Case Officer: Sarah Scott File No: CHE/13/00420/FUL Tel. No: (01246) 345786 Plot No: 2/1562 Ctte Date: 18 th November 2013 ITEM 4 INSTALLATION OF ONE (1) MID SCALE WIND TURBINE OF MAXIMUM HEIGHT TO TIP OF 84M AND INCLUDING: UPGRADED AND NEW ACCESS TRACK, A HARDSTANDING AREA, A SMALL SUBSTATION ENCLOSURE, TEMPORARY GUYED METEOROLOGICAL MAST AND ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE - REVISED HERITAGE ASSESSMENT AND SHADOW FLICKER REPORT RECEIVED ON 17/10/2013 AT LAND TO WEST OF DUCKMANTON AND NORTH OF TOM LANE, CHESTERFIELD, DERBYSHIRE FOR ENERGY PROSPECTS CO- OPERATIVE Local Plan: Open Countryside / Other Open Land Ward: Hollingwood & Inkersall 1.0 CONSULTATIONS DCC Highways Comments received 13/09/2013 – see report DCC Planning (inc. DCC Comments received Landscapes) 27/09/2013 – see report DCC Rights of Way Comments received 16/08/2013 – no objections given nearest RoW is some 300m away from turbine location DCC Archaeology Comments received 12/09/2013 – no objections in respect of below ground archaeology given the sites previous open cast history and advise that in respect of designated heritage assets the application is determined in line with English Heritage and local Conservation Officer advice English Heritage Comments received 12/09/2013 and 16/09/2013 – see report Environmental Services Comments received 30/08/2013 – see report Design Services Comments received 20/08/2013 – no objections subject to development according with the Council’s minimum standards for drainage Economic Development No comments received Environment Agency Comments received 15/08/2013 – no objections as proposal is of low environmental risk Yorkshire Water Comments received 16/08/2013 – no objections as YWS observations are not required Bolsover District Council (adj Comments received LPA) 12/09/0213 – concerns raised in respect of the impact of the proposal on the setting of Bolsover Castle; and the wider cumulative impact of various turbine proposals within the landscape of the Castle setting North East Derbyshire District No comments received Council (adj LPA) OFCOM Comments received 19/08/2013 – advising that it is not their policy to advise or get involved with any planning applications National Air Traffic Services Comments received 19/08/2013 – no objections Joint Radio Commission Comments received 19/08/2013 and 28/08/2013 – confirming that they do not foresee any potential problems based on known interference scenarios and the data provided Ministry of Defence Comments received 18/09/2013 – no objections Civil Aviation Authority No comments received Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Comments received 01/10/2013 and 08/10/2013 – see report Natural England Comments received 10/10/2013 – see report British Horse Society No comments received Coal Authority Comments received 15/10/2013 – no objection subject to condition requiring intrusive site investigations Conservation Officer Comments received 05/11/2013 – see report Ward Members No comments received Neighbours/Site 103 letters of representation Notice/Advertisement received 2.0 THE SITE 2.1 The site the subject of the application comprises of land at the former Arkwright open cast mine, off Tom Lane Duckmanton. The majority of the open cast site has since been reclaimed and the field specific to the application proposals is currently utilised for arable farming. 2.2 Access to the site is from Tom Lane to the south via a track which originally served the open cast site. The residential settlements of Duckmanton, Inkersall and Staveley / Poolsbrook lie to the east, west, and north of the site respectively. At the closest point the site lies 480m from the western fringe of Duckmanton and 1.35km from the eastern fringe of Inkersall. Several periphery dwellings lie to west / south west of the site approximately 600m from the proposals. 2.3 The M1 motorway is approximately 1km to the east of the proposal and links to Tom Lane via Markham Road. The A632 Chesterfield Road runs approximately 1.2km to the south and the Staveley Road / Inkersall Road runs approximately 450m to the west. In addition there are 400kW overhead transmission lines and pylons adjacent the west and north of the site towards Inkersall and Poolsbrook Country Park. 3.0 SITE HISTORY 3.1 CHE/13/00050/EIA - Screening request for a community wind turbine. Decision issued by CBC on 12/02/2013 advising that the proposal was regarded as EIA development which required a subsequent application for the development to be accompanied by an Environmental Statement. 3.2 Notwithstanding the screening opinion by CBC the applicant referred the same screening request to the Secretary of State National Planning Casework Unit (NPCU) for an independent screening decision. The NPCU responded to the applicants screening request on the 08/05/2013 advising that it was their view the development proposals did not constitute EIA development on the basis the matters of visual impact upon surrounding heritage assets could be addressed under normal working practices of the planning process. This over ruled the Councils view on the matter. 