AQUIND Limited AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR Environmental Statement – Volume 1 – Chapter 15 Landscape and Visual Amenity The Planning Act 2008 The Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009 – Regulation 5(2)(a) The Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 Document Ref: 6.1.15 PINS Ref.: EN020022 AQUIND Limited AQUIND Limited AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR Environmental Statement – Volume 1 – Chapter 15 Landscape and Visual Amenity PINS REF.: EN020022 DOCUMENT: 6.1.15 DATE: 14 NOVEMBER 2019 WSP WSP House 70 Chancery Lane London WC2A 1AF +44 20 7314 5000 www.wsp.com AQUIND Limited DOCUMENT Document 6.1.15 Environmental Statement – Volume 1 – Chapter 15 Landscape and Visual Amenity Revision 001 Document Owner WSP UK Limited Prepared By M. Boden Date 11 November 2019 Approved By A. Follis Date 14 November 2019 AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR WSP PINS Ref.: EN020022 Document Ref.: Environmental Statement Chapter 15 Landscape and Visual Amenity November 2019 AQUIND Limited CONTENTS 15. LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL AMENITY 1 SCOPE OF THE ASSESSMENT 1 LEGISLATION, POLICY AND GUIDANCE 3 SCOPING OPINION AND CONSULTATION 7 ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY 18 BASELINE ENVIRONMENT 31 PREDICTED IMPACTS 80 PROPOSED MITIGATION 80 ASSESSMENT 89 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ASSESSMENT 149 REFERENCES 152 TABLES Table 15.1 - LVIA Topics and elements scoped out of the assessment 13 Table 15.2 - Extent of visibility of Option B(i) and B(ii) (8 km and 3 km) 21 Table.15.3 - Extent of visibility with embedded mitigation (reprofiling and planting) for both Option B(i) and B(ii) covering an 8 km and 3 km study area 22 Table 15.4 - Representative Viewpoints 23 Table 15.5 - Representative Local Viewpoints and Photomontages based on Option B(i) 24 Table 15.6 - Representative Viewpoints and Wirelines for the Landfall 25 Table 15.7 - Matrix for Determining Significance of Effect 27 Table 15.8 - South Downs National Park, County and District/City Level LCAs/LCTs (within 8 km) 34 AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR WSP PINS Ref.: EN020022 Document Ref.: Environmental Statement Chapter 15 Landscape and Visual Amenity November 2019 AQUIND Limited Table 15.9 - Landscape Character of the Surrounding Area and the Site (within 3 km) 37 Table 15.10 - Summary of Effects Table for Landscape Character 115 Table 15.11- Summary of Effects Table for Visual Amenity 131 PLATES Plate 15.1 - Historic Landscape Character Types 41 Plate 15.2 - Ordnance Survey 1st edition of the Converter Station Area 42 Plate 15.3 - Location of Overhead Lines in relation to Lovedean Substation 46 Plate 15.4 - SDNP Viewshed Characterisation and Analysis 52 FIGURES Figure 15.1 - LVIA Study Area-CS Figure 15.2 - LVIA Study Area-CR (1) Figure 15.3 - LVIA Study Area-CR (2) Figure 15.4 - LVIA Study Area-CR (3) Figure 15.5 - Landscape Planning Designations-CS Figure 15.6 - Landscape Planning Designations-CR (1) Figure 15.7 - Landscape Planning Designations-CR (2) Figure 15.8 - Landscape Planning Designations-CR (3) Figure 15.9 - ZTV-8km Bare Earth Option B(i) Figure 15.10 - ZTV-8km Bare Earth Option B(ii) Figure 15.11 - ZTV-3km Baseline Option B(i) Figure 15.12 - ZTV-3km Baseline Option B(ii) Figure 15.13 - ZTV-8km Baseline 20 Year Option B(i) Figure 15.14 - ZTV-8km Baseline 20 Year Option B(ii) AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR WSP PINS Ref.: EN020022 Document Ref.: Environmental Statement Chapter 15 Landscape and Visual Amenity November 2019 AQUIND Limited Figure 15.15 - ZTV-3km Baseline 20 Year Option B(i) Figure 15.16 - ZTV-3km Baseline 20 Year Option B(ii) Figure 15.17 – Viewpoint Location Plan (CS) Figure 15.18 – 15.34 – Visuals Figure 15.35 – 15.37 – Visuals Figure 15.38 – National Landscape Character Areas Figure 15.39 – County and District LCA – Converter (8km) Figure 15.40 – Local District LCA – Converter (3km) Figure 15.41 – National and Local LCA – Cable Route Figure 15.42 – National and Local LCA – Cable Route Figure 15.43 – National and Local LCA – Cable Route Figure 15.44 – Topography Figure 15.45 – Recreational and Transport Routes (8km) Figure 15.46 – Recreational and Transport Routes (3km) Figure 15.47 – Residential Properties and Settlements Figure 15.48 – Indicative Landscape Mitigation (N) Figure 15.49 – Indicative Landscape Mitigation (S) Figure 15.50 – Indicative Landscape Mitigation (LF) Figure 15.51 – Viewpoint Location Plan (LF) Figure 15.52 – 15.56 - Visuals APPENDICES Appendix 15.1 – Consultation Responses Appendix 15.2 – National and Local Policy Review Appendix 15.3 – Landscape and Visual Assessment Methodology Appendix 15.4 – Landscape Character Appendix 15.5 – South Downs National Park Appendix 15.6 – Visual Amenity Appendix 15.7 – Landscape Schedules, Planting Heights and Image Board AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR