The Planning Act 2008 Brechfa Forest Connection Project Examining Authority’s Report of Findings and Conclusions and Recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change _______________________________________ Examining Authority Martin Broderick 6 July 2016 This page intentionally left blank Examining Authority’s findings and conclusions and recommendation in respect of an application by Western Power Distribution (South Wales) plc for an Order granting Development Consent for the Brechfa Forest Connection Project. File Ref EN020016 The application, dated 29 May 2015 was made under section 37 of the Planning Act 2008 and was received in full by The Planning Inspectorate on 29 May 2015. The applicant is Western Power Distribution (South Wales) plc. The application was accepted for examination on 24 June 2015. The examination of the application began on 6 October 2015 and was completed on 6 April 2016. The development proposed is to construct, operate and maintain a new 132,000 volt (132kV) electric line connection of the consented Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm to an existing overhead line near Llandyfaelog, 10 km south of Carmarthen approximately 28.6km above and below ground located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Summary of Recommendation: The Examining Authority recommends that the Secretary of State should make the Order in the form at Appendix D. Report to the Secretary of State 1 Brechfa Forest Connection Report Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 5 1.1 PREAMBLE ........................................................................... 5 1.2 APPOINTMENT OF EXAMINING AUTHORITY ...................................... 5 1.3 THE EXAMINATION AND PROCEDURAL DECISIONS ............................. 5 1.4 SITE INSPECTIONS ................................................................. 8 1.5 LOCAL IMPACT REPORTS .......................................................... 9 1.6 STATEMENTS OF COMMON GROUND ............................................. 9 1.7 OTHER CONSENTS REQUIRED..................................................... 9 1.8 UNDERTAKINGS/OBLIGATIONS GIVEN TO SUPPORT APPLICATION ......... 10 1.9 REQUESTS TO BECOME OR WITHDRAW FROM BEING AN INTERESTED PARTY (S102A, S102B AND S102(ZA)) ..................................... 11 1.10 STRUCTURE OF REPORT ......................................................... 12 2 MAIN FEATURES OF THE PROPOSAL AND SITE ....................... 14 2.1 THE APPLICATION AS MADE ..................................................... 14 2.2 YAPPLICATION AT THE CLOSE OF EXAMINATION ............................. 16 2.3 RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY ................................................. 21 3 LEGAL AND POLICY CONTEXT ................................................. 23 3.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................... 23 3.2 PLANNING ACT 2008 (AS AMENDED) ......................................... 23 3.3 NATIONAL POLICY STATEMENTS ................................................ 24 3.4 WELSH LEGISLATION, POLICY AND GUIDANCE ............................... 25 3.5 EUROPEAN DIRECTIVES AND RELATED UK REGULATIONS ................... 30 3.6 OTHER LEGAL AND POLICY PROVISIONS ...................................... 35 3.7 MADE DEVELOPMENT CONSENT ORDERS ...................................... 37 3.8 LISTED BUILDINGS, CONSERVATION AREAS AND SCHEDULED MONUMENTS ...................................................................... 38 3.9 TRANSBOUNDARY EFFECTS ..................................................... 38 3.10 LOCAL IMPACT REPORT ......................................................... 39 4 FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS IN RELATION TO POLICY AND FACTUAL ISSUES .................................................................... 44 4.1 MAIN ISSUES IN THE EXAMINATION ........................................... 44 4.2 STATEMENTS OF COMMON GROUND (SOCG) ................................. 49 4.3 THE PRINCIPLE OF THE DEVELOPMENT ........................................ 49 4.4 CONFORMITY WITH NATIONAL POLICY STATEMENTS AND OTHER KEY POLICY STATEMENTS ............................................................ 52 4.5 ADEQUACY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) .................................................... 56 4.6 CONSIDERATION OF ALTERNATIVES ........................................... 59 4.7 MITIGATION MEASURES ......................................................... 81 5 GOOD DESIGN ........................................................................ 82 5.1 POLICY ............................................................................. 82 5.2 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL EFFECTS ............................................. 84 5.3 BIODIVERSITY AND GEOLOGICAL CONSERVATION ......................... 