SCHEDULE SL/2014/1220 (a) KIRKBY IRELETH: Land at Kirkby Moor Wind Farm, KIRKBY in FURNESS PROPOSAL: Decommissioning of 12 existing wind turbines and ancillary infrastructure; erection of a wind farm comprising 6 Website Link to Application turbines (Maximum blade tip height of up to 115m), a E325762 N482676 26/11/2015 meteorological mast, new and upgraded access RWE Innogy UK Ltd tracks, substation and other ancillary development SUMMARY The application seeks permission for the decommissioning and removal of twelve existing 42 metre high wind turbines and replacement with six new wind turbines, along with a meteorological mast, new and upgraded access tracks, a substation and other ancillary infrastructure. The maximum height to blade tip of each new turbine would be 115 metres (377ft). The main issues arising from the proposal include: • Visual and landscape Impact, including cumulative impacts and impacts upon the setting of the Lake District National Park. • Residential amenity impacts. • Impacts upon ecology and in particular the Kirkby Moor SSSI. • Impacts upon tourism, recreation and the local economy. • Impacts upon the setting of designated Heritage Assets and archaeological interests. • Impacts upon communication networks, in particular the Ministry of Defence air traffic control radar. Although the proposal will make a tangible contribution to targets for renewable energy generation, it is considered that this does not outweigh the harmful landscape, visual and cumulative impacts of the proposed development including the adverse impacts upon the setting of the Lake District National Park; harmful impacts upon the setting of designated heritage assets and unresolved impacts upon the Ministry of Defence communications network. DESCRIPTION AND PROPOSAL Site Description The site comprises an upland area of moor directly to the east of Kirkby Slate Quarry, known as Kirkby Moor and Lowick High Common. It is positioned at the southern edge of the Cumbrian Mountains just beyond the southern boundary of the Lake District National Park, with the northern most proposed turbine lying just over 1km to the south of the National Park boundary. The application site is located approximately 5 km to the northwest of Ulverston. The village of Grizebeck lies approximately 2 km to the northwest, Kirkby in Furness lies approximately 2 km to the southwest, and Broughton Beck lies approximately 2 km to the east of the site. The nearest hamlets and villages are located in the low lying land on either side of the moor. To the east of the moor these include Gawthwaite, Broughton Beck and Netherhouses whilst to the west of the moor these include Grizebeck, Chapels, Beck Side and Kirkby in Furness. The nearest residential properties to the site are located at Moor House Farm, Groffa Cragg to the east, Croglin Farm and Cop Cross to the west and Friars Ground and High Ghyll Farm to the south west, which are within 1km of the proposed turbines. The primary highway routes immediately surrounding the Kirkby Moor site are the A5092 which crosses Gawthwaite Moss approximately 1km north of the site, and the A595 which runs along the eastern side of the Duddon Estuary through Kirkby in Furness. Kirkby Slate Quarry extends for approximately 1.5 km along the north western slopes of Kirkby Moor. Access to the existing Kirkby Moor wind farm for operational and maintenance purposes, is via the quarry, whose main access is from the A5902. A minor road / track, known as the Kirkby Slate Road is located to the south of the site and provides access to an existing substation building located to the south of the current turbine group. Much of the application site is designated as part of the Kirkby Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its upland heath habitat, in particular its heather moorland. An area of Access Land designated under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act covers the majority of Kirkby Moor and much of the Kirkby Moor site, including the area in which the existing wind farm is sited. There are also a number of Public Rights of Way (PROW) which cross the site. The site boundary extends across two units of Common Land, Kirkby Moor Common and Lowick High Common. A number of designated heritage assets are located within the vicinity of the application site including Kirkby Hall, a Grade I listed building; Ashlack Hall, St Cuthbert’s Church Beckside, and the Sir John Barrow monument which are Grade II * listed buildings, and St John’s Church Netherhouses and St Luke’s Church Lowick Grade II listed buildings. The nearest conservation areas to the proposed development is at Broughton in Furness, 5.5 km to the north-west and Ulverston Conservation area 5.2 km to the south east. Long Moor Cairn, a Scheduled Monument, is located within the application site. The Cairn is formed of two parts; the monument consists of a Bronze Age tumulus, a mound placed over a cist