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Updated Landscape Assessment (Including Visualisations Illustration Effect of Removing Turbine 3)

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Updated Landscape Assessment (Including Visualisations Illustration Effect of Removing Turbine 3) Penmanshiel Wind Farm RES Updated Landscape Assessment (including visualisations illustration effect of removing Turbine 3) Further Environmental Information Penmanshiel Wind Farm RES contrast, the Lammermuirs Hills candidate SLA would reduce the extent of the local landscape designation, receding west and off Dunglass Common which is currently included in the Lammermuir 7 Landscape and Visual Hills AGLV. 7.7 The Draft SPG also contained an audit of the existing AGLVs documenting the key characteristics and Introduction and Overview special qualities of these landscapes against which the proposed Penmanshiel Wind Farm was assessed in the ES 2011. There has been no change to this information and the existing assessment of the likely 7.1 This Chapter provides further Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) and Cumulative effects of the proposed Penmanshiel Wind Farm on the Lammermuir Hills and the Berwickshire Coast Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (CLVIA) in connection with the proposed Penmanshiel Wind AGLVs as set out in the ES 2011 remains unchanged. Farm, addressing three main areas of assessment as follows. 7.8 A Statements of Importance have been provided for the candidate SLAs and additional landscape • Revised CLVIA to take account of the changes to the baseline of other existing, consented and assessment has been included to account for this. application wind farms since the submission of the Penmanshiel Wind Farm application; • presentation of additional LVIA in connection with the proposed Penmanshiel Wind Farm; and Revised Cumulative Baseline of Other Wind Farm Developments (20km) • assessment of the proposed Penmanshiel Wind Farm, to allow for the potential deletion of Turbine 3 (referred to as the 14 turbine scheme). 7.9 The revised cumulative baseline of other wind farm development includes existing and consented 7.2 With the exception of the 14 turbine scheme, there is no change to the design of the proposed wind farms and those where there is a submitted planning application within a 20km radius of the Penmanshiel Wind Farm, mitigation or the baseline landscape and visual receptors which were proposed Penmanshiel Wind Farm, effectively updating the cumulative baseline set out in Table 7.4 of included in the ES 2011. the ES 2011. The revised cumulative baseline is indicated in a number of FEI figures as follows: 7.3 The Chapter is structured as follows: • Figure 7.1 provides and illustration of the cumulative baseline of other existing and consented wind farms as well as current wind farm application sites within 20km of the proposed • Review of New Landscape Planning Guidance and Methodology Penmanshiel Wind Farm. • Revised Cumulative Baseline of Other Wind Farm Developments within 20km • Figures 7.2 and 7.3 provide detail of the cumulative baseline in respect of landscape and visual • Revised Cumulative Viewpoint and ZTV Analysis receptors (including landscape character areas, landscape planning designations and recreational • Revised Cumulative Landscape Effects routes) within 5km of the proposed Penmanshiel Wind Farm. • Revised Cumulative Visual Effects • Penmanshiel Wind Farm (14 turbine scheme) 7.10 In accordance with SNH guidance, wind farm proposals at the screening or scoping stages have been excluded as have micro-generation schemes (turbines less than 50m to blade tip height) and the • Summary and Conclusions application for a single turbine at Weirburn Farm which would also be a small development at 54m to Review of New Landscape Planning Guidance and Methodology blade tip. 7.11 Wind farms within 10km radius of the proposed Penmanshiel Wind Farm will be of most relevance as Methodology noted by SNH in their consultation response letter (dated 17 January 2012). 7.4 The revised CLVIA has been undertaken in accordance with the new guidance from SNH on cumulative 7.12 Changes to the cumulative baseline since the ES have been set out in Table 7.1 and are in italics and assessment (Guidance: Assessing the Cumulative Impacts of Onshore Wind Energy Developments, SNH, underlined. The changes to the cumulative baseline have also been summarised below: March 2012). • There is no change to the baseline of existing wind farm development, particularly as the ES had 7.5 The assessment has been revised to take account of all existing, consented and current wind farm assessed the now existing Drone Hill Wind Farm as existing although during the assessment it was applications within 20km of the proposed Penmanshiel Wind Farm, including those such as Aikengall II under construction. (Wester Dod) and Ferneylea which are the subject of an appeal process. It may be noted that SNH • There is a slight change to the baseline of consented (under construction) wind farm development have stated in their letter (dated 17 January 2012) that one of their concerns related to the with the consent of 3 turbines at Hoprigshiels. cumulative development of wind farms within 10km. • There is notable change to the baseline of application wind farm developments with applications Supplementary Planning Guidance: Local Landscape Designations for 14 turbines at Quixwood Farm Moor, 6 turbines at Monashee, 2 turbines at Neuk Farm and a single turbine application at Woodhall. 