specified in article 4(2)(a) | 23 metres Gates, fences or other means of enclosure, including perimeter fencing | 5.4 metres (3) With the Secretary of State’s prior written consent, a building or structure may exceed the maximum height specified for it under sub-paragraph (2) by up to 10%. (4) Subject to sub-paragraph (5), no relevant development may, either by itself or taken together with other relevant development, result in there being available— (a) more than 1,140 designated car parking spaces in multi-storey car parks on the Order land, or (b) in other buildings on the Order land— (i) more than 10,550 square metres of net additional floorspace for living accommodation, or (ii) more than 28,820 square metres of net additional floorspace for uses other than living accommodation or car parking. (5) With the Secretary of State’s prior written consent, relevant development may result in the amount of net additional floorspace available in buildings on the Order land for a use specified in sub-paragraph (4)(b)(i) or (ii) exceeding, by up to 10%, the amount of net additional floorspace specified in respect of that use in sub-paragraph 4(b)(i) or (ii). (6) A consent under sub-paragraph (3) or sub-paragraph (5) must be given in a relevant approval notice or subsequent approval notice. (7) For the purposes of this paragraph— (a) a reference to the height of a building or other structure is a reference to its height when measured from— (i) the level of the surface of the ground adjoining the building or structure; (ii) if the level of the surface of the ground where the building or structure is situated or is to be situated is not uniform, the level of the highest part of the surface of the ground adjacent to it; (b) any measurement of the height of a building or structure is to be undertaken disregarding any plant, equipment or apparatus attached to that building or structure; (c) floorspace in a building is to be calculated by using its external dimensions only; (d) the amount of net additional floorspace available for a use specified in sub-paragraph (4)(b)(i) or (ii) that results from relevant development is to be calculated as— A - B where— A is the aggregate amount of floorspace made available for the first time for that use on completion of that relevant development, solely as a result of the erection, installation, extension or alteration of a building in, on, under or over the Order land, and not as a result of any relevant change of use; B is the aggregate amount of floorspace ceasing to be available for that use on completion of that relevant development, solely as a result of the decommissioning, removal, demolition or alteration of a building in, on, under or over the Order land and not as a result of any relevant change of use. Compliance with approval conditions 3 Relevant development must be carried out in accordance with any approval condition that relates to it. Artificial lighting 4 Any exterior artificial lighting that— (a) forms part of relevant development, and (b) is not installed to facilitate the carrying out of construction work, must be arranged so that the main beam angle of each installation is directed downward, and away from the closest boundary of the Order land, so as to minimise light spill. Drainage and surface water 5 Relevant development must not result in the rate or volume of surface water discharged from the Order land as a result of any given rainfall event being greater than it would have been as a result of the same rainfall event if that development had not been carried out. Part 2 Construction and related matters Commencement of development 6 Before commencing the carrying out of relevant development that involves construction work, the Defence Secretary must notify the Secretary of State in writing of the date when the relevant development is to commence. Construction and environmental management plan 7 (1) The Defence Secretary may not carry out relevant development that involves construction work unless— (a) the Defence Secretary has submitted for subsequent approval a document that sets out a plan, policy, procedure, standard or method statement to be followed in respect of each of the matters specified in sub-paragraph (2) (a “CEMP”), and (b) the Secretary of State has given a subsequent approval notice in respect of that CEMP. (2) The matters specified are the following matters relating to the construction work comprised in the relevant development— (a) the times when work, or particular types of work, may be carried out, either generally or in particular locations; (b) engagement with those who live on the Order land, or own or occupy land adjoining it (“relevant persons”), including how they are to be informed about— (i) the impacts of the work that they may reasonably be expected to experience, and (ii) how and with whom they may raise concerns about such impacts, or complaints about impacts of the relevant development that they have experienced; (c) the control of noise and vibration, including— (i) the setting of limits that must not be exceeded, in order to avoid unacceptable disturbance to relevant persons or other sensitive receptors in the vicinity of the relevant development (“prescribed noise and vibration limits”); (ii) monitoring compliance with prescribed noise and vibration limits; (iii) measures for mitigating the impact of noise and vibration, including alternative working practices to be adopted if noise or vibration temporarily exceeds, or is likely to exceed, a prescribed noise and vibration limit; (d) the control of dust and other emissions to air, including— (i) the setting of limits that must not be exceeded, in order to avoid unacceptable disturbance to relevant persons or other sensitive receptors in the vicinity of the relevant development (“prescribed emission limits”); (ii) monitoring compliance with prescribed emission limits; (iii) measures for mitigating the impact of such emissions, including alternative working practices to be adopted if such emissions temporarily exceed, or are likely to exceed, a prescribed emission limit; (e) arrangements for material storage, including arrangements for safe storage of materials which are classed as hazardous; (f) arrangements for— (i) site compounds and contractor working and welfare areas, and (ii) temporary fencing and hoardings, including a plan showing their locations; (g) management of waste; (h) the provision of lighting and mitigation of its adverse impacts on relevant persons and other sensitive receptors; (i) assessment and prevention of contamination risks and ordnance risks; (j) management of surface water, including any temporary structures to convey, attenuate or treat surface water on the Order land, and measures to limit and remove suspended solids and other pollutants contained in surface water runoff; (k) protection of the natural environment, including— (i) management of risks arising from the presence of invasive species in, on, under or over the Order land; (ii) measures to avoid harm to wild birds (as defined in section 27(1) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981), their eggs and nests; (iii) measures to prevent damage to trees that are to be retained on the Order land; (l) arrangements for appointing and