Low Carbon Inkersall Road Solar Farm Consultation
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6 New Bridge Street London EC4V 6AB T: 020 7489 0213 F: 020 7248 4743 E: [email protected] W: dwdllp.com LOW CARBON INKERSALL ROAD SOLAR FARM CONSULTATION REPORT Date: June 2020 DWD Ref: 13633 Low Carbon – Inkersall Road Solar Farm Consultation Report Disclaimer This report has been produced by DWD, the trading name of Dalton Warner Davis LLP, a Limited Liability Partnership. Registered in England No. OC304838. Registered Office: 6 New Bridge Street, London, EC4V 6AB. The report is intended for the sole and exclusive use of the instructing client or party. The report shall not be distributed or made available to any third party or published, reproduced or referred to in any way without the prior knowledge and written consent of DWD. The report does not constitute advice to any third party and should not be relied upon as such. DWD accepts no liability or responsibility for any loss or damage to any third party arising from that party having relied upon the contents of the report in whole or in part. June 2020 DWD Ref: 13643 Low Carbon – Inkersall Road Solar Farm Consultation Report CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................1 1.0 INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................2 Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 2 The Applicant .............................................................................................................................. 2 Pre-application consultation ....................................................................................................... 2 Purpose and structure of this report .......................................................................................... 3 2.0 THE APPLICANT’S APPROACH TO CONSULTATION ..........................................................5 3.0 LOCAL COMMUNITY CONSULTATION .............................................................................6 4.0 CONSULTATION RESPONSES ......................................................................................... 11 5.0 REGARD HAD TO CONSULTATION WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY ................................ 21 6.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................... 29 TABLES Table 5.1 – Regard had to consultation ............................................................................................ 22 FIGURES Figure 3.1 – Letter Drop area ............................................................................................................. 8 Figure 4.1 – Answers to What is your age group? ............................................................................. 13 Figure 4.2 – Answers to how did you find out about today? ............................................................. 14 Figure 4.3 – Response to Climate Change is an issue which should be addressed ............................... 15 Figure 4.4 – Response to the UK should generate more renewable energy rather than rely on fossil fuels ............................................................................................................................................... 16 Figure 4.5 – Answer to which aspect of the project are your comments in relation to? ...................... 17 Figure 4.6 – Answer to What are your overall feelings towards the project? ..................................... 19 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: COMMUNITY CONSULTATION LETTER APPENDIX 2: COMMUNITY CONSULTATION LEAFLET APPENDIX 3: EXAMPLE FEEDBACK FORM APPENDIX 4: NEWSPAPER NOTICE APPENDIX 5: WEBSITE PRINT OUTS June 2020 DWD Ref: 13643 Low Carbon – Inkersall Road Solar Farm Consultation Report Revision Description Originated Checked Reviewed Authorised Date 2 FINAL JM RB JBG JBG Jun 2020 DWD Job Number: 13643 June 2020 DWD Ref: 13643 Low Carbon – Inkersall Road Solar Farm Consultation Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Low Carbon has carried out a comprehensive and meaningful pre-application community engagement exercise in respect of the construction and operation of a solar photovoltaic farm, with battery storage and other associated development on land adjacent to Inkersall Road near Staveley, Chesterfield. The proposal is referred to collectively as the ‘Proposed Development’ and the project is known as the ‘Inkersall Road Solar Farm’. The primary purpose of this Consultation Report is to set out the measures taken to ensure the local community in the surrounding area was consulted regarding the Proposed Development. The report details how local residents were able to share their feedback and how Local Carbon has responded to the views expressed by consultees, including through changes incorporated into the Proposed Development. In addition to the above, particular emphasis has been placed by this report on consultation measures adopted by Low Carbon in order to adequately and safely engage with the local community during the circumstances brought about the COVID-19 pandemic. The local community consultation advertised the Proposed Development through a local letter drop, targeted emails, newspaper notices, social media campaign and an interactive online consultation platform. The consultation period ran from 27 May until 17 June 2020 with various notifications going out a week or so prior to the start date. The online platform (website based) was visited by 2,929 people and, through the website and postal feedback, 116 visitors people feedback. The vast majority of respondents agreed that climate change is an issue which should be addressed and that the UK should generate more renewable energy rather than rely on fossil fuels. The majority of comments from respondents related to the visual impact of the Proposed Development and local biodiversity. Low Carbon considered the points raised by consultees during the engagement process and subsequently made changes and additions to the Proposed Development, where necessary. Mitigation measures adopted as a result of community engagement include the incorporation of standoffs into the site layout from sensitive habitats and residential properties. Other changes made to the scheme include additional planting to further screen the Proposed Development and the removal of solar panels for the land in the north eastern corner of the site to provide for a habitat enhancement area. June 2020 1 DWD Ref: 13643 Low Carbon – Inkersall Road Solar Farm Consultation Report 1.0 INTRODUCTION Overview This Consultation Report has been prepared in support of an application for full planning permission submitted to Chesterfield Borough Council (‘CBC’ ) under provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) on behalf of Inkersall Solar Farm Limited (the ‘Applicant’), which is a Special Purpose Vehicle (‘SPV’) owned by Low Carbon UK Solar Investment Company Limited (‘Low Carbon’). The ‘Proposed Development’ comprises the construction and operation of a solar photovoltaic (‘PV’) farm, with battery storage and other associated infrastructure, including inverters, security cameras, fencing, access tracks and landscaping. The proposal is referred to collectively as the ‘Proposed Development’ and the project is known as the ‘Inkersall Road Solar Farm’. The proposed site (the ‘Site’) comprises approximately 65hectares (‘ha’) of lower quality agricultural land (Grade 4) located to the south west of Staveley near Chesterfield. It is notable that renewable energy generation is already a component in the local landscape, with a single turbine alongside two existing operational solar farms. The UK Government has committed to meeting a legally binding target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and CBC has declared a climate emergency. This requires major investment in proven technologies, such as solar and battery storage, which are supported by planning policy at local and national level. The Proposed Development would help to address this need by generating clean and renewable energy without the need for subsidies. Planning permission is being sought to operate for 40 years, at which point it would be decommissioned and the land returned to its previous state. The Applicant Low Carbon, the owner of the Applicant, is a UK company committed to making a positive and significant impact on the causes of climate change. The company has funded the development of more than 322 megawatts (‘MW’) of UK solar, generating enough clean energy to power more than 100,000 UK homes and saving in excess of 143,600 tonnes of CO2 each year. Pre-application consultation The Applicant considers that being a good neighbour is instrumental to delivering a successful development project. Furthermore, that it is important to engage with the local community at the June 2020 2 DWD Ref: 13643 Low Carbon – Inkersall Road Solar Farm Consultation Report earliest opportunity to seek feedback about the Proposed Development, using local knowledge to inform and refine the approach wherever possible. The Applicant has therefore carried out a comprehensive and meaningful pre-application community engagement exercise in respect of the Proposed Development, primarily focused on the local community, but also including consultation with CBC, parish councils, ward councillors and other key local consultees. For the purposes of this report, the ‘local community’ refers to local residents and businesses, parish councils, district and