Impact: Local Area

The site lies 2km south of Luton, in the Green Belt land just north of New Mill End. Chiltern Green Road forms the southern border, with the B653 on the western side and the Luton-London railway line on the eastern side. A path shared by Sustrans cycle path and the Upper Lea Valley Walk passes through woodland at the north west end. 

Around 1.5km to the west is the Luton Hoo estate including a golf course and health spa, grade 1 listed building and grade 2 listed gardens. The house of the head ground keeper is one of the nearest residential properties to the site.

Other residential buildings in the area are New Mill End Farm and the Station Cottages row, both south of the site.

Thames Water's East Hyde Sewage Treatment Works are to the south, on the other side of the B653, with the river Lea running between the two.

The building will be designed to fit in with its surroundings to minimise negative visual impact. The site sits between the railway line, built between raised banks, and the East Hyde Sewage Treatment Works. 

Plans will follow the Site Feasibility Assessment's recommendations that the building be dug into the ground, reducing its height and therefore visibility. Soil dug out during building will be used to create a grass bank around the site. 

The most prominent feature will be the stack which is likely to be no higher than 100 metres, a height deemed suitable by aerodrome safeguarding regulations. Assessments will be carried out to determine the visual impact of this, including options for the colour of the stack to reduce visibility in the surrounding landscape.

Recent studies show that property prices within 5km of combined heat and power facilities such as the Lea Bank Energy Park are not negatively affected by the facility.

It's unavoidable that any new building will change the landscape in which it is built. As well as the East Hyde Sewage Treatment Works and the railway line, this location does sit in a rural area and the architect and design team will do their best to create a building that blends in.

There are plenty of ways to do this, including grass or other natural materials being used for roofing, building shapes that fit with the natural curves of the landscape, colour choices, grass bunds around the site (which also reduce noise impact) and more.

We'll be sharing plans and projected images here as they become available.