AGENDA ITEM NO. DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT PANEL 17 JANUARY 2011 OTHER APPLICATION (Report by Planning Service Manager) Case No: 1001201FUL (FULL PLANNING APPLICATION) Proposal: ERECTION OF 4, UP TO A HEIGHT OF 125 METRES WIND TURBINES, TOGETHER WITH ASSOCIATED CRANE PADS, ACCESS TRACKS, SITE COMPOUND, ANCILLARY WORKS, CENTRAL BUILDING, METEOROLOGICAL MAST AND ACCESS TO PUBLIC HIGHWAY Location: LAND WEST OF BICTON INDUSTRIAL PARK INCLUDING DISUSED AIRFIELD KIMBOLTON Applicant: BROADVIEW ENERGY DEVELOPMENTS LTD Grid Ref: 510199 270129 Date of Registration: 26.07.2010 Parish: KIMBOLTON RECOMMENDATION - REFUSE 1. DESCRIPTION OF SITE AND APPLICATION 1.1 The site is located on land to the west of the Bicton Industrial Estate, between the villages of Kimbolton to the south; Tilbrook to the south west; and Stow Longa to the north east. The application site is in three ‘parcels’: the largest where the turbines are proposed being to the north west of the Stow Longa Road; another area of land on the other side of the Stow Longa Road to the south of the Bicton Industrial Estate; and a small area at the junction with the B660 and Stow Road. The site is a total of 138 hectares in size. The site was a former airfield during World War 2 and until 1964, and is currently in agricultural use. It is open in character consisting of large arable fields with three small copses of tree planting in the centre of the site. A number of public rights of way cross the site and there are also some leftover concrete tracks of the former airfield. The site is located on a plateau at an elevation of between 70m and 75m AOD. 1.2 This full application proposes the erection of 4 wind turbines up to a total height of 125 metres, with a typical hub height of 80 metres and a blade length of 45 metres. Although the model of turbine to be used has not yet been chosen the turbines will be of the 3 blade type. Each turbine would have a maximum installed capacity of between 2-3 Mega Watts. Permission is sought for a period of 25 years. 1.3 The application also includes a control building to house switchgear and transformers, a construction compound, a permanent anemometer mast of up to 80 metres in height, approximately 1.34ha of new access tracks and turning heads, upgrading of 0.78ha of existing access tracks and underground electrical cabling. The temporary construction compound is proposed to be located near the eastern boundary of the site and would have a footprint of 0.3ha. It would include a building materials storage area, office and parking area. The control building would be located next to the construction compound and have a footprint of 0.2ha and be approximately 4 metres high. The drawing submitted with the application shows an indicative design only. The construction phase is described in paragraph 5.4.1 of the Environmental Statement (ES). 1.4 Accompanying information states that the predicted wind speed of the site is 6.7m/s. This compares with a recommended minimum by Department of Business, Innovation and Skills of 6.5m/s. Connection to the grid would be either to Kimbolton substation, Perry substation or Brington substation. 1.5 The application states that access for delivery of the turbines will be via the A6 junction with the B645. Commercial vehicles during the construction phase of the development will be via the A6, B645 and B660 respectively. When on the B645 the vehicles will travel through the villages of Chelverston and Tilbrook turning left when reaching Kimbolton onto the B660. Temporary junction improvements are to enable delivery of the components are detailed in the ES, and these are required at Chelverston in Northamptonshire, and at the junction of the B645 and B660 south of Tilbrook. A suitably sized bell-mouth access would be constructed at the site entrance. 1.6 The application is accompanied by an ES, a Planning Statement and a Design and Access Statement. 1.7 The Design and Access Statement which accompanies the planning application details the design process undertaken by the applicants. This shows the evolution of the scheme from an original 8 turbines to the currently proposed four. As well as a reduction in the number the positioning and siting of the turbines also altered to take account of radio link paths, noise criteria and visual balance from key viewpoints. 1.8 On 13 October 2010 officers wrote to the applicants stating that further information was required under Regulation 19 of the EIA Regulations in order for the submitted ES to be an Environmental Statement. The information required under Regulation 19 was the submission of further viewpoints to illustrate the impact of the proposal upon Cultural Heritage Assets and Noise Emission data. Officers also requested further clarification, (not under Regulation 19) on landscape, ecology and highways issues. The applicants responded on 8 November with the submission of supplementary information. This comprised the submission of some, but not all, of the information required under Regulation 19 and information relating to landscape, ecology and highways matters and a Revised Planning Statement. 