Assessment of the Sensitivity of the Landscapes of Northumberland to Wind Energy Development
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ASSESSMENT OF THE SENSITIVITY OF THE LANDSCAPES OF NORTHUMBERLAND TO WIND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT Prepared for January 2018 Assessment of the Sensitivity of the Landscapes in Northumberland to Wind Turbine Development 2 Report Prepared by The Planning and Environment Studio Ltd. BAYOU BLUEnvironment Limited. 69 New Road, Cottage Lane Farm, Cottage Lane Wingerworth, Collingham, Newark Chesterfield, Nottinghamshire. NG23 7LJ Derbyshire. S42 6UJ Office: 01246 386555 T. +44(0)1636 555006 Mobile: 07813 172453 M. +44(0)7866 587108 [email protected] [email protected] PES Document Ref. PES1610: Final Report Issue: RevA Drafted by: Graham Bradford Checked by: Anthony Brown Authorised by: Graham Bradford Cover photograph: Vista south to North Steads and Sisters Wind Farms from Boulmer Beach. Lens 75-300mm f/4-5.6 (c) PES Ltd January 1, 2018 Assessment of the Sensitivity of the Landscapes in Northumberland to Wind Turbine Development 3 Report Contents Section Page. 1. INTRODUCTION & CONTEXT: 5 National Planning Policy Context 6 Local Planning Policy Context 7 Background to Wind Energy Development in 8 Northumberland Scope of the Study 14 Format of the Report 16 2. METHODOLOGY: 17 Introduction 17 Project Stages 18 Project Stage 1 Defining Appropriate Wind 18 Turbine Typology Categories Project Stage 1: Generation and Application of 19 Appropriate Criteria to Assess Sensitivity Project Stage 1: Pilot Study 27 Project Stage 2: Field Evaluation and Moderation 28 of Initial Desk-Based Sensitivity Assessment Project Stage 3: Sensitivity Assessment and 29 Summary Deriving Overall Sensitivity Values including 29 Consideration of Cumulative Effects 3. LANDSCAPE SENSITIVITY PROFILES AND 33 ASSESSMENT: Sensitivity by LCT from LCT1 to LCT44 34 - 245 4. SUMMARY FINDINGS: SENSITIVITY TO WIND 246 ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN NORTHUMBERLAND: Sensitivity to Wind Energy Development in 246 Principle Sensitivity to Small, Small-Medium and Medium 250 Turbines up to 65m Height to Blade Tip Sensitivity to Medium-Large and Larger Turbines 255 above 65m Height to Blade Tip Wider Considerations 257 APPENDICES: 259 A. Landscape Character Types and Landscape 259 Character Areas B. Key Landscape Characteristics and General 263 Influence on Wind Energy January 1, 2018 Assessment of the Sensitivity of the Landscapes in Northumberland to Wind Turbine Development 4 LIST OF TABLES: Table 1: Wind Resource Areas (RSS), landscape character 10 areas and existing wind energy developments Table 2: Summary of wind turbine applications within 12 Northumberland Table 3: Operational onshore wind energy schemes with 12 turbines 55m – 100m ht. to blade tip Table 4: Operational onshore wind energy schemes with 12 turbines 100m – 130m ht. to blade tip Table 5: Operational offshore wind energy schemes 13 Table 6: Wind turbine typology categories used in the 19 study: Table 7: Landscape attributes influencing sensitivity to 20 wind energy development Table 8: Landscape sensitivity continuum 24 Table 9: Definitions of landscape character area 29 sensitivity to wind turbine development Table 10: Sensitivity Scale for Assessing Overall Sensitivity 30 of each LCA to Wind Energy Development Table 11: Summary of overall sensitivity of landscape 246 character areas to wind energy LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Study Area 5 Figure 2: Landscape Character Types in Northumberland 9 Figure 3: Wind Resource Areas in Northumberland (RSS) 11 Figure 4: Wind Turbines in Northumberland 55m to 130m 13 to Blade Tip (2017) Figures Landscape Character Types/Areas 1 to 44 34 - 241 5-48: Figure 49: Landscape Sensitivity to Small Wind Energy 252 Turbines <25m Figure 50: Landscape Sensitivity to Small to Medium Wind 253 Energy Turbines 26m-40m Figure 51: Landscape Sensitivity to Medium Wind Energy 254 Turbines 41m-65m Figure 52; Landscape Sensitivity to Medium to Large Wind 255 Energy Turbines 66m-100m Figure 53: Landscape Sensitivity to Large Wind Energy 256 Turbines 101m-130m January 1, 2018 Assessment of the Sensitivity of the Landscapes in Northumberland to Wind Turbine Development 5 1. INTRODUCTION & CONTEXT 1.1 Northumberland County Council commissioned the Planning & Environment Studio (PES) and Bayou Bluenvironment (BBe) to undertake an assessment of the sensitivity of the Northumberland landscape (outside Northumberland National Park – see Figure 1) to wind energy development. The study will be used to help the Council understand whether it is appropriate to identify suitable areas for wind energy development within the emerging Local Plan. January 1, 2018 Assessment of the Sensitivity of the Landscapes in Northumberland to Wind Turbine Development 6 1.2 