Making the Most of Our Environment East Dunbartonshire Council Local Development Plan 2013 MIR Background Report 5: Making the Most of Our Environment
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East Dunbartonshire Main Issues Report 2013 Background Report 5 Making the Most of Our Environment East Dunbartonshire Council Local Development Plan 2013 MIR Background Report 5: Making the Most of Our Environment Overview This background report provides background information on three areas of policy including: Green Network Opportunities – This section includes a cover report and Annex 1- a copy of the ‘East Dunbartonshire Green Network Opportunities Mapping’ report prepared with the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership to identify the most effective opportunities for improving the green network. Wind Farm Policy and Spatial Framework – This section defines onshore wind energy developments, sets out the national, strategic and current local planning policy context for these and other sources of information. It also sets out the planning considerations for a spatial framework for wind energy development in the East Dunbartonshire Local Development Plan, as required by emerging Scottish Planning Policy. Local Nature Conservation Sites Review – This Review of Local Nature Conservation Sites was carried out in 2009. The review recommends a range of sites for designation as Local Nature Conservation Sites, see Annex 2. The designation of these sites has been included in the Main Issues Report as a preferred option. Green Network Opportunities Introduction A green network is a strategic network of green infrastructure components such as woodland, wetlands, grasslands, active travel (walking and cycling) routes, greenspace links, open space, watercourses and waterways. The Council wishes to protect, promote, enhance and extend the green network in order to improve the living environment, provide an attractive setting for business and tourism, enhance biodiversity networks, provide opportunities for healthy living and active travel, opportunities to plant woodland for biomass fuel and integrate the urban and rural areas of East Dunbartonshire with the wider city region. The green network in East Dunbartonshire links and integrates with the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Green Network and therefore the wider Central Scotland Green Network. More information can be found in the Monitoring Statement. New development can have significant benefits in facilitating the development of the green network through developers providing new and enhanced green infrastructure components. Therefore, in order to inform the Main Issues Report, the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership carried out analysis of East Dunbartonshire to identify areas where green network opportunities could be delivered through new development. Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership Green Network Opportunities Mapping Together with the Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership the Council has developed a Geographical Information Systems approach to identifying opportunities for East Dunbartonshire Council Local Development Plan 2013 MIR Background Report 5: Making the Most of Our Environment the delivery of the green network in East Dunbartonshire. More detail can be found in the Opportunities Mapping report, See Annex 1. The following list sets out the opportunities identified in the Opportunities Mapping report that can be found in the Main Issues Report. These opportunities have been selected because they can be delivered through development sites identified in the Main Issues Report. Opportunity Settlement Jellyhill Bishopbriggs Westerhill Bishopbriggs Craigton/Tambowie Milngavie The Allander/Auchenhowie Road and Kilmardinny Bearsden / Milngavie North Baljaffrey/Mains Plantation Bearsden / Milngavie Kessington/Templehill Wood Bearsden Glazert Water, Broomhill and Broomhill Kirkintilloch Cleddans and North Hillhead Kirkintilloch Kirkintilloch Gateway/Woodilee Road Kirkintilloch Woodilee Lenzie Gartshore Park Twechar High Park/Balgrochan Marsh and Balgrochan Lennoxtown Station Road/Glazert and Glazert Water Lennoxtown Redhills Lennoxtown Redmoss Grasslands Milton of Campsie Note: The varying scenarios used in the green network opportunities mapping results in similar locations being shown in multiple scenarios. These locations have been combined in the table above where they overlap. In addition to those sites identified above through the Green Networks Opportunities Mapping, the Council also suggests Cairnhill Woods, Bearsden as a priority area. East Dunbartonshire Council Local Development Plan 2013 MIR Background Report 5: Making the Most of Our Environment Wind Farm Policy and Spatial Framework Introduction This section defines onshore wind energy developments, sets out the national, strategic and current local planning policy context for these and other sources of information. It also sets out the planning considerations for a spatial framework for wind energy development in the East Dunbartonshire Local Development Plan, as required by emerging Scottish Planning Policy. Definition of Onshore Wind Energy Developments A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce energy. The Strategic Development Plan 2012 addresses wind farms with a generating capacity of 20MW or more, the scale of proposal classed as a major development. Any applications for wind farm developments with output capacity exceeding 50MW are determined by the Scottish Government under s.36 of the Electricity Act 1989. The Council is a statutory consultee on this scale of proposal, submitted to the Scottish Government. The emerging draft SPP requires wind farms, and wind turbines of all scales to be considered under the Spatial Framework. Wind farm development proposals can be categorised as: . Small Scale Turbines – 15 to 30m, to blade tip . Community Scale Turbines – 30 to 50m, to blade tip . Medium Scale Turbines – 50 to 80m, to blade tip . Larger Scale – 80m to150m, to blade tip . Extensions to Wind farms – All scales and potential for repowering. Single or small wind turbine proposals are domestic or community in scale, rather than commercial. This type of proposal can be taken as up to 3 turbines and below 70 metres in height (base to blade tip). Appendix 2 sets out the range of wind energy proposal identified in the Supplementary Planning Guidance of adjacent planning authorities. Draft Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 2013 Draft SPP requires local development plans to clearly set out the potential for wind turbine and wind farm development of all scales as part of the spatial framework. It also sets the policy for development in green belts, which applies to East Dunbartonshire’s lowland countryside areas. Paragraph 218 of the Draft SPP identifies the planning considerations that should be considered in a spatial framework. It identifies four groups and notes that, except for those in group 1, the existence of planning considerations does not impose a blanket restriction on wind farm development. The groups include: 1. Areas where wind farms will not be acceptable 2. Areas of significant protection 3. Areas where planning constraints are less significant, where opportunities for wind farm development can be realised through good design or mitigation East Dunbartonshire Council Local Development Plan 2013 MIR Background Report 5: Making the Most of Our Environment 4. Areas where wind farm proposals are likely to be supported subject to detailed consideration against identified policy criteria The Draft SPP notes that local development plans should describe the types and scales of development which would be appropriate within a green belt. It states that this can include development meeting a national requirement or established need, if no other suitable site is available. It does not however mention renewable energy directly as an appropriate development in the green belt. Neither does it identify green belt as a planning consideration for the spatial framework for wind energy. Strategic Development Plan (SDP) Glasgow & Clyde Valley SDP, 2012, Strategy Support Measure 9 notes that “Low carbon economic growth requires that indigenous supplies of natural resources continue to be developed and that, where feasible, a phased programme of development be established through the life of the plan. Broad areas of search for wind energy have been outlined in the Spatial Development Strategy and it will be for Local Development Plans to take forward the refinement of these areas to establish their long term potential.” The SDP reflects the context of a low carbon future and protects important natural environments by defining search areas for wind farm developments of 20 Megawatts (MW) generating capacity, see Diagram 16. Background Report 11 Wind Energy Search Areas sets out the methodology for this. This uses a three stage method, as advised by Scottish Government, to identify: 1. Areas of significant protection - international and national designations, wind farms of 20MW or over; existing, consented or at planning application stage. The Green Belt, Cumulative Impact, Landscape Capacity and Visual Impact are to be addressed at local level by local authorities. 2. Other constraints and policy criteria suggestions – It is recognised that the identification of a constraint does not lead to a blanket restriction on development, these include: . Regional and local heritage designations - Regional Scenic Areas (Kilpatrick Hills, Campsie Fells and Kilsyth Hills) are relevant in the Strategic planning context and were considered. Historic environment – These include World Heritage Sites, Scheduled Ancient Monuments and Conservation