March 2014 BROGBOROUGH WIND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT FCC Environment Ltd [3512084A] [Final] Brogborough Wind Energy Development Design and Access Statement Prepared for FCC Environment Ltd Ground Floor West 900 Pavilion Drive Northampton NN4 7RG Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff Amber Court, William Armstrong Drive Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 7YQ www.pbworld.com Brogborough Wind Energy Development Design and Access Statement CONTENTS Page Introduction 7 1 Introduction 9 The Proposed Development 11 2 The Proposed Development 13 Understanding The Context 15 3 Understanding The Context 17 3.1 Physical Context 17 3.2 Site Selection / Consideration of Alternatives 17 3.3 Social Context 19 3.4 Economic Context 19 Planning Policy 21 4 Planning Policy 23 4.1 Introduction 23 4.2 National Planning Policy 23 4.3 Local Planning Policy 23 4.4 Core Strategy 23 4.5 Relevant CSDMP Policies 23 The Design Component 27 5 The Design Component 29 5.1 Introduction 29 5.2 Amount 29 5.3 Layout: 30 5.4 Scale 30 5.5 Landscaping 31 5.6 Appearance 31 The Access Component 33 6 The Access Component 35 Brogborough Wind Energy - Design And Access Statement.docx Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff March 2014 for FCC Environment Ltd - 5 - Brogborough Wind Energy Development Design and Access Statement LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AOD Above Ordnance Datum CAA Civil Aviation Authority CBC Central Bedfordshire Council DAS Design and Access Statement EIA Environmental Impact Assessment ES Environmental Statement FCC FCC Environment Ltd. Ha Hectares MOD Ministry of Defence MWe Mega Watt Electrical NPPF National Planning Policy Framework DCLG Department for Communities and Local Government WPDL Western Power Distribution Ltd. M Meters Km Kilometres Brogborough Wind Energy - Design And Access Statement.docx Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff March 2014 for FCC Environment Ltd - 6 - Brogborough Wind Energy Development Design and Access Statement SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION Brogborough Wind Energy - Design And Access Statement.docx Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff March 2014 for FCC Environment Ltd - 7 - Brogborough Wind Energy Development Design and Access Statement 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1.1 This Design and Access Statement (DAS) has been prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd. (PB) on behalf of FCC Environment Ltd (FCC). It is submitted in support of an application for planning permission to Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) seeking permission for development of a six turbine Wind Energy Development, together with associate ancillary infrastructure, to be located within the landholding of the former Brogborough Landfill Site Central Bedfordshire, England. 1.1.2 This DAS accompanies a number of other inter-related documents which need to be read together to gain a full understanding of the proposed project. These planning application documents include the following: x Environmental Statement – Volume 1 (Main Document) x Environmental Statement Volume 2 (Figures and Appendices) x Planning Statement x Planning Forms x Design and Access Statement 1.1.3 Section 6 of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Circular ‘Guidance on Information Requirements and Validation’ (2010) sets out the requirements for Design and Access Statements. It states that the level of detail required in a Design and Access Statement will depend on the scale and complexity of the project (paragraph 121). It advises that statements should be proportionate to the complexity of the application, but need not be long. 1.1.4 This DAS reflects that advice and has also been produced to meet the requirements of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2010. Brogborough Wind Energy - Design And Access Statement.docx Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff March 2014 for FCC Environment Ltd - 9 - Brogborough Wind Energy Development Design and Access Statement 1.1.5 SECTION 2 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT Brogborough Wind Energy - Design And Access Statement.docx Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff March 2014 for FCC Environment Ltd - 11 - Brogborough Wind Energy Development Design and Access Statement 2 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 2.1.1 The proposed project will comprise six wind turbines, each capable of producing up to 0.9 megawatts of electricity (MWe) by converting the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy. Each turbine will have a total height to tip of up to 90 m. The rotor will consist of three blades connected to a hub supported by a steel tower. 2.1.2 The proposed Wind Energy Project will be located entirely within the landholding of the Brogborough Landfill site, approximately 1.7 km south of Cranfield, 3 km west of Marston Moretaine and 2.75 km North West of Lidlington. The site location is shown in Figure 1.1 of Volume 3 of the ES. 2.1.3 The exact model of turbine to be used at the proposed Wind Energy Project site will not be known until a contractor / manufacturer has been chosen following planning permission. For this reason, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been based on preliminary conservative design information for which any changes would only improve the potential environmental impact. 