Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment
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Green Farm Solar Project Barkestone-le-Vale, Leicestershire Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Prepared for Green Farm Solar Ltd 13th October 2020 NOTE: This report to be read in conjunction with the accompanying reports: LVIA Plans and Representative Views Landscape and Ecology Management Plan (LEMP) [Type here] 1. CONTENTS 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...........................................................................................................4 3. Introduction ...........................................................................................................................6 3.1. Background and scope of the study ................................................................................6 3.2. The Site ...........................................................................................................................6 3.3. The Study Area ................................................................................................................6 4. Methodology ..........................................................................................................................6 4.2. Best practice guidance ....................................................................................................6 4.3. Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment .......................................................................7 4.4. Landscape effects ............................................................................................................7 4.5. Assessment of significance ..............................................................................................8 4.6. Methodologies used in the assessment process ..............................................................8 4.7. Production of Zones of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV) ..........................................................9 4.8. Photographic survey and photographs from representative viewpoints ........................ 10 4.9. Illustration of the effect of the development upon representative viewpoints ............... 10 5. Potential landscape effects of free-standing solar PV developments ................................... 10 6. Baseline Conditions ............................................................................................................. 12 6.2. National Character Areas .............................................................................................. 12 6.3. LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL Landscape Character Type: VALE OF BELVOIR (MELTON). The effect of the development upon this description is covered in section 7.3 ..... 13 6.4. Landscape Designations ................................................................................................ 16 6.5. Visual Baseline .............................................................................................................. 16 6.6. Visual envelope ............................................................................................................. 16 6.7. Visual Receptors ............................................................................................................ 18 7. Assessment of Effects and Significance ................................................................................ 20 7.1. Landscape effects - Generally........................................................................................ 20 7.2. Effect of the proposal upon changes to the landscape character .................................. 21 7.3. Operational Phase Assessment ..................................................................................... 22 7.4. Assessing Significance of Effects on landscape character ............................................. 24 7.5. Sensitivity of the site to accommodate changes to the landscape ................................. 25 7.6. Significance of effects upon changes to the landscape ................................................. 26 7.7. Visual effects ................................................................................................................. 27 7.8. Magnitude and significance from visual receptors ........................................................ 28 7.9. Significance of residual Visual effects of the development proposal upon visual receptors ................................................................................................................................. 28 7.10. Visual effect of the grid yard ...................................................................................... 30 Green Farm Solar Project: Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment: Report October 2020 Page 2 of 47 7.11. Visual effects of the development proposal upon visual receptors during the construction Phase .................................................................................................................. 31 7.12. Visual Impact Schedule – Representative viewpoints ................................................. 31 7.13. Outcomes of landscape and visual impact assessment influencing design development and mitigation.................................................................................................... 32 7.14. Recommended Mitigation Measures to reduce assessed adverse effects .................. 32 8. Conclusions .......................................................................................................................... 34 8.2. Effects upon Landscape Character ................................................................................ 34 8.3. Effects upon visual receptors ........................................................................................ 34 8.4. Summary conclusion...................................................................................................... 35 9. APPENDIX 1 – Assessment Criteria Tables ............................................................................ 36 9.1. Sensitivity Values ........................................................................................................... 36 9.2. Assessment of magnitude effect on landscape character .............................................. 36 9.3. Sensitivity and magnitude combined – Significance of effect ........................................ 37 9.4. Valency of effect – Landscape and Visual Assessment ................................................... 38 9.5. Landscape character sensitivity ..................................................................................... 39 9.6. Sensitivity of Visual Receptors ....................................................................................... 42 9.7. Magnitude of Effect on Views from Representative Viewpoints ..................................... 43 9.8. Table showing the significance of effect as a combination of magnitude and re ceptor sensitivity ................................................................................................................................. 45 10. APPENDIX 2 – Glossary ..................................................................................................... 46 11. APPENDIX 3 – References ................................................................................................. 47 Green Farm Solar Project: Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment: Report October 2020 Page 3 of 47 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2.1.1. Through a detailed landscape and visual assessment, this is assessed as a good site for solar energy production. 2.1.2. The site has a moderate sensitivity to solar energy production and there are no assessed adverse effects upon landscape character. The proposal provides an opportunity to improve the described landscape character, in the medium and long-term, through changing landscape management regimes which will increase biodiversity as well as enhancing the tree and hedgerow cover in this flat and relatively intensively farmed landscape. 2.1.3. The main direct views towards the site, which will experience moderate to slight and adverse effects prior to mitigation are from a footpath which runs close to, and adjacent to, the south-west sector of the site (especially field enclosure H). These views can be mitigated, but not screened completely. Once mitigation planting has established, within 5 years the residual effect is likely to be moderate and slightly adverse. Beyond 10 years, the effect will become slight and not adverse. In addition to mitigation screening, it may be possible, in the short term, to enhance views from these properties through careful landscape master planning. This is shown within the accompanying Landscape and Ecological Management Plan (LEMP ). 2.1.4. From public roads and all other footpaths within the ZTV, the visual effect is slight, or negligible. In all cases, any assessed adverse effects at the construction phase will experience a reduced residual effect quickly as hedgerows are allowed to establish and mitigation planting establishes. 2.1.5. The remaining assessed viewpoints will experience a neutral effect – no change to the view, or a negligible change which is not assessed as significant and which is not adverse. 2.1.6. The site is located on low-lying flat land. At a national and regional scale, this type of site is favoured for solar energy production over undulating of higher ground as the effects upon landscape character and visual receptors are greatly reduced. 2.1.7. The proposal is to install solar arrays within the existing hedged field boundaries. No hedgerows are to be removed such that the pattern of landscape remains as the