retaining persons with suitable qualifications and experience in relation to— (i) the assessment and prevention of contamination risks and ordnance risks; (ii) the assessment and prevention of risks associated with rainfall events; (iii) monitoring noise and vibration; (iv) monitoring dust and other emissions to air; (v) archaeology, arboriculture and ecology, to carry out, or advise on, any matters relating to the relevant development in respect of which their expertise is required. (3) The Defence Secretary must— (a) keep under review any CEMP that— (i) is an approved document, and (ii) relates to relevant development, any part of which has not yet been completed, and submit updates to that CEMP for subsequent approval as appropriate; (b) keep on the Order land a copy of— (i) each CEMP to which paragraph (a) applies, and (ii) any subsequent approval notice relating to it, until the relevant development to which it relates has been completed. Construction traffic management plan 8 (1) The Defence Secretary may not carry out relevant development that involves construction work unless— (a) the Defence Secretary has submitted for subsequent approval a document that sets out a plan, policy, procedure, standard or method statement to be followed in respect of each of the matters specified in sub-paragraph (2), and (b) the Secretary of State has given a subsequent approval notice in respect of that document. (2) The matters specified are the following matters relating to the construction work comprised in the relevant development— (a) the regulation of vehicle movements onto and from the Order land, including site access arrangements and details of those responsible for supervising, controlling, and monitoring vehicle movements onto and from the Order land; (b) details of routing for vehicles travelling to and from the Order land in connection with construction work, including arrangements for— (i) transporting construction workers to and from the Order land; (ii) vehicles transporting abnormal loads; (iii) vehicles removing spoil or waste materials from the Order land; (c) the management of deliveries to the Order land so as to avoid queues of vehicles forming on roads adjacent to the Order land to which the public has access (“relevant roads”), including measures to— (i) reduce the number of traffic movements associated with such deliveries; (ii) limit the volume of deliveries scheduled to occur during the periods each day when, on average, traffic on relevant roads is heaviest; (d) vehicle wheel washing facilities and other measures to prevent the deposit of mud and other deleterious material on relevant roads. Groundwater protection 9 (1) In this paragraph— “contamination expert” means a person appointed to assess and prevent contamination risks in accordance with arrangements made under a CEMP (see paragraph 7(2)(l)(i) (construction and environmental management plan)); “groundwater risk” means, in relation to an underground work, a contamination risk that may reasonably be expected to arise in relation to groundwater as a result of carrying out that work; “requisite measures” means such measures as a contamination expert considers are necessary to be taken in order to prevent any groundwater risks that the expert has identified; “underground work” means any excavation, tunnelling or boring below the surface of the ground, piling, or other construction work carried out underground and comprised in relevant development, and includes work undertaken in connection with the installation of any sewer, main, pipe, cable or other utility apparatus, or for the purposes of water management. (2) Subject to sub-paragraph (3), no underground work may be carried out unless the Defence Secretary— (a) has commissioned a report from a contamination expert on groundwater risks and requisite measures, (b) if the contamination expert’s report identifies a groundwater risk, has— (i) obtained any relevant approval required to implement the requisite measures, and (ii) implemented the requisite measures, and (c) has given the Secretary of State a document setting out— (i) details of the contamination expert’s relevant qualifications and experience, and (ii) that the contamination expert’s report identified no groundwater risk, or (iii) that the requisite measures have been implemented. (3) If, or to the extent that, the implementation of requisite measures is inseparable from the carrying out of underground work, the requirements of sub-paragraphs (2)(b)(ii) and (c)(iii) are complied with if, on completion of the underground work, the Defence Secretary gives the Secretary of State written confirmation that the requisite measures have been implemented. Drainage and surface water 10 (1) The Defence Secretary may not carry out relevant development that involves construction work unless the Defence Secretary has given the Secretary of State a document— (a) prepared by a person appointed to assess and prevent risks associated with rainfall events in accordance with arrangements made under the CEMP (see paragraph 7(2)(l)(ii) (construction and environmental management plan)), (b) setting out that person’s relevant qualifications and experience, and (c) certifying that the design of the surface water drainage scheme for the relevant development will ensure compliance with paragraph 5 (drainage and surface water). (2) The Defence Secretary may not occupy or use any building or structure that forms part of relevant development unless the Defence Secretary has given the Secretary of State written confirmation that the surface water drainage scheme for the relevant development has been constructed in accordance with the design certified under sub-paragraph (1)(c). Contamination risks or ordnance risks identified unexpectedly 11 (1) In this paragraph, “relevant risk” means a contamination risk or an ordnance risk that has not been anticipated as a result of work undertaken to assess and prevent such risks. (2) If a relevant risk is identified during the carrying out of relevant development— (a) any activity that may exacerbate the relevant risk, in particular by causing contamination or pollution to spread, or unexploded ordnance to explode, must be suspended, (b) a person appointed to assess and prevent contamination risks or, as the case may be, ordnance risks, in accordance with arrangements made under the CEMP (see paragraph 7(2)(l)(i) (construction and environmental management plan)), must— (i) carry out an investigation and risk assessment in respect of the relevant risk, and (ii) prepare a report for the Defence Secretary setting out the results of the assessment and any steps recommended to be taken to prevent the relevant risk, and (c) the activity suspended under paragraph (a) must not be resumed until the Defence Secretary has— (i) determined what steps, if any, recommended under paragraph (b)(ii) to take, and (ii) taken those steps, or other, similarly effective steps, and given the Secretary of State written notice to that effect, including an outline of the nature of the steps taken, or (iii) determined that there is no need to take steps in relation to the relevant risk, and has given the Secretary of State written notice to that effect, setting out the Defence Secretary’s determination.