burial. There is also a ring cairn, a circular enclosure formed by a bank. The current wind farm comprises 12 no. 400 kW turbines, with a blade tip height of 42.4 metres. The wind farm, which was one of the first operational windfarms in the UK, was granted consent in March 1992 by the Secretary of State. The existing windfarm has a capacity of 4.8MW, and since becoming operational in 1993 has generated approximately 228GWh of renewable electricity. The site also contains two temporary 80 metre high met masts, the permission for which expires 28th February 2016. Proposal The application comprises the following elements: 1) The decommissioning and removal of the current turbines; 2) The construction of six new turbines and associated infrastructure and access routes; 3) The installation of a transformer at the base of each turbine; 4) The creation of crane hard standing areas beside each turbine; 5) The construction of new and upgraded on-site access tracks, including vehicle turning heads; 6) The construction of a permanent meteorological mast, including Mountain Rescue radio equipment; 7) The construction of a new substation and associated compound and parking area; and 8) The provision of a temporary construction compound, storage area and setting down area. 1) The existing turbines and unit transformers including all above ground equipment would be removed from the site. A Draft Decommissioning and Construction Method Statement forms part of the submitted documents which set out how this will be achieved together with details of the proposed restoration works. The top 1 metre of the existing turbine foundations would be reduced / removed and overlain with topsoil to enable long term reinstatement. The turbine foundations would remain in situ unless their removal is required to facilitate the construction of the new turbines. The transformer bases would be removed from site and the exposed ground would be topsoiled to enable vegetation establishment. The existing cabling for each turbine will be cut and capped. The existing track network would remain. 2) The six proposed turbines would have three blades with a maximum height to blade tip of 115 metres, a maximum hub height of 74 metres and a base diameter of approximately 5.5 metres. Each of the proposed turbines would have an installed generating capacity of between 2MW and 3MW, giving a combined installed generating capacity of between 12MW and 18MW for the wind farm in total. Each turbine would be constructed on a reinforced concrete base measuring 20 metres in diameter and built to a depth of approximately 3 metres. The turbines would be positioned within the existing general envelope of the current windfarm, with two of the turbine positions on or very close to existing turbines. Five of the turbines with their associated works would be located within the SSSI. The sixth would be positioned just outwith the SSSI to the south of the current turbine group. The base of the turbines would be set at between 251 metres and 319 metres above ordinance datum. In order to enable adjustments to the precise siting of the turbines in response to any additional ecological or engineering constraints, the application allows for an area of 10 metres for potential micro-siting of the turbines. 3) An electrical transformer would be located at the base of each turbine with separate transformer housing measuring 6 metres by 3.5 metres by 3 metres high and positioned on an elevated concrete base. 4) A crane hardstanding measuring 45 metres by 25 metres would be constructed alongside each of the turbines. These would be constructed of compacted unbound granular material using local stone and remain in position for the lifetime of the development. 5) New and upgraded access tracks would be constructed to connect the turbine bases, incorporating turning heads to accommodate abnormal load turbine delivery vehicles. The tracks would be 4.5 metres wide with passing places and include turning areas adjacent to where they terminate. They would be constructed of unbound granular material using local stone and reinforced with geogrid material. 6) A permanent meteorological mast would be sited on the western side of the turbine group close to the position of one of the existing turbines. This would replace the current two temporary masts. The mast would be of a lattice tower design, 80 metres in height and incorporate the Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue radio equipment which is currently sited on one of the temporary masts. 7) A new substation and associated compound, including a temporary construction compound would be constructed adjacent to the existing substation at the head of the Kirkby Slate Road. The building would comprise a single storey 10 metre by 20 metre stone faced building with a pitched tiled roof. It would house switchgear and metering, protection and control equipment as well as welfare facilities.