The purpose of the study is threefold: (i) to provide the Council with an up to date evidence base on the sensitivity of the landscapes of Northumberland to different scales of wind turbine; (ii) to inform potential identification by the Council of suitable areas for wind turbine development in the Northumberland Local Plan; and (iii) to inform policies applicable to onshore wind energy in the emerging Local Plan. National Planning Policy Context 1.3 Planning policy for onshore wind development is contained in a number of documents. UK Government national policy is principally set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)1, the Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy, National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure2, and national Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) for Renewable and Low Carbon Energy3. 1.4 The national planning policy framework is established to help meet the Government’s target for energy generation from renewable sources as part of a transition to a low carbon future. However, the promotion of renewable energy is restrained - the different roles and character of different areas must be taken into account and the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside must be recognised in guiding new wind energy development to appropriate locations4. 1.5 Planning applications for large scale renewable energy projects, including onshore wind with an electricity generating output above 50 megawatts (MW), were previously treated as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) requiring ‘development consent’ by the Secretary of State (rather than planning permission) under the Planning Act 2008 and subsequently amended by the Localism Act 2011. Onshore wind farms of over 50MW were removed from the NSIP regime under the Energy Act 2016 and regulations made under it, with the decision making power transferred back to local planning authorities. Wind energy applications below 50MW are decided at the local authority level in England in accordance with the polices set out in the NPPF and following the procedure set out in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015. 1.6 In a written ministerial statement on 18 June 20155 the Government announced new considerations to be applied to proposed wind energy development so that “local people have 1 Department for Communities and Local Government (March 2012), National Planning Policy Framework. 2 Department for Communities and Local Government (July 2011), Overarching National Policy Statement for 2 Department for Communities and Local Government (July 2011), Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) and National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure (EN-3). 3 Department for Communities and Local Government (March 2014), Planning Practice Guidance: Renewable and low carbon energy. 4 NPPF paragraph 17. 5 Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Greg Clark), (18 June 2015), House of Commons: Written Statement (HCWS42). January 1, 2018 Assessment of the Sensitivity of the Landscapes in Northumberland to Wind Turbine Development 7 the final say on wind farm applications”. This states: “When determining planning applications for wind energy development involving one or more wind turbines, local planning authorities should only grant planning permission if: • the development site is in an area identified as suitable for wind energy development in a local or neighbourhood plan; and • following consultation, it can be demonstrated that the planning impacts identified by affected local communities have been fully addressed and therefore the proposal has their backing” (whether a proposal has the backing of the affected local community is, according to the written statement, “a planning judgement for the local planning authority”). 1.7 This is now embodied within the national PPG which provides guidance to local councils in developing policies for renewable and low carbon energy6. The PPG stresses that there are no hard and fast rules about how suitable areas for renewable energy should be identified but, critically, the potential impacts on the local environment, including from cumulative impacts, must be taken into account. Local Planning Policy Context 1.8 The Local Plan in Northumberland currently comprises the saved local plans of the former constituent local planning authorities in Northumberland, prior to local government reorganisation in 2009. The Council is currently preparing a replacement Local Plan. 1.9 The Northumberland Consolidated Planning Policy Framework does not currently identify suitable areas for wind energy development. Castle Morpeth Local Plan identifies areas of search for wind power, and Alnwick Core Strategy identifies areas of least constraint. In assessing landscape sensitivity to different scales of