7.6 Scottish Borders Council has produced Supplementary Planning Guidance on Local Landscape 7.13 The most relevant development to the CLVIA assessment remains as the Drone Hill Wind Farm which is Designations which has undertaken a review of the existing AGLVs. Recommendations have been just over 500 m from the proposed Penmanshiel Wind Farm at its closest point and is now constructed made for new ‘candidate’ Special Landscape Areas (SLA), which would effectively alter the boundaries / existing. Three existing wind farms: Crystal Rig, Aikengall, and Black Hill are located in the of the existing AGLVs and in particular the boundary of the Berwickshire Coast AGLV / candidate SLA Lammermuir Hills within approximately 11-12km of the proposed wind farm and are of some relevance as indicated on FEI Figure 7.3. The Berwickshire Coast candidate SLA would be extended south to the A1107 to include a larger area of Coldingham Moor and part of the existing Drone Hill Wind Farm. In 7-1 Further Environmental Information Chapter 7: Landscape and Visual Penmanshiel Wind Farm RES to the assessment along with the consented wind clusters at Brockholes, and Hoprigshiels. Of less Lammermuirs and coastal upland areas (Penmanshiel Moor and Coldingham Moor) as demonstrated by relevance, but included in the CLVIA is the single turbine consented development at Pressmains Farm. the existing and consented developments at Crystal Rig and Aikengall in the Lammermuirs and the 7.14 Of further relevance, although uncertain probability, is a cluster of planning application sites to the case of Drone Hill and the proposed Penmanshiel Wind Farm in the Penmanshiel Moor and Coldingham west of the proposed wind farm, along the upland fringes of the Lammermuirs at Blackburn, Quixwood Moor area. This approach is also promoted in the Council’s SPG (paragraphs 5.11) and the proposed Farm Farm, Neuk Farm, Fernylea, and Monashee. Beyond these there is also a further proposal at Penmanshiel Wind Farm would benefit from its close grouping and association with the Drone Hill Aikengall II (Wester Dod) which is located within the Lammermuir Hills. Of less relevance, but Wind Farm. As a result there would be a consequentially lower level of landscape and visual effect in included in the CLVIA is the application at Dunbar and the single turbine application at Woodhall. comparison to ‘stand-alone’ schemes, remote from existing development. 7.15 The applications for single turbine developments at Barnside Farm and Kelloe Mains which were 7.18 The proposed Penmanshiel Wind Farm fits with this existing pattern of development, being located as included in the ES 2011 have since been withdrawn or refused. part of an existing wind farm cluster and within an undesignated ‘upland’ albeit coastal upland landscape type. However, unlike other development at Crystal Rig and Aikengall within the eastern Lammermuirs, the spread of wind turbines, relative to the area of upland landscape dose not threaten Table 7.1: Wind Energy Development Included in the CLVIA within 20 km Radius to entirely fill and overwhelm the area of this LCT. Wind Farm Site Nr BT HH RD Distance (km) 7.19 Outwith this established pattern of development (relating wind farms to upland landscapes and clusters of existing development), there are only a handful of small consented wind clusters of 3 Existing Wind Farm Developments turbines, widely dispersed at Hoprigshiels, Brockholes and a larger, early development of ‘shorter E01. Drone Hill (now constructed) 22 76 45 62 0.5 turbines’ at Black Hill, all located within the upland fringe landscape character types, skirting the E02. Aikengall 16 125 80 90 11 edges of the Lammermuirs. These wind farms occur as ‘stand alone’ development occupying the E03. Black Hill 22 78 47 62 12.7 ‘spaces’ within the established pattern of development. E04. Crystal Rig 1, 2 and 2a extensions 85 100-125 60-85 80 12 7.20 Recent applications at Blackburn, Quixwood Farm, and Monashee are proposed within this upland Consented Wind Farms (including those under construction) fringe area and as such fall outwith the established pattern of development, and are much larger (both in terms of number and turbine height) than the consented wind clusters. It is notable that C01. Brockholes 3 84 60 48 3.9 many of the existing wind farm developments within the Lammermuirs (including Crystal Rig and C02. Hoprigshiels 3 115 68.5 92.5 6.2 extensions and Fallago Rig were all designed to avoid turbines appearing on the skyline at full height C03. Pressmains Farm 1 61 43 36 7.3 or appearing on the outer slopes and upland fringe areas of the Lammermuirs, where they could be Wind Farm Planning Application seen as overly prominent from lowland receptors.
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