2.1.4 For the purposes of the planning documents, turbines of the maximum size envisaged will be considered, that is six turbines up to 90 m to blade tip. For the purposes of this planning application, it has been assumed that the GAMESA G58 turbines will be used. 2.1.5 The individual turbines will be connected by underground cables to an onsite control building that will house switchgear and transformers as necessary. The power generated by the turbines will then be exported to the regional grid operated by Western Power Distribution Limited (WPDL). The final connection route is yet to be established, however there are several alternative routes available to FCC which are all considered viable at this stage. This cable route will be the subject of a separate planning application (as required) by Western Power Distribution Limited. Western Power Distribution Limited will undertake this work as they are a statutory body and well experienced in siting cable routes. They are therefore able to plan the best route and establish a connection without rigorous planning legislation, providing they contact relevant consultees such as Central Bedfordshire Council prior to undertaking such works. 2.1.6 Construction of the proposed Wind Energy Project is expected to take between 8 to 12 months. The majority of this work will include construction of the turbine foundations and road infrastructure. The turbines themselves will be fabricated elsewhere, brought to the site in sections and erected using a crane. 2.1.7 It is anticipated that the proposed development will produce a significant and reliable supply of energy which will feed in to the national distribution network. The project will therefore contribute to the EU Renewables Directive (2009/28/EC) as well as the United Kingdom’s target of over 15 per cent of electricity production from renewable sources by 2020 (UK Renewable Energy road map, 2011). Brogborough Wind Energy - Design And Access Statement.docx Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff March 2014 for FCC Environment Ltd - 13 - Brogborough Wind Energy Development Design and Access Statement SECTION 3 UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT Brogborough Wind Energy - Design And Access Statement.docx Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff March 2014 for FCC Environment Ltd - 15 - Brogborough Wind Energy Development Design and Access Statement 3 UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT 3.1 Physical Context 3.1.1 The proposed Brogborough Wind Energy Development will be sited wholly on land owned and managed by FCC within the former Brogborough Landfill Site. No turbines will be situated within close proximity to waste deposits. Although the turbines are within the landholding of the existing landfill site, the area where they will be sited has not been set aside as future void space, has not previously been excavated to create void and is not used for any landfill operations. 3.1.2 The site lies within the Marston Vale. The landscape character of Marston Vale is one of semi rural/industrial settings with surrounding industries including the proposed Rookery Energy from Waste plant to the east and the rural villages of Brogborough and Cranfield to the south and north respectively. 3.1.3 The site lies between (approximately) 50 to 60m Above Ordnance Datum (AOD). The site has relatively undulating topography and is bounded to the North by Marsdon Thrift Woodland, to the West by Holcot and residential properties, and to the South and East by the M1 and A421 respectively. On the site to the East of where the turbines will be located is a 30 MW power station which is fuelled by methane gas collected from the landfill site. The site has a total area of 192 hectares (ha) as shown on Figure 1. 3.1.4 Surrounding residential areas include: x Cranfield, approximately 1.7 km North; x Marston Moretaine, 3 km East; x Lidlington, 2.4 km South East. 3.1.5 The site is within the County of Bedfordshire and is administered by Central Bedfordshire Council. 3.1.6 The application site area is shown in Figure 1.1 in Volume II of the ES. 3.2 Site Selection / Consideration of Alternatives 3.2.1 In England, the choice of potential project sites for producing wind generated power is severely limited by the lack of sites not confined by, amongst others, residential/human, visual, aviation, telecommunications, ecological and ornithological constraints. 3.2.2 Over the last few years, FCC has undertaken feasibility studies at a number of their sites. Issues which have been examined in these assessments include: x Wind Resource - The siting of the wind turbines is constrained by the need for a location with sufficient wind resource to allow the project to operate in a technically and commercially viable manner. x Distance From Housing - The nearest house is approximately 724 m from a proposed turbine location.