Gorpley Wind Farm Chapter 5 Environmental Statement Landscape and Visual 5 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL 5.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter of the Environmental Statement (ES), prepared by LDA Design, assesses the potential landscape and visual effects of the Development on the landscape and visual resource within a defined study area, agreed through consultation. This chapter of the ES: • Defines the existing landscape and visual baseline environments; • Assesses their sensitivity to change; describes the key landscape and visual related aspects of the Development; • Describes the nature of the anticipated change upon both the landscape and visual environments; • Assesses the magnitude and significance of the changes for the construction, operation and decommissioning stages together with cumulative effects; and • Describes the mitigation measures that will be incorporated within the Development to assist in reducing effects upon particularly sensitive receptor groups and landscape environments. This chapter is supported by the following technical appendices, presented in Volume III: Technical Appendices of this ES: • A5.1 Wind Farms Landscape and Visual Assessment Methodology; and • A5.2 Preparation of Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Visuals. This assessment is supported by a series of figures, wireframes and photomontages (Figures 5.13 to 5.50) contained within Volume II: Figures of this ES. 5.1.1 The Development The Development comprises grazed moorland located approximately 2 km to the south west of Todmorden, Calderdale, and approximately 3.5 km east of Bacup, Rossendale (refer to Figure 5.1). The Development is located within open access land (as defined by the CRoW Act) land adjacent to Gorpley Reservoir and includes a number of footpaths and bridleways, most notably the Rossendale Way and Limers Gate. The A681 passes to the north and the A6033 to the west of the site. The immediate landscape comprises upland moorland with a number of settlements located within wooded valleys. The Development will comprise 5 turbines with a height to blade tip of between 110 and 125 m (an indicative hub height of 79 m and a rotor diameter of 92 m have been used as the basis for the LVIA). There will, in addition, be associated infrastructure comprising access roads, a control building compound, temporary construction compounds and a meteorological mast, the height of which will match the final hub height of the turbines installed (up to a maximum height of 85 m). 5.1.2 The Study Area In accordance with best practice guidance, a study area has been agreed through consultation with Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council (CMBC) and Natural England (NE), as well as Rossendale Borough Council, Rochdale Borough Council, Burnley Borough Council, and Bury Borough Council. For the purposes of this Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) the following has been agreed: • A 1 km study area for the assessment of effects on residential amenity; • A 5 km study area for the assessment of effects on settlement edges; • A 10 km study area for the assessment of effects on regional and local landscape character, as well as local landscape designations; and • A 30 km study area for assessing the Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV), and for the assessment of visual effects from representative viewpoints and effects on national Kelda Water Services Arcus Renewable Energy Consulting Ltd October 2012 Page 5-1 Chapter 5 Gorpley Wind Farm Landscape and Visual Environmental Statement landscape character areas and designations, as well as for the assessment of cumulative landscape and visual effects. A summary of the consultation which has informed the LVIA process is provided in Section 5.2.12. 5.1.3 Report Structure This chapter of the ES is structured as follows: • Methodology – summarising the approach which underpins the LVIA with reference to key established guidance and methodology and to the consultation process; • Baseline Description – a description of landscape designations, landscape character and the visual resource within the agreed study area, informed by desk studies, consultation responses and field surveys; • Development Design Mitigation – a summary of measures embedded in the design of the Development to eliminate or reduce potential negative landscape and visual effects; • Assessment of Potential Effects – a consideration of the ways in which the Development may affect landscape and visual amenity receptors within the study area, including potential cumulative effects; • Mitigation Measures and Residual Effects – a description of mitigation measures to reduce identified potential negative effects or enhance beneficial effects; • Summary of Effects – a tabulated summary of anticipated effects on the landscape and visual resource; and • Statement of Significance – a summary of the findings of the assessment identifying landscape and visual effects which, in EIA Regulation terms, are considered to be “significant”. The planning and legislative framework for the Development is provided in detail within Chapter 4: Planning and Energy Policy of this ES. Reference to specific landscape planning policies is made, where appropriate, throughout this Chapter. 5.2 METHODOLOGY LDA Design has an established methodology for carrying out LVIAs for proposed wind farm developments. The methodology may be varied slightly to address site or development specific situations, and the terms used to describe particular levels of effect may be varied depending on the terminology of the ES at the request of the EIA coordinator for consistency. The standard methodology is described below along with any variations specific to this assessment. Additional supporting information is also provided within Volume III: Technical Appendices of this ES: • A5.1: Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Methodology; and • A5.2: Preparation of Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Visuals. 5.2.1 Overview The methodology has four key stages, which are described in more detail in subsequent sections, as follows: • Baseline – includes the gathering of documented information; scoping of the assessment and agreement of that scope with the Applicant, relevant consultees, EIA coordinator and Local Planning Authority; site visits and initial reports to the Applicant and/or EIA coordinator of issues that may need to be addressed within the design; • Design – review of initial layout/ options, turbine choice(s), and mitigation options; • Assessment – includes an assessment of the landscape and visual effects of the full scheme, requiring site based work and the completion of a full report and supporting graphics; and • Cumulative Assessment – assess the additional changes caused by the proposal in conjunction with other wind farm developments. The assessment methodology draws upon the established Countryside Agency methodology (Landscape Character Arcus Renewable Energy Consulting Ltd Kelda Water Services Page 5-2 October 2012 Gorpley Wind Farm Chapter 5 Environmental Statement Landscape and Visual Assessment Guidance, 2002)1 and other recognised guidelines, in particular the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment and the Landscape Institute’s Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment, second edition 20022 , and Scottish Natural Heritage’s (SNH) “Visual representation of Wind Farms Best Practice Guidance” (2006, albeit published in 2007)3 . A comprehensive list of key reference and guidance documents is presented within the Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Methodology in Technical Appendix A5.1. 5.2.2 Baseline Methodology The baseline study establishes the planning policy context, the scope of the assessment and the key landscape receptors. It includes the following key activities: • A desk study of relevant current national, regional and local planning policy for the core area and surrounding areas; • Agreement of the main study area radius with the Local Planning Authority; • A desk study of existing landscape character assessments for the Development and surrounding areas, both at national, regional and local level; • ZTV studies to assist in identifying potential viewpoints and indicate the potential visibility of the Development, and therefore scope of receptors likely to be affected. The methodology used in the preparation of ZTV figures is described within Technical Appendix A5.2; • Through consultation, the identification of, and agreement upon, the scope of assessment for cumulative effects; • Identification of the range of visual receptors (including residents, the travelling public, workers and visitors; and • Site visits to become familiar with the core area and surrounding landscape and to identify viewpoints and receptors. 5.2.3 Design The degree of “design fix” of schemes coming forward pre-assessment varies. For some sites, the turbine layout may already be fixed, in which case input to the design may be limited to advising on mitigation or indication that adjustments to particular turbine locations would be desirable. In the case of this Development, the scope to amend the design such as turbine numbers, sizes and layouts, was considered and reviewed with the Applicant and EIA team in order to arrive at an optimum proposal that best addresses the balance between potentially conflicting issues. Chapter 3: Project Description of this ES details the design process and considerations for the Development. 5.2.4 Assessment The assessment of effects includes further desk and site based work, covering the following key activities: • The preparation