AGENDA ITEM 4 CABINET

12th December 2012

Public Question/Statements

1. Question One

Mr S Martin of Shrewsbury has submitted the following question:

Will Shropshire Council agree to an amendment to Core Strategy Policy CS6 to protect the well-being of residents from the adverse noise effects of wind turbines by establishing minimum separation distances between turbines and dwellings?

(Supporting information from Mr Martin is attached overleaf.)

Mr M Price, the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth and Prosperity will reply as follows:

Shropshire Council has no current plans to review the Core Strategy which complies with the National Planning Policy Framework. Additional policy guidance to guide the assessment of planning applications for wind turbines is being prepared as part of the further development of the SAMDev (Site Allocations and Management of Development) Plan and a draft version of this guidance will be published in February 2013. The development of the draft SAMDev policies has been informed by advice from recent consultation responses, including those from local groups with a specific interest in the issues raised. The draft policy will make specific reference to noise issues and the ETSU R 97 guidance. However, Shropshire Council does not believe that the interests of Shropshire would be best served by imposing minimum separation distances in a policy document designed to last at least 10 years since, as the material accompanying the question acknowledges, turbine technology is already changing more rapidly than existing national guidance. Noise impacts can still occur outside a defined separation distance and such an approach could therefore actually prevent all the relevant noise impacts from being taken into account in the context of a specific proposal. Instead, Shropshire Council proposes to apply a criteria based approach which allows all relevant impacts, including noise, to be assessed in the light of local circumstances.”

11th December 2012

1 AGENDA ITEM 4

Explanation from Mr Martin

There is increasing evidence worldwide of the effect of noise generated by wind turbines on people living in their vicinity. Government guidance on this matter is laid down in ETSU-R-97: Assessment and Rating of Noise from Wind Farms 1997. At the time it was written, the authors defined the maximum acceptable noise level as 33dBA based on WHO Environmental Health Criteria. This was later revised downward to 28dBA to ensure adequate sleep for nearby residents.

Since ETSU-R-97 was written, turbine heights have doubled and resulted in a shift in the noise profile to lower frequencies. ETSU-R-97 refers to the national noise standard BS4142 which applies a penalty of 5dBA if the noise is irregular in character with tones or thumps such as to attract attention. This results in a minimum acceptable range of 23 - 28dBA.

This is a complex issue. National Planning Policy Framework states "local people and their accountable councils can produce their own distinctive local and neighbourhood plans which reflect the needs and priorities of their communities" and para 123 gives guidance on noise. To overcome potential problems for residents and wind turbine promoters, Wiltshire Council has proposed separation distances between turbines and residences for a range of four different turbine heights. These are set out in Table 1 below. 2.

Table 1. Predicted turbine noise levels at Wiltshire Council Separation Distances

Turbine type Representing Max dB at source Separation Noise Level at turbines of Max tip Distance Separation height Distance

400kW 50m Assume 100dB 1000m 29 dB

MM82 100m 105.5dB 1500m 32 dB

SWT 3.6 150m 108dB 2000m 31 dB

>6MW >150m Assume 111dB 3000m 29 dB

These separation distances would not guarantee the absence of noise impact as there are other factors which influence the level of disturbance. However, minimum separation distances are a good compromise between permitting appropriately scaled wind turbines and preserving amenity. They also avoid costly investigations of proposals too close to dwellings. This is of course a separate issue from that of landscape impact where different planning guidance and criteria apply.

Many local authorities are adopting similar guidelines, among others Staffordshire, Northumberland, Stratford-on-Avon, Lincolnshire County Council. The interests of Shropshire residents would be served if Shropshire Council did the same and Cabinet is recommended to approve.

References: NPPF paras 1 and 123 EN1 and EN3 - The Renewable Energy National Planning Statement Wiltshire Council website ref.org.uk/publications277-wiltshire-council-wind-turbine-separation-distances.

2