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Planning Statement Clauchrie Windfarm

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Planning Statement Clauchrie Windfarm Planning Statement Clauchrie Windfarm www.scottishpowerrenewables.com Clauchrie Windfarm December 2019 EIA Report Table of contents Executive Summary 4 1 Introduction 6 1.1 Background 6 1.2 The proposed Development 6 1.3 Site Location and Description 7 1.4 The Applicant 8 1.5 Ownership 8 1.6 Purpose of Planning Statement 8 2 The Legislative Regime 9 2.1 Introduction 9 2.2 The Electricity Act 9 2.3 The EIA Regulations 9 2.4 Scope of the EIA 10 3 Environmental Considerations 11 3.1 Site Selection 11 3.1 The Consideration of Alternatives 11 3.2 Design Evolution 11 3.2.1 Layout A 11 3.2.2 Layout B 11 3.2.3 Layout C 12 3.2.4 Layout D 12 3.3 The Approach to Decision Making 12 3.4 Likely Environmental Effects 12 3.4.1 Landscape and Visual Impact 12 3.4.2 Hydrology, Geology & Soils 14 3.4.3 Ecology 14 3.4.4 Ornithology 14 3.4.5 Noise and Vibration 15 3.4.6 Archaeology and Cultural Heritage 15 3.4.7 Access Traffic and Transport 15 3.4.8 Socio Economics 15 3.4.9 Other Issues 16 4 The Energy Policy Framework 18 4.1 Introduction 18 4.2 Climate Emergency Context 18 4.3 Climate Change Legislation 20 4.4 Climate Emergency & Programme for Government 20 4.4.1 Climate Emergency 20 4.4.2 Programme for Government – 2019-20 21 4.5 Energy Policy 22 4.5.1 The Scottish Energy Strategy (SES) 22 4.5.2 Onshore Wind Policy Statement (OWPS) 24 4.6 Recent Onshore Wind Energy Decisions 25 4.7 Conclusions on Energy Policy 25 5 National Planning Policy 27 5.1 Introduction 27 5.2 The National Planning Framework 3 27 5.3 Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 28 5.3.1 Relationship of SPP to National Outcomes 28 Planning Statement Page 2 Clauchrie Windfarm December 2019 EIA Report 5.3.2 Principal Policies of SPP 28 5.3.3 Presumption in Favour of Development that contributes to Sustainable Development 28 5.3.4 Conclusion on the SPP Presumption in Favour 32 5.3.5 SPP Subject Policies – A Low Carbon Place 33 5.3.6 Onshore Wind 34 5.3.7 SPP: Spatial Framework Approach 34 5.3.8 Spatial Planning for Onshore Wind Turbines – Natural Heritage Considerations – Guidance 35 5.4 Conclusions on National Planning Policy & Guidance 35 6 The Development Plans 35 6.1 Introduction 35 6.2 South Ayrshire Local Development Plan 36 6.2.1 Infrastructure (Polices Renewable Energy and Wind Energy) 36 6.2.2 Conclusions 39 6.3 Dumfries and Galloway Local Development Plan 2 40 6.3.1 Policy IN2: Wind Energy 41 6.3.2 Other Policies 43 6.3.3 Policy ED11: Dark Skies 43 6.3.4 Policy NE3: Areas of Wild Land 43 6.3.5 DGC Wind Energy Development: Development Management Considerations Draft Supplementary Guidance & Appendix C Wind Farm Landscape Capacity Study 44 6.3.6 DGC Development Plan Conclusions 44 6.4 Conclusions: The Development Plans 44 7 Conclusions 45 7.1 Introduction 45 7.2 Schedule 9 Duties 45 7.3 Policy Conclusions 45 7.4 Overall Conclusions 46 Appendix 1: Local Development Plan Policies 47 Planning Statement Page 3 Clauchrie Windfarm December 2019 EIA Report Executive Summary 1. We are currently living in a declared climate emergency. 2. The First Minister for Scotland first declared the climate change emergency when addressing the SNP Conference in April of 2019. This was then followed by the statement from Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham to the Scottish Parliament on 14th May 2019. Following these statements, the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) Scotland Act 2019 received royal ascent and became an Act of Parliament in October 2019, which amended the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. It requires the Scottish Ministers to ensure that Scottish emissions by 2045 are at least 100% lower than the 1990 baseline, which is essentially a net zero target. 3. SPR is part of the ScottishPower group of companies operating in the UK under the Iberdrola Group, one of the world’s largest integrated utility companies and a world leader in wind energy. ScottishPower now only produces 100% green electricity – focusing on wind energy, smart grids and driving the change to a cleaner, electric future. The company is investing over £4m every working day to make this happen and is committed to speeding up the transition to cleaner electric transport, improving air quality and over time, driving down bills to deliver a better future, quicker for everyone. With over 40 operational windfarms, SPR manages all its sites through its world leading Control Centre at Whitelee Windfarm, near Glasgow. 