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Report No 752/06 ANGUS COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT CONTROL COMMITTEE 13 JUNE 2006 PLANNING APPLICATION – ARK HILL, GLAMIS REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND TRANSPORT Abstract: This report deals with planning application No. 03/00831/FUL for a wind farm comprising 8 wind turbines, associated turbine transformers, access tracks, control building, sub-station, one permanent wind monitoring mast, borrow pit and minor road widening of the U356 for RES Ltd at Ark Hill, Glamis. This application is recommended for conditional approval subject to a Section 75 Agreement. 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Full planning permission is sought for a wind farm comprising 8 wind turbines, associated turbine transformers, access tracks, control building, sub-station, one permanent wind monitoring mast, borrow pit and minor road widening of the U356 for RES Ltd at Ark Hill, Glamis. 1.2 The application site (excluding the area required to widen the public road) measures approximately 1 square kilometre and is located on Ark Hill (height 339 metres AOD) which lies approximately 2.5km to the west of the A928 and the settlement at Milton of Ogilvie on the U356 public road. The site is currently in agricultural use and is utilised as rough grazing. A farm track runs from the U356 to Ryehill and Chamberwells and the lower slopes of Ark Hill. 1.3 The application proposes the erection of 8 wind turbines each measuring some 50 metres to hub height and with a rotor diameter of 62 metres giving a total height to blade tip of 81 metres. A 50 metre high free standing wind monitoring mast would be retained on-site. The application includes a proposal to utilise former quarries on site as a borrow pit to provide a source for stone for the on-site tracks. This would have a surface area of some 65m x 65 m with an extraction area of 45m x 45m with varying depth of up to 5 metres. This will require blasting and crushing of material on-site. It is proposed that the access tracks will have a running width of 4.2 – 5.0 metres with some local widening on bends, at passing bays and around turbine bases. The access tracks will be constructed of crushed and graded stone from the borrow pit but in areas of peat and topsoil, the construction technique will utilise a layer of geo- textile material. In these circumstances the use of floating roads eliminates the need for excavation and minimises effects on ecology and disruption to water paths. In areas where heather is to be crossed, the heather topsoil will be removed and the subsoil stored separately. Thereafter, following construction the appropriate topsoil and harvested vegetation will be used to reinstate the track shoulders and turbine foundation areas whilst the material extracted for the turbine foundations would be used to re-grade the borrow pit. 1.4 The closest dwelling to a turbine is Chamberwells at approximately 724 metres to the south/east. There are a further two occupied dwellings within 1km of a turbine, namely Upper Handwick (approximately 822 metres) to the southeast and Wester Denoon (approximately 868 metres) to the northwest. There are four unoccupied 2 Report No 752/06 properties within 1km of the proposed wind farm namely, Ivy Cottage (approximately 600 metres) to the west, Ryehill (approximately 942 metres) to the south/east and Wester Denoon Cottages (approximately 960 metres) to the north. It is relevant to note that Ivy Cottage is uninhabited and derelict, Ryehill is vacant and derelict whilst Wester Denoon Cottages are uninhabited and at a similar distance and elevation to other properties to the north-west of the application site. There are a further six occupied properties within 1.76km of a turbine with Easter Denoon the closest at approximately 1096 metres to the northwest. The settlement of Milton of Ogilvie is located approximately 2.5km to the east of the application site. Charleston lies approximately 3.5km to the northeast and Glamis approximately 4km to the northeast. 1.5 Access to the site is to be taken from the A928. To allow construction vehicles to access the site, some minor upgrading of the U356 will be necessary. In addition, a steading at Ryehill will be demolished to allow the farm access to be widened for construction vehicles. 1.6 The main land take required as a consequence of the proposal is resultant from the access tracks. The total length of access roads is approximately four kilometres with a width of 4.2 – 5.0 metres which translates to an estimated land take of approximately 20,000 square metres. The substation compound will take up an area of approximately 5 x 4 metres and the control building approximately 16 metres x 5 metres. The construction compound would require an area of approximately 40 metres x 40 metres. This area would be fully reinstated after construction. The land take from the wind turbines is comparatively small. Including restrictions for the movement of stock beneath the towers, each turbine and transformer uses approximately 15 square metres of land. It is estimated that the actual land sterilised by the entire development is only one to two per cent of the site area. 1.7 It is indicated that construction would take approximately 6 – 9 months and that the wind farm would have an operational life of 25 years. 