Mynydd Pen-y-Graig Wind Farm Design and Access Statement Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited 2212959 HCL House Fortran Road St Mellons Business Park St Mellons Cardiff CF3 0EY United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)29 2092 6700 Fax: +44 (0)29 2092 5222 www.hyderconsulting.com Mynydd Pen-y-Graig Wind Farm Design and Access Statement Author Sarah Tooby Checker David Jones Approver Leslie Walker Report No 0004-UA005024-UE31-01 Date March 2015 This report has been prepared for Mynydd Pen-y-Graig Wind Farm Limited in accordance with the terms and conditions of appointment. Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited (2212959) cannot accept any responsibility for any use of or reliance on the contents of this report by any third party. Mynydd Pen-y-Graig Wind Farm March 2015 Design and Access Statement CONTENTS 1. Introduction ...................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background .............................................................................. 1 1.2 Site Location ............................................................................. 2 1.3 Project Description .................................................................... 3 1.4 Site Context .............................................................................. 3 2. Planning Policy and Guidance ........................................................ 5 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................... 5 2.2 National Planning Policy ........................................................... 5 2.3 Local Planning Policy ................................................................ 7 2.4 Other Guidance ........................................................................ 9 3. Design ............................................................................................. 10 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................. 10 3.2 Vision ...................................................................................... 10 3.3 Site Selection .......................................................................... 10 3.4 Feasibility Studies ................................................................... 11 3.5 Design Strategy ...................................................................... 11 3.6 Design Evolution ..................................................................... 12 3.7 Design Consultation ................................................................ 14 4. Design Solution.............................................................................. 15 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................. 15 4.2 Character ................................................................................ 15 4.3 Landscaping and Habitat Enhancement.................................. 19 4.4 Community Safety .................................................................. 20 4.5 Environmental Sustainability ................................................... 21 5. Access ............................................................................................ 23 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................. 23 5.2 Movement ............................................................................... 23 5.3 Public Rights of Way/Public Access ........................................ 24 5.4 Access for All .......................................................................... 24 6. Conclusions ................................................................................... 25 7. References ..................................................................................... 26 Mynydd Pen-y-Graig Wind Farm March 2015 Page i Design and Access Statement 1 Introduction 1.1 Background 1.1.1 The Applicant, Mynydd Pen-y-Graig Wind Farm Limited, is a member of the Infinis Energy plc group of companies (‘Infinis’). The Applicant is proposing to develop the Mynydd Pen-y-Graig wind farm on land at Grid Reference E298670, N190740, near Penygraig, Rhondda Cynon Taf. The Mynydd Pen-y-Graig wind farm is hereafter referred to as ‘the Development’. 1.1.2 This Statement has been prepared in accordance with statutory legislation, as set out under the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) (Amendment) (Wales) Order 2009 (Ref D-1), which provides that a statement covering design concepts and principles and access issues is submitted with an application for planning permission. 1.1.3 Preparation of the Design and Access Statement (DAS) has been undertaken in accordance with the following national and local policy guidance: Design and Access Statements in Wales: Why, What and How, Design Commission for Wales (2014) (Ref D-2); Technical Advice Note 12: Design, Welsh Assembly Government (2009) (Ref D-3); Welsh Statutory Instrument (2009) No. 1024 (W.87) (Ref D-4) Rhondda Cynon Taf County Bourough Local Development Plan up to 2021 (Adopted March 2011) (Ref D-5); Bridgend County Borough Council Local Development Framework (2013) (Ref D-6); Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council Unitary Development Plan (2008) (Ref D-7); Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council Deposit Local Development Plan (2013) (Ref D-8); Planning Policy Wales, 7th Edition, Welsh Government (July 2014) (Ref D- 9); Design and Placemaking SPG, RCTCBC March 2011 (Ref D-10); and Designing Wind Farms in Wales, Design Commission for Wales (Updated 2014) (Ref D-11). 1.1.4 This Statement accompanies a full planning application for the Development and provides details of the design principles that have influenced the wind farm proposal and the access issues associated with the Development site in accordance with relevant policy and guidance. 1.1.5 The Statement forms part of a suite of documents which comprise the planning application for the Development. These consist of application drawings, forms Mynydd Pen-y-Graig Wind Farm March 2015 Page 1 Design and Access Statement and certificates, a Planning Statement, an Environmental Statement (ES) (including a Non Technical Summary), a Statement of Community Consultation and a Transport Statement. 1.1.6 A detailed description of the Development is provided in Section 3 in relation to the following works, as set-out within the planning application: ‘The erection of up to 5 No. three-bladed wind turbines of up to 115m tip-height and their foundations, together with ancillary development including a compound containing a substation and control building; on-site underground electrical cables; on-site access tracks; crane hardstandings, temporary construction compound; fencing; site signage and site access from the public highway.’ 1.1.7 No single approach is required by the above guidelines, and the content and level of detail to be contained within a DAS varies, depending upon the scale and type of the development proposed. Within the context of this planning application, it is therefore proposed that the structure of the DAS is set-out broadly in line with these guidelines as far as is relevant to the Development. 1.2 Site Location 1.2.1 The Development is located within the Rhondda Valley, approximately 1km from Penygraig to the east and approximately 1.5km from Tonypandy to the north. The location of the Development is shown in Drawing 0001. Currently the land is used for the grazing of livestock. The A4119 road between Tonyrefail and Tonypandy passes approximately 1km to the east of the site boundary. The site is within the vicinity of a number of other wind farms: 2km to the east of the Fforch Nest and Pant y Wal wind farms; 4km to the north of the Taff Ely and Mynydd Portref wind farms; 6km to the south of the Ferndale wind farm; 10km to the south of the Maerdy wind farm; 17km to the south east of the Ffynnon Oer wind farm; and 10km to the south east of the under construction Pen y Cymoedd wind farm at its closest point. 1.2.2 It is noted that the planning application submitted falls under the jurisdiction of three different local planning authorities (LPAs). The wind farm itself would be within Rhondda Cynon Taf County Bourough Council (RCTCBC), although the access route to the Development is partially within RCTCBC, it also passes through Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (NPTCBC) and Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC). Drawings 0001, 0002 and 0003 show the application boundary within each of the LPA boundaries. As such, three identical planning applications have been submitted, one to each of the three authorities. Each LPA is required to determine the part of the application that falls within its planning jurisdiction. Mynydd Pen-y-Graig Wind Farm March 2015 Page 2 Design and Access Statement 1.3 Project Description 1.3.1 The Development consists of the following elements, as shown on Drawing 0004: Five three-bladed wind turbines of up to 115m tip-height, with an indicative total installed capacity of between 10 and 15MW; Turbine foundations; Crane hardstandings; On-site access tracks; A site access route from the public road network (including forestry access tracks in RCTCBC, BCBC and NPTCBC); A compound containing a substation and control building; Underground electrical cables; A temporary construction compound; Fencing; and Site signage. 1.3.2 The Development would be operational for 25 years. Should there be a proposal for the wind turbines to be replaced or refurbished after 25 years, this would be subject to a future, separate, planning application and