4.0 THE PROPOSAL 4.1 The application, which is submitted in full, proposes the erection of a single 84m high wind turbine with associated infrastructure as follows: • a temporary 50m high wind monitoring mast; • a substation adjacent the turbine containing the transformer, switchgear and metering equipment; • an associated hardstanding (for us by the crane during turbine erection); and • a 175m improved access track (inc. alterations to the existing track junction at Tom Lane). 4.2 The candidate turbine will be the 500kW Enercon E48 wind turbine which has a hub height of 60m, a rotor diameter of 48m and thus a maximum height to tip of 84m. The application submission details 3 no. further candidate turbines which all have a tip height of 84m, however should an alternative turbine be chosen the applicant indicates that any substitute will be required to match or better the environmental performance of the candidate turbine which forms the basis for all the assessments accompanying the application. 4.3 Prior to the installation of the wind turbine it is proposed that a temporary wind monitoring mast 50m in height will be erected on the same site to measure wind speeds and collect data. The mast, which will include an anemometer, is secured by guy ropes which are attached to 4 no. anchoring points which are sited at a radius 25m from the base of the mast. The guy ropes will extend from the mast at 5 no. vertical points (at intervals of approximately 9.4m, 18.8m, 28.1m, 37.5m and 47.0m). 4.4 The substation proposed will measure 5.1m x 3.1m x 2.5m high and will be located 31.5m south of the turbine. The hardstanding, also created to the south of the turbine itself, will measure 20m x 30m and will be accessed from a new 4m wide access track (incorporating 28m radius corners) created from the existing track located to the east of the site. Modifications are also proposed to the junction of the existing access track at Tom Lane to temporarily remove the fencing and gates and create a 28m radius track to allow access for construction vehicles. 4.5 In the application submission the proposed turbine is described as a community project and it is the applicants’ intention to set up a new co-operative to assist in raising capital to fund the turbine development. The creation of the co-operative will give local people an opportunity to invest in the project and become a member of the co-operative. The applicant submission details that local community will be offered the opportunity to invest between £250 and £20,000 in the project and thereafter revenue made from the sale of electricity generated by the turbine will be re-distributed to members of that co-operative proportionate to their investment. The applicant proposes that the co-operative will pay a proportion of the revenue generated to a local community fund (approx 1.5 – 2%, estimated to amount to between £5,000 and £7,000 per annum). It is the intention of the applicant to set up a Community Trust, to manage the community fund (in consultation with the local community). 4.6 The application is accompanied by the following additional documentation: Planning Application Documentation Booklet and Environmental Report; Planning Statement; Ecological Report (prepared by Wild Frontier Ecology) June 2013; Noise Assessment (prepared by ION Acoustics Ltd) May 2013; Heritage Assessment (prepared by CgMs Consulting) June 2013; Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (prepared by Viento Environmental Limited) June 2013. In addition to the above the application submission also contains documentation in respect of Initial Site Investigations, Screening, Aviation, Shadow Flicker and Telecom Utilities and TV. 4.7 A revised copy of the Heritage Statement (correcting a scaling error) and an addendum to the Shadow Flicker Assessments (expanding the assessment to include Duckmanton Primary School) were received on 17/10/2013. 5.0 CONSIDERATIONS 5.1 National / Local Planning Policy 5.1.1 The application site is situated on open countryside / other open land as defined in the Chesterfield Local Plan: Core Strategy 2011 - 2031. Having regard to the nature of the application proposals the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Policy CS5 of the Core Strategy apply. 5.1.2 The NPPF (paragraph 98) directs that when determining planning applications for renewable energy development, Local Planning Authorities should: • not require applicants for renewable energy development to demonstrate the overall need for renewable or low carbon energy and also recognise that even small-scale projects provide a valuable contribution to cutting greenhouse gas emissions; and • approve the application if its impacts are (or can be made) acceptable. Once suitable areas for renewable and low carbon energy have been identified in plans, LPAs should also expect subsequent applications for commercial scale projects outside these areas to demonstrate that the proposed location meets the criteria used in identifying suitable sites.