1.8 The application has been advertised as bad neighbour development and development potentially contrary to development plan. The Environmental Assessment has also been advertised as required by legislation. Additional environmental information has also been provided and again this has been advertised. 2 RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY 2.1 Planning permission (ref: 01/95/1388/FULL) was granted for the erection of a 40 metre high anemometer for a temporary period of two years in September 1995. That mast has been removed. 2.2 Planning application ref: 00/00382/FUL was submitted by the current applicant and proposed a wind farm comprising 12 x 1 megawatt wind turbines, access tracks, substation and compound building on land at Ark Hill and part of Carlunie Hill, Glamis. The proposed turbines were indicated to be a maximum height of approximately 78 metres. The closest residence to a turbine was 561 metres (Upper Handwick) with a further 8 residences within 1km of a turbine. 2.3 That application was withdrawn by the applicant prior to determination in 2001. 3 Report No 752/06 2.4 Planning permission (ref: 02/00571/FUL) for a wind monitoring mast was granted on the 15 July 2002 for a temporary period of one year. 2.5 A further planning application (ref: 03/00734/FUL) for the retention of the mast for a further one year was granted on 8 September 2003. The mast has now been removed. 3 APPLICANT’S CASE 3.1 An Environmental Statement (ES) and an Environmental Statement Addendum have been submitted to accompany the application. 3.2 The ES provides an assessment of the potential environmental impacts resulting from the proposed wind farm and its associated activities. Included in the Statement is information relating to Site Selection, Project Description, Landscape and Visual Impact, Ecology, Bats, Ornithology, Wintering Geese, Archaeology, Hydrology, Transportation and Access, Acoustics, Electromagnetic Interference and Socio- Economics. During consideration of the application additional information was requested regarding noise predictions and grid connection and this was submitted as additional environmental information and is contained in a Supplement to the ES. 3.3 The ES and its Supplement, including the Non Technical Summaries for both documents are available to view in the Member’s Lounge. 3.4 The applicant has also submitted a Supporting Planning Statement which has been circulated with the letters of representation. This concludes that: - ‘it is inconceivable that construction of any windfarm will not give rise to effects some of which may objectively or subjectively be adverse. The proposed windfarm at Ark Hill gives rise to very few such effects, and the Environmental Statement concludes that what is proposed would be acceptable and appropriate in scale and type. It is clear that the proposed development would, taking especially into account national renewable energy policy, be acceptable. Planning permission should be granted.’ 3.5 The applicant has indicated that they intend to provide a community fund if planning permission is granted, however, this is not a material planning consideration and has not been taken into account in the preparation of this report. 4 CONSULTATIONS 4.1 The Director of Roads has offered no objection to the application. 4.2 JMP Consultants Ltd has indicated no objection regarding potential impact on the trunk road network. 4.3 Tayside Police have indicated that the development should not affect their communication network. It is indicated that the overall effects on the surrounding roads will be very minor. It is further indicated that the Police foresee little chance of accident, other than parts of the turbine breaking off which is highly unlikely. It is noted that the separation distance to the nearest house is 720 metres. The Police envisage that security measures incorporated would adhere to building guidelines for similar substations. It is suggested that all aspects of the construction process should be monitored by Tayside Police in respect of the substation to promote and implement ‘Site more Secure’ principles during the building phase. 4 Report No 752/06 4.4 Scottish Water has not objected to this proposal. 4.5 SEPA has indicated that the Environmental Statement appears to consider many of the potential significant impacts to the water environment associated with the scheme. It notes that the ES does not make reference to the Water Environment (Controlled Activities)(Scotland) Regulations 2005 (CAR) and that as there is potential for a significant impact to the water environment (before mitigation), the implications of CAR will need to be taken into consideration should the development be progressed.