Adroddiad Report
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Adroddiad Report Ymchwiliad a agorwyd ar 15/10/13 Inquiry opened on 15/10/13 Ymweliadau safle a wnaed ar 24/10/13 & Site visits made on 24/10/13 & 8/11/13 8/11/13 gan Emyr Jones BSc(Hons) CEng by Emyr Jones BSc(Hons) CEng MICE MICE MCMI MCMI Arolygydd a benodir gan Weinidogion Cymru an Inspector appointed by the Welsh Ministers Dyddiad: 16/01/2014 Date: 16/01/2014 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 SECTIONS 78 & 79 APPEAL BY RES UK & IRELAND LTD. LAND SURROUNDING BRYN LLYWELYN, LLANLLWNI, PENCADER SA39 9ED COMMONS ACT 2006 SECTIONS 16 & 38 APPLICATIONS BY THE CROWN ESTATE AND RES UK & IRELAND LTD. LAND AT MYNYDD LLANLLWNI AND MYNYDD LLANFIHANGEL RHOS-Y-CORN COMMONS Cyf ffeiliau/File refs: APP/M6825/A/12/2189697, APP/M6825/X/13/515763 & APP/M6825/X/13/515764 www.planningportal.gov.uk/planninginspectorate Report APP/M6825/A/12/2189697, APP/M6825/X/13/515763 & APP/M6825/X/13/515764 Contents Page List of abbreviations 4 Case details 6 Preamble 6 Procedural and background matters 7 The site and surroundings 9 Planning policy 10 The proposals 11 Other agreed matters 12 The case for RES UK & Ireland Ltd. 13 The case for Carmarthenshire County Council 60 The case for the Save Mynydd Llanllwni Group 86 The case for Cllr L Davies Evans 99 The case for Llanllwni Community Council 100 The case for Grŵp Blaengwen 101 The case for the Teifi Valley Tourism Association 104 The case for the Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn and Llanllwni Mountain 105 Grazing Association The case for the Brechfa Forest Energy Action Group 106 The case for the Brechfa Forest and Llanllwni Mountain Tourism Cluster 108 Association The case for the Ramblers 109 The case for Mrs V Kincaid 109 The case for Mr E J Razzell 111 The case for Mrs K Hamza 113 The case for Mr E Marynicz 114 The case for Miss B Edwards 115 The case for Mr W Edwards 116 The case for Mrs O Davies 116 The case for Ms M Fearn 117 www.planningportal.gov.uk/planninginspectorate 2 Report APP/M6825/A/12/2189697, APP/M6825/X/13/515763 & APP/M6825/X/13/515764 The case for Mr E Hunter 117 The case for Mr J Shepherd Foster 118 The case for Mr E Griffiths 118 The case for Mr T Shaw 118 The case for Mr T Joynson 119 The case for Ms M Elms 119 Written representations 120 Conditions and obligation 121 CONCLUSIONS 124 Recommendation 143 Appearances 144 Documents 147 Annex 173 www.planningportal.gov.uk/planninginspectorate 3 Report APP/M6825/A/12/2189697, APP/M6825/X/13/515763 & APP/M6825/X/13/515764 Abbreviations Abnormal Indivisible Load AIL Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department ARAD Amplitude Modulation AM British Horse Society BHS British Trust for Ornithology BTO Carmarthenshire County Council CCC Countryside Council for Wales (now Natural Resources Wales) CCW Ecological Clerk of Works ECoW Environmental Impact Assessment EIA English Heritage EH Environmental Statement ES Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment GLVIA Habitat Management Plan HMP Local Biodiversity Action Plan LBAP Local Development Plan LDP Local Planning Authority LPA Livestock Unit LU Ministry of Defence MoD Natural Resources Wales NRW Planning Policy Wales PPW RES UK & Ireland Ltd. RES Royal Society for the Protection of Birds RSPB Special Area of Conservation SAC Scheduled Ancient Monument SAM Supplementary Environmental Information SEI Single Farm Payment SFP Site of Importance for Nature Conservation SINC Special Landscape Area SLA www.planningportal.gov.uk/planninginspectorate 4 Report APP/M6825/A/12/2189697, APP/M6825/X/13/515763 & APP/M6825/X/13/515764 Save Mynydd Llanllwni Group SMLlG Scottish Natural Heritage SNH Statement of Common Ground SoCG Special Protection Area SPA Supplementary Planning Guidance SPG Strategic Search Area SSA Site of Special Scientific Interest SSSI Technical Advice Note 8: Planning for Renewable Energy TAN 8 Zone of Theoretical Visibility ZTV Unitary Development Plan UDP Welsh Government WG Western Power Distribution WPD www.planningportal.gov.uk/planninginspectorate 5 Report APP/M6825/A/12/2189697, APP/M6825/X/13/515763 & APP/M6825/X/13/515764 File Ref: APP/M6825/A/12/2189697 Site address: Land surrounding Bryn Llewellyn, Llanllwni, Pencader SA39 9ED The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 against a refusal to grant planning permission. The appeal is made by RES UK & Ireland Ltd. against the decision of Carmarthenshire County Council. The application Ref E/23947, dated 29 November 2010, was refused by notice dated 18 December 2012. The development proposed is 21 wind turbines (3 bladed horizontal axis) to a maximum blade tip height of 127 metres with associated electricity transformers, underground cabling, access tracks, road widening works, crane hardstandings, control buildings, substation compound, communications mast and anemometry mast for a period of twenty five years; temporary works