PA12/04228, Pensipple Farm, St Keyne, Liskeard, Cornwall Local Member and Applicant Bernie Ellis Elgin Energy ESCO Ltd Brief Su
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PA12/04228, Pensipple Farm, St Keyne, Liskeard, Cornwall Local Member and Applicant Bernie Ellis Elgin Energy ESCO Ltd Brief Summary The site its located within the Looe and Seaton valley area of great landscape value the nearest main settlement of Trewidland is approx. 400 metres to the north west. The nearest residential properties are located at the site entrance at Old Pensipple and Pensipple to the southwest of the site approx 200 metres away we also have a couple of residential properties there. North Park Farm, currently under consideration it’s about 3.5 KM away so on that basis given the distance and the topography there are no visual cumulative and inter-visibility issues. The entrance for the construction works will be gained from the east of the site and would avoid the narrowest lanes in the area and the village of Trewidland as well. The second view point is taken from the properties to the southwest and there it is true to say that would have the largest visual impact of the development from those two properties. The majority of the solar farm would be visible from those houses. What I would say some mitigation for those visual impacts can be achieved by allowing the existing Cornish hedges to grow up. Councillor Pugh On the middle photograph there you can obviously see a lot of this solar farm. How high do these hedges have to grow to mitigate the view? Planning officer I don’t think realistically the hedges will obliterate the view. We can only soften the impact of the view and its proposed that the hedges will grow to its natural height which can vary around about to 2 metres in shrubs. I think it is fair to say that the solar farm would be still visible still from this location, yes but the impact would be mitigated by the proposals to let the vegetation grow and the reinstatement of the hedges. Paragraph 97 of the National Planning Policy framework states that local planning should design their policies to maximize renewable and low carbon resources while ensuring adverse impact and including cumulative effect and visual impacts. Cornwall Counties own Renewable guidance note to the Councils concern for the potential cumulative effect with any existing or approved development and this should include situations when there is more than one application for solar PV developments which should be considered together. I would query the information that has been presented already in terms of where the local developments are in relation to this application. Within the visual envelope of the upper East Looe Valley of Great landscape Value there are at least six applications of photovoltaic arrays between 2.5 and 5MW and 9 for wind turbines which have already undergone screening. And there is one that has come along for full approval which is within a field away from this particular application that you are reviewing today. Which is another 5 MW,not shown on the map. The Liskeard and Looe community network manager states that Cornwall has no local area policy covering planning applications on renewable energy installations, nor is there s strategy for the implementation of such policy. Rather each application is being considered by case, by case adhok. This is not planning, this is lack of planning. Representatives of Dobwalls and Trewidlands and neighbouring parish councils agree recently that we urgently need to constitute an Upper Looe Valley energy group which could engage with the inter parish impact issues, not apparently of concern to this planning committee. Our local energy groups concern for the coherent and integration on planning policy for local energy projects makes it essential for us to question the current counties approach to this mater. The frustration and disempowerment to the lack of local policy being produced in our communities is proving detrimental in confidence in local democracy and in our elected member. We believe that this application a cluster of closely connected energy developments proposals around the Trewidland and Morval areas should be considered together within an extended consultation period to allow the full understanding for both the community and for the planning community detailed impact and the significant change we believe these will make in our environment. The land to be used is still in active use for arable and pasture purposes. Up until autumn 2011 it was used to grow cereal crops by a neighbouring farmer and this has been sown for several years. Some years prior to that it was a dairy and sheep farm all carried out on Grade 3B land which is the norm for a large majority of Cornish farms. The land owners have found it more financial advantageous to change their agricultural farm into that of an industrial one and in so doing would cause disruption into the lives of the local community and have an adverse impact on the landscape with the installation of some 25,632 pv panels. In replying to a letter wrote in May this year Greg Barker Minister of Energy and Climate change he said referring to the National Planning Policy Framework of March 2012, and I quote “the framework makes it clear that local planning authorities can identify suitable areas for energy developments, which could include solar farms and underlines that policies in the Local plan should be designed to assure adverse impact including cumulative landscape impact are addressed satisfactorily more generally the framework also makes clear that the planning system should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment including protecting and enhancing valued landscapes. With regard to agricultural land the framework requires local planning authorities to take in account the benefits of the best and the most versatile agricultural land. When a significant of agricultural and is demonstrated to be necessary the aim should be to use areas of poorer quality land in preference of that of higher quality” The Cornish hedges on the lane side are right below us. This land is very steep it doesn’t look as steep as that on there the gradient is quite steep, so it tips up and faces us in the southwest. No Cornish hedge would make any difference to the covering of any of the solar panels. The consultants coments - The application before you has been subject to extensive dialogue with officers following a public consultation exercise, which help formulate the proposal. The applicant has sought to engage with the local population, develop the proposal and looking to amend it to address concerns that have been raised. The proposal is for up to 5MW which will supply sufficient renewable energy to meet the needs of 854 Cornish households as such the proposal makes significant contribution to the county and national renewable energy targets. National planning policy states that applications for energy developments should be approved if there impacts are or can be made acceptable. Accordingly the application site has been carefully selected to ensure that it is not the best or the most versatile agricultural land and due to the topography it only overlooked by a few viewpoints. Very few or no sites exist where this form of development would not be seen. Unfortunately therefore the proposal will impact on a small number of properties and viewpoints however the proposals have been located to minimise the view points and been amended further to reduce visual impact on neighbouring properties. As such it is the officers view the proposals will not cause and significant adverse impact when viewed from Trewidland and it will not have an adverse impact on the landscape character area to the extent the consent should not be granted. After the life time of the development the condition that’s attached to the planning consent would require the reinstatement of the site to the current predevelopment of its state. In addition it is the landowner’s intention to graze sheep on the site whilst this is operational which will assist with preservation of the existing habitat. In relation to concern about creating precedent as we have already heard today every application is assessed on its individual merits a such approval of this application will not result in similar proposals also being approved. Finally whilst not a material consideration a community contribution of up to £35,000 has been offered to the parish council to spend as it sees fit. Councillor Wood - I propose that future generations have the same needs food, energy and shelter. Food wise this is not for the agribusiness people this is land that is not suitable for intensive modern agriculture. Energy yes its suitable for producing energy, shelter well we don’t want housing built on it. So those are the three requirements future generations are going to need so sustainability of energy is very important. I think as a short term for 25 years in the scheme of things, it is a short term is the way forward and I have not hesitation for proposing it. Councillor Lewarne - There is a kind of policy here, I’m not sure if its unstated or stated when we were first introduced the concept of solar farms it was more or less like there is going to be a gold rush on and you are going to approve all of them. That’s the impression I’ve got so in the absence of a proper policy which some are suitable and some are not. I have to have my own and basically its whether people object to them locally if nobody objects in the case of solar farms because in some ways it’s a low impact on the environment it could be massive housing development or supermarket or something worse but in this instance I’ve heard objections and it does seem appear that the farm is quite visible from miles around and also the very thorny point but an important point are nearby applications which are coming to us that we haven’t been told about in the report.