Inner Sound, Canisbay, Caithness Onshore Cultural Heritage
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Inner Sound, Canisbay, Caithness Onshore Cultural Heritage Environmental Impact Assessment Project No: 266 ORCA Orkney College East Road Kirkwall Orkney KW15 1LX Project Manager: Nick Card MA MIFA FSA Scot Report: Paul M. Sharman and Mary K. Saunders With Christopher Gee and Linda Somerville Figures: Mary K. Saunders Plates: Christopher Gee Client: Xodus Group and Meygen Ltd April 2012 © ORCA 2012 This documents has been prepared in accordance with ORCA standard operating procedures and IFA standards Authorised for distribution by: Paul Sharman Date: May 3rd 2012 Contents Figures ......................................................................................... 4 Plates ........................................................................................... 4 Tables........................................................................................... 5 Executive Summary .................................................................... 6 1.0 Introduction......................................................................... 7 2.0 Legislative Framework and Regulatory Context............... 8 2.1 Legislative Framework..................................................................8 2.1.1 International and European....................................................... 8 2.1.2 UK and Scottish ........................................................................ 9 2.2 Government and Planning Policy Context and Guidelines .........11 2.2.1 National................................................................................... 11 2.2.2 Local....................................................................................... 12 3.0 Assessment Methodology................................................ 14 3.1 Scoping and Consultation...........................................................14 3.2 Desk Based Assessment............................................................17 3.3 Walkover Survey ........................................................................18 3.4 Zones of Theoretical Visibility.....................................................19 3.5 Significance Criteria....................................................................21 3.5.1 Criteria for Importance, Significance and Sensitivity................ 21 3.5.2 Criteria for Assessing Magnitude and Likelihood of Impact ..... 26 3.5.3 Criteria for Assessing Significance of Impact .......................... 29 3.6 Assessment Assumptions and Limitations .................................31 4.0 Cultural Heritage Baseline Description ........................... 33 4.1 Ness of Quoys............................................................................39 4.1.1 Identified Cultural Heritage Assets .......................................... 39 4.1.2 Cultural Heritage Potential ...................................................... 41 4.1.3 Historic Landscape and Setting............................................... 41 4.2 Ness of Huna..............................................................................43 4.2.1 Identified Cultural Heritage Assets .......................................... 43 4.2.2 Cultural Heritage Potential ...................................................... 44 4.2.3 Historic Landscape and Setting............................................... 45 4.3 Underground Cable Routes........................................................45 4.3.1 Identified Cultural Heritage Assets .......................................... 46 4.3.2 Cultural Heritage Potential ...................................................... 60 4.3.3 Historic Landscape and Setting............................................... 61 5.0 Impacts During Construction and Installation................ 62 5.1 Impact 20.1: Construction and drilling noise...............................62 5.2 Impact 20.2: Direct damage, removal or destruction of onshore cultural heritage assets........................................................................66 5.2.1 Ness of Quoys ........................................................................ 66 5.2.2 Ness of Huna .......................................................................... 67 5.2.3 Underground Cable Routes..................................................... 67 ORCA 266: MeyGen, Caithness – Onshore EIA 5.3 Mitigation ....................................................................................70 5.3.1 Ness of Quoys ........................................................................ 73 5.3.2 Ness of Huna .......................................................................... 74 5.3.3 Underground Cable Routes..................................................... 75 5.4 Residual Impact..........................................................................77 5.4.1 Ness of Quoys ........................................................................ 77 5.4.2 Ness of Huna .......................................................................... 77 5.4.3 Underground Cable Routes..................................................... 80 6.0 Impacts During Operations and Maintenance ................ 81 6.1 Impact.........................................................................................81 6.1.1 Ness of Quoys ........................................................................ 83 6.1.2 Ness of Huna .......................................................................... 87 6.1.3 Underground Cable Routes..................................................... 91 6.2 Mitigation ....................................................................................91 6.3 Residual Impact..........................................................................92 7.0 Impacts During Decommissioning .................................. 93 8.0 Potential variances in Environmental Impacts ............... 94 9.0 Cumulative Impacts .......................................................... 94 9.1 MeyGen Tidal Energy Project Phase 2.......................................95 9.2 ScottishPower Renewables’ Ness of Duncansby Tidal Array.....95 9.3 Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution’s Gills Bay 132kV / 33kV Substation......................................................................96 9.4 Stroupster Windfarm...................................................................96 9.5 Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd (MORL) offshore windfarm and Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd (BOWL) offshore windfarm. ..............96 10.0 Proposed Monitoring........................................................ 97 11.0 Summary and Conclusions.............................................. 97 12.0 References ........................................................................ 98 13.0 Appendix 1: Map Figures ............................................... 101 14.0 Appendix 2: Summary Cultural Heritage Environmental Impact Tables .......................................................................... 117 3 © Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA) Figures 1 The Development Area Appendix 1 2 Ness of Quoys and Ness of Huna: Identified Cultural Heritage Appendix 1 Assets 3 Philip’s Mains, West Burn of Gills to Rigifa cable route: Appendix 1 Identified Cultural Heritage Assets 4 Land south of East Mey, around Gills and cable route between Appendix 1 East Mey and Gills: Identified Cultural Heritage Assets 5 Gills to Kirkstyle, Kirkstyle to West Canisbay, West Canisbay to Appendix 1 West Burn of Gills cable routes: Identified Cultural Heritage Assets 6 Ness of Quoys and Ness of Huna: Potential Significance of Appendix 1 Predicted Direct (Construction) Impacts 7 Philip’s Mains, West Burn of Gills to Rigifa cable route: Potential Appendix 1 Significance of Predicted Direct (Construction) Impacts 8 Land south of East Mey, around Gills and cable route between Appendix 1 East Mey and Gills: Potential Significance of Predicted Direct (Construction) Impacts 9 Gills to Kirkstyle, Kirkstyle to West Canisbay, West Canisbay to Appendix 1 West Burn of Gills cable routes: Potential Significance of Predicted Direct (Construction) Impacts 10 Ness of Quoys: Identified Cultural Heritage Assets in ZTV Appendix 1 11 Ness of Huna: Identified Cultural Heritage Assets in ZTV Appendix 1 12 Ness of Quoys: Potential Significance of Impacts on Setting Appendix 1 13 Ness of Huna: Potential Significance of Impacts on Setting Appendix 1 14 Ness of Quoys: Significant Residual Impacts on Setting Appendix 1 15 Ness of Huna: Significant Residual Impacts on Setting Appendix 1 Plates Cover: Part of Ness of Quoys to Ness of Huna cable route Plate 1: ORCA 414 – possible Cromwellian magazine ............................................ 39 Plate 2: ORCA 416 – stone spread, potentially indicative of a larger site................. 40 Plate 3: ORCA 371 – large elongated mound, possibly of archaeological significance ................................................................................................................................ 46 Plate 4: ORCA 383 – One of three mounds that may be of archaeological significance ............................................................................................................. 48 Plate 5: ORCA 18 - East Lodge Gate Piers ............................................................. 49 Plate 6: ORCA 394 – possible stone tank with associated upright........................... 50 Plate 7: ORCA 400 – a mound which may be of archaeological significance .......... 51 Plate 8: ORCA 403 – milestone removed during WW2 and later reset ................... 53 Plate 9: ORCA