Hoaroak Hydro Project, Watersmeet

Welcome

Welcome to our public exhibition about our proposals for a new renewable energy project at Watersmeet, . We are currently exploring the opportunity to install a small scale hydroelectric scheme on the Hoaroak catchment of the that runs close to Watersmeet House. This small-scale hydroelectric project will be up to 250kW and provide approximately 800MWh of energy per year equivalent to the annual consumption of over 200 homes. The project will save in excess of 360 tonnes of CO2 being emitted to the atmosphere a year. Further information about our proposals is displayed on the following boards. Please speak to a member of the project team if you have any questions.

Watersmeet House

The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846 Hoaroak Hydro Project, Watersmeet

About the National Trust

We are a conservation charity, and our primary aim is to protect and maintain the nation’s nature and heritage for future generations to enjoy. Climate change now poses the single biggest threat to the places we look after, bringing new, damaging threats to a natural environment already under pressure. It also poses a growing conservation challenge for the houses, gardens and landscapes in our care. ​ ​We’ve launched an ambitious plan to nurse the natural environment back to health and reverse the alarming decline in wildlife. Our strategy for the next decade will see us invest in looking after the nation’s heritage and natural environment. One of the ways we are doing this is through the development of climate friendly energy generation schemes at suitable locations across the country. We are looking for opportunities to install renewable technology where it is appropriate and in the right location and scale for the landscape. Through our renewable energy plans and with energy conservation work, we hope to save an estimated £4million from our energy bill each year – which we can invest in conservation work at the places we look after.

Volunteers hard at work

The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846 Hoaroak Hydro Project, Watersmeet

Historical context

There is an incredible history of utilising the local rivers for electrical generation in this valley. In the 1890’s Lynmouth was one of the first communities in the UK to have electric street lighting. The electricity to make this possible was produced by hydropower. In the late 19th and early 20th century a small hydro power station was developed on the East Lyn. The power station continued to supply electricity to local houses until the Lynmouth Flood Disaster in 1952. The intake on the East Lyn and much of the pipeline and infrastructure was washed away during the event and the remaining power station was demolished when the river was subsequently widened. You can still see the remains of the old hydro infrastructure as you walk from Watersmeet to Lynmouth. Later another scheme, this time on the West Lyn, came on line in 1987. The scheme was developed and installed by the Oxenham family at the Glen Lyn Gorge site and is still in operation today.

The Hoaroak River

The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846 Hoaroak Hydro Project, Watersmeet

What are we proposing?

The project proposals include:​ • Installing a water intake (which will look like a small weir) within Combe Park, near Hillsford Bridge carpark, upstream of the confluence of Farley Water, on Hoaroak River. This will capture a proportion of the water flowing down the river at this point.​ • Installing a ‘penstock’ pipeline down to Watersmeet House through the woodland. This will carry the captured water downhill ready to generate electricity.​ The penstock pipe will be underground along the existing bridleway through the woodland to avoid the need to fell any trees. This also avoids the need to run our pipeline down the A39 and therefore minimise road closures and disruption to local traffic. • Installing a small powerhouse building, which will house a turbine, a generator and associated electrical infrastructure behind existing buildings at Watersmeet House. This building will be designed to blend in with existing buildings (i.e. it would have the same height, be stone clad with a slate roof and even have the green double doors).​ • Placing the water back into the East Lyn at Watersmeet to continue down to Lynmouth and the sea.

How will it work? Run-of-the-river hydroelectric systems are hydroelectric systems that harvest the energy from flowing water to generate electricity in the absence of a large dam and reservoir. In run-of-the-river systems, running water from a river is guided down a channel or pipe. There needs to be some change in altitude at this point (in this case from the natural landscape) so that the water flows freely downhill. The diverted water is brought to an electricity generating house (which is proposed to be housed at Watersmeet). In the powerhouse, the running water drives a turbine, running a generator and generating electricity which will be used to supply the tearooms and any excess exported to the grid. After being used, water is fed to the river downstream.