4. The proposed Development comprises 18 turbines up to 200m to tip with a combined rated output in the region of 100 MW and with up to 25 MW of storage. The development site is predominately located within the South Ayrshire Council area, with some of the access infrastructure located within the Dumfries and Galloway Council area. The development site is largely located within the plateau moorland landscape character type and is predominately covered by commercial Sitka Spruce plantations. The surrounding area is rural with surrounding land uses predominately being agricultural and forestry. The nearest sizable settlement to the site is Barrhill, which is located around 6.6km to the south west. The proposed development would also include the provision of a recreational car park, which would offer access enhancement opportunities within the Site . An information board is also proposed within the car park which will provide archaeological interpretation of Cairnderry Chambered Cairn to help visitors understand the historical context and significance of the Scheduled Monument. 5. The proposed development, when compared to fossil fuel mix electricity generation would have a carbon payback period of around 2.8 years and would generate enough electricity to power approximately 84,000 homes. 6. SPR has submitted an application for the proposed development under the terms of section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 (as amended). SPR intends to also seek consent in perpetuity and in support of the application SPR has submitted an EIA Report, which presents the findings of the environmental impact assessment that has been undertaken. 7. SPR intend to utilise the latest wind turbine technology when procuring the wind turbine generators, which could have a capacity of around 5.6MW each. The Applicant considers that the energy capture for the proposed development will be significantly greater than existing operational wind farms on a per turbine basis by way of utilising turbines with a higher tip height, a larger rated capacity and larger rotors. These turbines would also be capable of generating around four times as much energy per year compared to the same machines at the adjacent Mark Hill Windfarm. The resultant economies of scale would enable SPR to reduce the levelized cost of energy, which in time would provide a positive benefit to consumers in terms of the cost of electricity. 8. During construction it is anticipated that the proposed development will be worth in the order of £35m to the Scottish economy in terms of its gross value added per annum and 542 job years for construction workers. It is also anticipated that the operation and maintenance of the proposed development will be worth 15 job years per annum and around £1.3m in terms of gross value added per annum to the Scottish economy. SPR are also offering a package of community benefits, including a community investment opportunity where the community could purchase a stake in the development either through limited company or limited liability partnership status. 9. The EIA Report also provides the environmental impact assessment of the proposed development, dealing with matters such as landscape and visual impact, ecology, ornithology, cultural heritage, hydrology among other environmental matters. SPR has evolved the design of the proposed development carefully as part of the EIA process having been through four major Planning Statement Page 4 Clauchrie Windfarm December 2019 EIA Report design iterations, where the objective of each design iteration was to remove, reduce or otherwise mitigate likely significant adverse environmental effects. The EIA Report concludes that all environmental effects associated with the proposed development are not significant except for those that relate to matters of landscape and visual impact (including the setting of an undesignated Cairn). It is normal for any commercial wind energy development project to have significant landscape and visual effects and in this regard the predicted residual significant landscape and visual effects would not be experienced by any designations of national status, particularly National Parks or National Scenic Areas where national policy says wind farms will not be acceptable. 10. The South Ayrshire Landscape Capacity Study identifies that part of the application Site is the only location within the South Ayrshire Council area that can accommodate large typology turbines. The Applicant believes that the proposed Development Site is an appropriate location for a wind farm in all regards and that the design of the proposed Development has evolved appropriate to its location. 11. The iterative design of the proposed Development has resulted in protection of those parts of the Merrick Wild Land Area that are most wild, with the only significant effects predicted to occur on limited areas of the Wild Land Area on its western slopes that are already subject to human influence. The proposed Development design has also achieved no turbine visibility from the identified viewing locations within the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park. 12. The Applicant believes that the design response to developing a wind farm at this location is appropriate in environmental terms and considers that the duties imposed upon them by Schedule 9 of the Electricity Act have been met in all regards.
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