1.9 This information has been advertised and all Consultees notified in accordance with the requirements of the regulations. The comments of Consultees on this additional information, if received, have been summarised in the Consultations Section of the report. 2 2. NATIONAL GUIDANCE For full details visit the government website http://www.communities.gov.uk and follow the links to planning, Building and Environment, Planning, Planning Policy. 2.1 Climate Change Act 2008 became law on 26 November 2008 and sets legally binding targets for reducing UK greenhouse Carbon Dioxide emissions for 2020 and 2050. 2.2 Renewable Energy Strategy 2009 – outlines the move to a low- carbon economy, and the need for a dramatic change in renewable energy use in electricity, heat and transport. 2.3 PPS1: “Delivering Sustainable Development” (2005) contains advice on the operation of the plan-led system. 2.4 Planning Policy Statement: Planning and Climate Change - Supplement to Planning Policy Statement 1 (2007) sets out how planning, in providing for the new homes, jobs and infrastructure needed by communities, should help shape places with lower carbon emissions and resilient to the climate change now accepted as inevitable. 2.5 PPS5: “Planning for The Historic Environment” 2010 – sets out the Government's planning policies on the conservation of the historic environment. This requires an assessment of all heritage assets both designated and undesignated. Historic Environment Planning Practice Guide 2010 2.6 PPS7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas, (2004) aims to promote more sustainable patterns of development by protecting the countryside for the sake of its intrinsic character and beauty, the diversity of its landscape, heritage and wildlife, the wealth of its natural resources and so it may be enjoyed by all (paragraph 1 (iv). It advises in paragraph 16 iv) that in determining planning applications authorities should provide for the sensitive exploitation of renewable energy sources in accordance with the policies set out in PPS 22. 2.7 PPG8: Telecommunications (2001) gives guidance on planning for telecommunications development - including advice on the potential for disturbance to television and other telecommunications signals and the need to investigate possible engineering solutions to such matters. 2.8 PPS9: Biodiversity and Geological Conservation, (2005) sets out Government’s objectives for ‘biodiversity and geological conservation’. Planning decisions should aim to maintain and enhance, restore or add to biodiversity and geological conservation interests. Development proposals should be permitted where the principal objective is to conserve or enhance biodiversity and geological interests. If significant harm cannot be prevented, adequately mitigated against, or compensated for, then planning permission should be refused. Para 14 notes that “ development proposals provide many opportunities for building-in beneficial 3 biodiversity or geological features as part of good design.” LPAs are advised to maximise such opportunities. 2.9 PPG17: Planning For Open Space, Sport and Recreation (2002) sets out the policies needed to be taken into account by regional planning bodies in the preparation of Regional Planning Guidance (or any successor) and by Local Planning Authorities in the preparation of Development Plans (or their successors); they may also be material to decisions on individual planning applications. It supports the enhancing of rights of way networks in the countryside. 2.10 PPS22: Renewable Energy 2004 has 8 key principles which are as follows: • Renewable energy developments should be capable of being accommodated throughout England in locations where the technology is viable and environmental, economic, and social impacts can be addressed satisfactorily. • Regional spatial strategies and local development documents should contain policies designed to promote and encourage, rather than restrict, the development of renewable energy resources. Regional planning bodies and local planning authorities should recognise the full range of renewable energy sources, their differing characteristics, locational requirements and the potential for exploiting them subject to appropriate environmental safeguards. • At the local level, planning authorities should set out the criteria that will be applied in assessing applications for planning permission for renewable energy projects. Planning policies that rule out or place constraints on the development of all, or specific types of, renewable energy technologies should not be included in regional spatial strategies or local development documents without sufficient reasoned justification. The Government may intervene in the plan making process where it considers that the constraints being proposed by local authorities are too great or have been poorly justified. • The wider environmental and economic benefits of all proposals for renewable energy projects are material considerations that should be given significant weight in determining whether proposals should be granted planning permission.