including construction compound, laydown area, rotor assembly pads, turning heads, welfare facilities and 8 guyed anemometry masts. Summary of Recommendation: The appeal be dismissed. File Ref: APP/M6825/X/13/515763 Site address: Land at Mynydd Llanllwni and Mynydd Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn Commons The application was made to the Welsh Ministers under section 16 of the Commons Act 2006 on 31 January 2013. The application is made by the Crown Estate. The application is for the deregistration and exchange of land at Mynydd Llanllwni and Mynydd Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn Commons. Summary of Recommendation: The application be refused. File Ref: APP/M6825/X/13/515764 Site address: Land at Mynydd Llanllwni and Mynydd Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn Commons The application was made to the Welsh Ministers under section 38 of the Commons Act 2006 on 31 January 2013. The application is made by RES UK & Ireland Ltd. The application seeks consent to carry out works on Mynydd Llanllwni and Mynydd Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn Commons. Summary of Recommendation: The application be refused. Preamble 1. This report includes descriptions of the site and surrounding area, the proposed development, the relevant planning policies, the gist of the representations made, my appraisal and conclusions and my recommendations. Document references are shown in brackets or given in footnotes, and in my conclusions the numbers in square brackets indicate the relevant paragraphs of the report. Details of the people who took part in the Inquiry and comprehensive lists of documents are attached at the end of the report. Possible conditions in the event that Ministers decide to grant planning permission are also attached as an Annex. www.planningportal.gov.uk/planninginspectorate 6 Report APP/M6825/A/12/2189697, APP/M6825/X/13/515763 & APP/M6825/X/13/515764 2. Original proofs of evidence are included as documents but do not generally take account of how the evidence may have been affected by aspects of the Inquiry. Attention is drawn to the corrections to Documents CCC1&2 and CCC12 in Documents CCC3 and CCC13 respectively. The following corrections were also made by the respective witnesses when giving their evidence: paragraph 3.3.15 of Document RES2 should start ‘Table H1 indicates that Zones 6 and 7 …’, and in sections 3.1.1, 3.1.2 and 3.1.3 of Annex D to Volume 1 of Documents CD1.17 and CD1.18 the references to parcels 3 and 4 should be interchanged. Procedural and Background Matters 3. The application was accompanied by an Environmental Statement (ES)1 comprising Volume I: Non Technical Summary, Volume II: Written Statement and separately bound Appendices, and Volume III: Figures. This was supplemented by Supplementary Environmental Information (SEI) dated March 2012 and August 20122. The March 2012 SEI comprises Volume I- Supplementary Environmental Information: Main Document, Volume II- Supplementary Environmental Information: Supporting Appendices (in two binders), and Volume III- Supplementary Environmental Information: Supporting Figures. The August 2012 SEI comprises one volume containing various reports and drawings. 4. The non-technical summary had not been updated to reflect the additional information in the SEI and the appellants were requested to provide additional information. A Supplementary Non-Technical Summary dated February 20133 was submitted in response. The appellants’ ornithology witness also submitted a correction4 to the last part of the 2nd sentence of paragraph 7.6.18 of the ES Volume II. 5. The planning appeal5 has been recovered for determination by the Welsh Ministers as an administrative convenience to join it with the Common Land applications6 which could not be determined by an Inspector. 6. I held a Pre-Inquiry meeting at St. Peter’s Civic Hall, Nott Square, Carmarthen on 8 May 20137. The Inquiry was held at the same location apart from day 4 which was at the Council Chamber, County Hall, Spillman Street, Carmarthen. The Inquiry sat for 13 days on 15-18 October, 22-25 October, 29 October – 1 November and 7 November 2013. Accompanied visits were made on 24 October and 8 November 2013 and unaccompanied visits were made on 8 May, 7 November and 8 November 2013. I 1 CD1.4 2 CD1.5 and CD1.6 respectively 3 Document RES39 4 Document RES24 5 CD1.9 6 CD1.17 and CD1.18 7 Notes at Document G1 www.planningportal.gov.uk/planninginspectorate 7 Report APP/M6825/A/12/2189697, APP/M6825/X/13/515763 & APP/M6825/X/13/515764 record my gratitude to Mrs Hamza, Mr Joynson, Mrs Organ and Carmarthenshire County Council (CCC) for providing four wheel drive vehicles on the 8 November 2013. I also made an unaccompanied visit to the Mynydd y Betws wind farm on 6 November 2013 to view track reinstatement works. 7. The Save Mynydd Llanllwni Group (SMLlG) was granted Rule 6(6) status in respect of the planning appeal.