Allerdale Borough Council 2/2012/0594 Reference No: 2/2012/0594 Received: 25 July 2012 Proposed Erection of three wind turbines with a maximum blade tip height of Development: up to 100 metres together with a substation and control building, upgraded access track, connecting internal tracks, associated hardstandings and infrastructure Location: Land at Potato Pot Branthwaite Workington Applicant: Ms Jeny Rawlings Airvolution Energy Limited Drawing Numbers: PL002 - Proposed New and Upgraded Track PL004 - Turbine Transformer Building PL005 - Proposed Substation and Control Building PLTUB100-80 - Proposed Wind Turbine Elevations and Details A076386/SK001 - Indicative Site Access Priority Junction A076386/SK002 - Visibility Splay A076386/SK003 - Indicative Site Access Priority Junction Tracking 3550-A - General Arrangement of Proposed Foundation AVE_E081_007 - Proposed Site Layout AVE_E081_008 - Redline Boundary Plan Environmental Statement Constraints: British Coal Area Policies: National Planning Policy Framework North West Regional Spatial strategy (RSS) Policy DP7 - Promote environmental quality Policy EM17 - Renewable Energy Policy Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure Plan Policy E37 - Landscape Character Policy E38 - Historic environment Policy R44 - Renewable energy outside the Lake District National Park and AONBs. Allerdale Local Plan, Adopted 1999 (Saved) Policy CO18 - Setting of a Listed building Policy EN6 - Location of potentially polluting development Policy EN10 - Restoration, after uses cease Policy EN19 - Landscape Protection Policy EN24 - Protecting Historic Parks and gardens Policy EN25 - Protecting the open countryside Policy EN32 - Protecting wildlife protected by law Policy EN5 - Pollution Control Relevant Planning SCR/2011/0005 History: Representations Greysouthen Parish Council - Objection on the grounds of visual amenity and visual impact. The scale and height of the turbines are considered out of scale with the surrounding landscape and neighbouring communities. Also with cumulative impact with other wind farm developments where turbines will become the defining and dominant feature of the landscape. A planning appeal at Broughton Lodge was refused by the Planning Inspectorate on the grounds of its contribution to the cumulative visual impact of wind farms on the landscape. The development is less than 1 mile from the boundary of the Lake District National Park. The development will have an impact on the views of the western fells and will be highly visible to walkers on them. Tourism is increasing revenue for the local economy and it has been reported that Allerdale’s tourism sector is worth £400 million to the economy. Visitors come to the area because of the unspoilt western fells, lakes and surrounding countryside. Success of this scheme could lead to further wind development on the edge of the Lake District National Park. Wind turbine development in Allerdale has reached a tipping point and other forms of renewable energy should now be explored. Winscales Parish Council - No objections Papcastle Parish Council - Recommend refusal on the grounds that such an application will lead to more turbines on similar sites, that the turbines will be visible for miles around and will have a massive visual impact on everyone in the surrounding area, the turbines will be visible from many parishes and will spoil the countryside and if subsidies were withdrawn should the economic situation become worse then the turbines will not be cost effective. Dean Parish Council – Recommends refusal. The cumulative effect of wind turbines in West Cumbria is visually and environmentally unacceptable. Not satisfied that the forecasts of efficiencies and outputs are realistic and honest. Concern that wind farms are being turned off and are not always available to work on cold high pressure days when fossil fuels will be used. Cumbria Highways - No objections subject to planning conditions Environment Agency - The site is located in Flood Zone 1 comprises land as having less than 1 in 1000 annual probability of main river or tidal flooding. The impermeable area of the development footprint is small and surface water could be controlled via a surface water management scheme (SUDs) Natural England - The application falls within the setting of the Lake District National Park (LDNP). Natural England has no comment to make on this proposal with regard to the LDNP as the development is unlikely to impact on the purposes of the designation of the LDNP. The application for the 3 turbines falls within the West Cumbria hen harrier sensitivity area. Information provided indicates that the position of the turbines is unlikely to impact on the population of wintering hen harriers in the area. Cumbria Wildlife Trust – No representations have been received Royal Society of Protection of Birds (RSPB) – No representations received. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) – Holding letter. ARQUIVA - Is responsible for providing the BBC and ITV transmission network and is responsible for ensuring the integrity of RE-Broadscast Links, and also to protect its microwave networks. There are no objections. PROW Officer - No representations have been received Fire Officer - No representations have been received NATS - The proposed development conflicts with safeguarding criteria. It has been determined that the terrain screening available will not adequately attenuate the signal and therefore this development is likely to cause false primary plots to be generated. (Lowther Hill radar). A reduction in the radar’s probability of detection, for real aircraft, is also anticipated. Ministry Of Defence - No objections English Heritage - The application should be determined in accordance with national and local policy guidance, and on the basis of local specialist conservation advice. County Archaeologist - No objections The Coal Authority - No objection The Coal Authority concurs with the recommendations of the Coal Mining Risk Assessment Report/ Environmental Statement; that coal mining legacy potentially poses a risk to the proposed development and that intrusive site investigation works should be undertaken prior to development in order to establish the exact situation regarding coal mining legacy issues on the site. The CA recommends the LPA impose a planning condition requiring site investigation prior to commencement of development (to be secured by planning condition); to ensure that any remedial works identified by the site investigation are undertaken prior to commencement of the development; (in the event that site investigations confirm the need for remedial works to treat areas of shallow mine workings to ensure the safety and suitability of the proposed development). Carlisle Airport - No objection subject to planning conditions. Allerdale BC Environmental Health - No objections subject to planning conditions relating to ground contamination. The applications has had a full ETSU noise assessment and takes into account the cumulative impact of the proposed Lillyhall wind farm. No objections because noise levels within guidance limits. The cumulative impact of noise is also considered acceptable. County Planning - Objection. The scheme is deemed to be contrary to saved policy R44 of the Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure Plan due to adverse localised visual effects. It is considered that there would be significant adverse cumulative landscape and visual effects. The applicant has failed to fully assess the potential visual impacts on the nearby individual dwellings which mean that the potential impact on these dwellings cannot be ascertained. Cumbria County Council (CCC) considers that the proposal will not create significantly adverse unacceptable effects on the landscape subtypes 5a and 9a. However the cumulative landscape affects are addressed later in the report. CCC expect that there will be effects on the landscape character during construction and decommissioning stages, particularly in relation to the tranquil character of the area. This will be due to the increase in vehicular movements to and from the site but these effects will be temporary and short lived. CCC set out that in relation to the key characteristics of the sub types, the wind energy development will not affect the shapes of fields and their patterns, although part of a hedgerow will be removed from the northern boundary of the site to allow for the creation of the required visibility splays. Furthermore CCC note that as part of the development, it is proposed to remove 3.4 hectares of immature woodland; to reduce potential negative effects for bats but as a compensation measure the applicant intends to replant 4.3 hectares of woodland elsewhere on the site and this will follow the general pattern of vegetation on site. The future portion of tree cover will increase slightly. CCC considers that there will be not a significant adverse effect on the landscape character of the site in relation to the provision of woodland; (particularly as the trees to be removed are very immature). CCC set out that the proposed wind energy development of three turbines is considered to be ‘a small group’ and therefore will not itself significantly affect the mostly open landscape in which the proposal will sit and that the turbines will be located at the edge of the landscape subtype allowing the application site to retain and open and expansive character. Furthermore, the existing undulating landscape will help to contain the proposal which although a prominent feature would not cause