The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846 HOAROAK WATER

HYDROPOWER ON HOAROAK WATER

Pre-Application Report

SCHEME SUMMARY

Watercourse Hoaroak Water Turbine type Turgo Location Combe Park Gross Head 95 m Town/Village Watersmeet EX35 6NT Design Head 90 m Grid Ref. Intake SS 73890 47675 Design Flow 380 litres/sec Grid Ref. Turbine SS 74420 48700 Peak output 250 kW Annual Energy 900,000 kWh/year

1. INTRODUCTION

Derwent Hydro is working with the National Trust to develop a hydropower project from the flow in Hoaroak Water to supply a turbine adjacent to their propertyHoaroak at Watersmeet HouseHydro on the banks Project, of the East Lyn. This report summarises the proposed project, in support of the Pre-Application submission to the Environment Agency. Watersmeet The site layout is shown in Figure 1 and photographs are provided at the end of the document.

As described below, the proposed scheme would involve installing a new Coanda intake across Hoaroak Water at Combe Park, 1200m of pipeline buried along an existing bridleway, and a Turgo turbine and generatorSite located in locationa new powerhouse at Watersmeet plans House, discharging back to the East Lyn. Figure 1 : Site Layout

OFP/HOAROAK PreApp Report v1 2 06/06/18

Powerhouse

Pipe Bridge Buried pipe & cable Bridge

Cross at Existing Hillsford Bridge

Buried Pipe

Detail at Combe Park Detail at Watersmeet House

The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846 Hoaroak Hydro Project, Watersmeet

Site location plans

The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846 Hoaroak Hydro Project, Watersmeet

Outline Designs

Example Intake Existing falls at Intake Location

Proposed Intake Arrangement

Combe Park Carpark Bridleway

The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846 Hoaroak Hydro Project, Watersmeet

Outline Designs – Cont.

Steps down from Bridleway Watersmeet House

Powerhouse Site at rear of Watersmeet House Proposed Layout of Powerhouse

Example Turbines Proposed Internal Layout

The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846 Hoaroak Hydro Project, Watersmeet

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this project cause disruption to the local fishing grounds, or existing water recreation uses such as kayaking? No. Due to the positioning of this scheme, the body of water is not accessible to kayakers, and does not form the main fishing ground. Salmon are not able to access this stretch of water and no water is being removed from the East Lyn.​ Will the local footpaths and bridleway be closed? There will need to be a temporary closure of the bridleway from Combe Park for some months to enable the installation of the pipeline and a brief closure of the footbridge. We will be consulting with County Council and National Park about this and will publicise any closures and diversions clearly in advance of works taking place. Where this does happen, we intend to reinstate and improve existing footpaths and bridleways, such as removing steep steps, strengthening sections, and widening the footpath to improve accessibility. Will it cause any negative effects on fish or other local wildlife? We are a charity aimed at preserving the local environment, so we consider any potential impacts to local wildlife very carefully. Extensive surveys are underway, and if required appropriate mitigation will be put in place. We seek to minimise any potential for disruption to local wildlife in all activity we undertake.​ ​What will happen to the electricity generated by the scheme? All our hydro schemes earn income from the feed-in tariff and sale of energy to the grid or to offset our onsite consumption. All of the income earned is kept within the property, helping to reduce reliance on fossil fuels with the surplus income helping support the property’s wider conservation work.

The Hoaroak Valley

The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846 Hoaroak Hydro Project, Watersmeet

Why is this project important to us?

This project will help towards: • The delivery of 50% of National Trust’s energy from renewables by 2020/2021; • Reducing our reliance on oil and gas and reduce the risk of pollution from these sources within the sensitive landscapes we care for; • Allowing us to improve the bridleway and footpath running alongside the Hoaroak by improving cross drainage, and removing steep slopes to make it more accessible; • Ensuring a diversified and long-term income stream to pay for our conservation work and access work locally – improvements to footpaths, bridges and other infrastructure; and • Offsetting our electricity demand for our tearoom and shop facilities at Watersmeet House so visitors can continue to enjoy the beautiful wooded gorge to Lynmouth The National Trust is carefully selecting sites from a number of potential locations for hydropower development on its land in the South West, such as the refurbishment at Castle Drogo.

Next Steps Please complete a feedback form and either leave it in the ballot box provided here today, or take a freepost envelope and post it back to us. The deadline for comments is 2nd November 2018. Following this exhibition, we will review all feedback received and consider alongside the ongoing surveys to refine our proposals. We hope to submit a planning application this Winter. Keep in touch with us by: Phone: 0800 298 7040 Email: [email protected] Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ projects/bringing-hydro- electricity-to-watersmeet-

The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846