WSP PINS Ref.: EN020022 Document Ref.: Environmental Statement Chapter 15 Landscape and Visual Amenity November 2019 AQUIND Limited Appendix 15.8 – Assessment of Landscape and Visual Effects Appendix 15.9 – Landscape and Visual Amenity Cumulative Assessment Matrix (Stage 1 & 2) Appendix 15.10 – Landscape and Visual Amenity Cumulative Assessment Matrix (Stage 3 & 4) . AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR WSP PINS Ref.: EN020022 Document Ref.: Environmental Statement Chapter 15 Landscape and Visual Amenity November 2019 AQUIND Limited 15. LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL AMENITY SCOPE OF THE ASSESSMENT INTRODUCTION This chapter reports the assessment of likely significant effects arising from the Proposed Development on the landscape and on visual amenity. The Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (‘LVIA’) deals with the separate, but interlinked, issues of: Landscape1: Landscape effects are direct physical changes to the landscape caused by the Proposed Development or indirect changes to landscape character and how the landscape is perceived following the Proposed Development. Landscape impact assessment considers these effects both in terms of the individual components of the landscape and on the structure, coherence and character of the landscape as a whole. Visual: Visual effects are changes in the composition and character of views available in the area affected by the Proposed Development. Visual impact assessment considers the response of the people who experience these effects, who may be living or working in the area, enjoying recreational activities or simply passing through. The assessment considers the overall consequence of the effects on the visual amenity – the pleasantness of the view or outlook – that the people affected enjoy. The Proposed Development that forms the basis of this assessment is described in Chapter 3 (Description of the Proposed Development) of the Environmental Statement (‘ES’) Volume 1 (document reference 6.1.3). This chapter (and its associated figures and appendices) is intended to be read as part of the wider ES, with references to: Chapter 16 (Onshore Ecology) of the ES Volume 1 (document reference 6.1.16); Chapter 21 (Heritage and Archaeology) of the ES Volume 1 (document reference 6.1.21); Converter Station and Telecommunication Buildings Parameter Plans Sheet 1 to 3 (document reference 2.6); Optical Regeneration Station Parameter Plan Sheet 1 (document reference 2.11); Design Principles included within the Design and Access Statement (document reference 5.5); and Outline Landscape and Biodiversity Strategy (document reference 6.10). The LVIA considers the “present day” effects on those heritage assets that are also landscape or visual receptors because they form distinctive landscape features AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR WSP PINS Ref.: EN020022 Document Ref.: Environmental Statement Chapter 15 Landscape and Visual Amenity November 2019 AQUIND Limited Page 15-1 and/or are tourist/visitor attractions where views are an important contributory factor to the experience. The LVIA considers activities during construction, over the operational life of the Proposed Development and during decommissioning. This includes: Construction, operation and decommissioning works associated with Section 1 (the Converter Station) and associated infrastructure (including the Access Road, up to two Telecommunications Buildings containing Fibre Optic Cable (‘FOC’) Infrastructure and associated compound, security fencing, and Laydown Area/Works Compound) and movement of vehicles during all three stages of the Proposed Development. Construction works associated with Sections 2 to 9 (the Onshore Cable Corridor from the Converter Station at Lovedean to the Landfall at Eastney). Construction, operation and decommissioning works associated with Section 10 (the Landfall) including two Optical Regeneration Stations (‘ORS’) associated with the FOC, construction of underground infrastructure, temporary vehicular routes for construction vehicles, temporary Laydown Area/Works Compound and construction vehicle movements. STUDY AREA The Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment, 3rd Edition, (Landscape Institute, IEMA, 2013) para 5.2 clarifies how study areas should be determined on a project by project basis. GLVIA states that “[T]he study area should include the site itself and the full extent of the wider landscape around it which the proposed development may influence in a significant manner. This will usually be based on the extent of Landscape Character Areas likely to be significantly affected either directly or indirectly. However, it may also be based on the extent of the area from which the development is potentially visible, defined as the Zone of Theoretical Visibility, or combination of the two.” For the purposes of this LVIA, the study area was divided into