111 Report to the Secretary of State 2 Brechfa Forest Connection 5.4 WATER QUALITY AND RESOURCES ........................................... 118 5.5 FLOOD RISK ..................................................................... 125 5.6 HEALTH AND ELECTRIC MAGNETIC FIELDS .................................. 128 5.7 HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT ..................................................... 130 5.8 TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT ..................................................... 134 5.9 LAND USE ....................................................................... 138 5.10 SOCIO-ECONOMIC EFFECTS .................................................. 143 5.11 COMMON LAW NUISANCE ,STATUTORY NUISANCE AND OTHER POTENTIAL NUISANCE ......................................................... 149 5.12 CIVIL AND MILITARY AVIATION AND DEFENCE INTERESTS ................ 151 5.13 CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION ......................... 152 5.14 NOISE AND VIBRATION ........................................................ 156 5.15 AIR QUALITY AND EMISSIONS ................................................ 158 5.16 OTHER MATTERS ............................................................... 159 5.17 POLLUTION CONTROL AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATORY REGIMES ........................................................................ 160 5.18 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS ................................................. 162 5.19 WASTE MANAGEMENT .......................................................... 162 5.20 SUMMARY ON NEED AND IMPACT OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT .... 163 6 FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS IN RELATION TO HABITATS REGULATIONS ...................................................................... 164 6.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 164 6.2 PROJECT LOCATION IN RELATION TO RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES ...... 167 6.3 ASSESSMENT OF LIKELY SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS RESULTING FROM THE PROJECT ALONE AND IN-COMBINATION ............................... 168 6.4 CONCLUSION ................................................................... 174 7 THE EXA'S CONCLUSION ON THE CASE FOR DEVELOPMENT CONSENT .............................................................................. 176 7.1 THE PLANNING BALANCE ...................................................... 176 7.2 THE GENERIC IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ............... 179 7.3 HABITAT REGULATIONS ASSESSMENT MATTERS ........................... 186 7.4 MATTERS WEIGHING SIGNIFICANTLY IN FAVOUR .......................... 187 7.5 MATTERS WEIGHING SIGNIFICANTLY AGAINST ............................. 187 7.6 THE BALANCE OF ISSUES...................................................... 188 7.7 OVERALL CONCLUSION ........................................................ 188 8 COMPULSORY ACQUISITION AND RELATED MATTERS .......... 189 8.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 189 8.2 THE REQUEST FOR COMPULSORY ACQUISITION POWERS ................. 189 8.3 THE PURPOSES FOR WHICH THE LAND RIGHTS AND RESTRICTIONS ARE REQUIRED ................................................................. 192 8.4 THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PLANNING ACT 2008 ........................ 196 8.5 HOW THE EXA EXAMINED THE CASE FOR COMPULSORY ACQUISITION ................................................................... 198 8.6 CONCLUSION IN RESPECT OF APS WHO MADE REPRESENTATIONS IN WRITING AND VERBAL REPRESENTATIONS AT THE OFHS AND CAHS AND OTHER INTERESTS WHICH WERE NOT IDENTIFIED ................... 225 8.7 THE EXA'S OVERALL CA CONCLUSIONS ...................................... 234 Report to the Secretary of State 3 Brechfa Forest Connection 8.8 THE EXA'S RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE GRANTING OF COMPULSORY ACQUISITION AND TEMPORARY POSSESSION POWERS (OPTIONS A AND B) .......................................................................... 237 9 DRAFT DEVELOPMENT CONSENT ORDER AND RELATED MATTERS .............................................................................. 238 9.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 238 9.2 THE RECOMMENDED DCO ..................................................... 241 9.3 ARTICLES ........................................................................ 242 9.4 DESCRIPTION OF WORKS ..................................................... 253 9.5 REQUIREMENTS - SCHEDULE 3 ............................................... 254 9.6 PROTECTIVE PROVISIONS - SCHEDULE 9 ................................... 261 9.7 OTHER SCHEDULES ............................................................ 265 9.8 OTHER LEGAL AGREEMENTS/RELATED DOCUMENTS ....................... 266 9.9 OTHER CONSENTS REQUIRED................................................