Rusholme Wind Farm ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT May 2004 VOLUME 2: THE ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT TEXT W I N D P R O S P E C T D E V E L O P M E N T S L T D 7 , B E R K E L E Y S Q U A R E C L I F T O N B R I S T O L B S 8 1 H G TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 4 1.1 FOREWORD ............................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT................................................................ 5 1.3 CONSULTATIONS ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 THE CONSULTANCY TEAM..................................................................................................... 5 1.5 FORM AND CONTENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT........................................ 8 2 THE PROPOSED RUSHOLME WIND FARM ....................................................... 9 2.1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................ 9 2.2 LOCATION ................................................................................................................................. 9 2.3 TURBINES.................................................................................................................................. 9 2.4 SITE ACCESS ............................................................................................................................10 2.5 SITE SIGNS................................................................................................................................11 2.6 SITE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM....................................................................................................11 2.7 EXPORT POWER LINE .............................................................................................................11 2.8 WIND MONITORING................................................................................................................12 2.9 MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS AND OPERATION ..........................................................12 3 THE NEED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT .............................................................. 13 3.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................13 3.2 ENERGY FROM FOSSIL FUELS AND GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE....................................13 3.3 THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT..........................................................................................14 3.4 THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT.....................................................................................................14 3.5 THE UK CONTEXT ...................................................................................................................15 3.6 SUPPLIER OBLIGATION AND THE CLIMATE CHANGE LEVY............................................15 3.7 THE ENERGY WHITE PAPER ..................................................................................................16 3.8 YORKSHIRE AND HUMBER REGION RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY AND TARGETS ...17 3.9 ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION..................................................................................................21 3.10 REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.................................................................21 3.11 REDUCTION OF TRANSMISSION LOSSES.............................................................................22 3.12 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................23 4 PLANNING THE DEVELOPMENT ...................................................................... 24 4.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................24 4.2 STRATEGIC SITE SELECTION ................................................................................................24 4.3 DETAILED SITE DESIGN .........................................................................................................26 4.4 CONCLUSION ...........................................................................................................................29 5 CONSTRUCTION.................................................................................................... 30 5.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................30 5.2 PRE-CONSTRUCTION WORKS ...............................................................................................30 5.3 CONSTRUCTION WORKS........................................................................................................30 5.4 POTENTIAL IMPACTS .............................................................................................................34 5.5 MITIGATION MEASURES........................................................................................................36 5.6 RESIDUAL IMPACTS ...............................................................................................................38 5.7 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................38 6 DE-COMMISSIONING ........................................................................................... 39 6.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................39 6.2 POTENTIAL IMPACTS .............................................................................................................39 6.3 MITIGATION MEASURES........................................................................................................40 6.4 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................40 7 LAND USE................................................................................................................ 41 i 7.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................41 7.2 LAND QUALITY AND USE ......................................................................................................41 7.3 THE IMPACT OF THE WIND FARM.........................................................................................41 7.4 MITIGATION.............................................................................................................................41 7.5 RESIDUAL IMPACTS ...............................................................................................................42 7.6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................42 8 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL AMENITY ............................................................... 43 8.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................43 8.2 CONTEXT INFORMATION ......................................................................................................44 8.3 BASELINE STUDIES.................................................................................................................46 8.4 THE WIND FARM PROPOSAL .................................................................................................52 8.5 IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS .......................................53 8.6 POTENTIAL CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ....................................................................................64 8.7 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................68 9 NATURE CONSERVATION .................................................................................. 72 9.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................72 9.2 THE STUDY AREA....................................................................................................................72 9.3 CONSERVATION DESIGNATIONS IN THE VICINITY OF THE STUDY AREA.....................73 9.4 BREEDING BIRD SURVEY.......................................................................................................74 9.5 WINTERING BIRDS..................................................................................................................76 9.6 HABITAT SURVEY...................................................................................................................83 9.7 ECO-HYDROLOGY...................................................................................................................84 9.8 OTHER ECOLOGICAL ISSUES ................................................................................................85 9.9 ASSESSMENT OF ORNITHOLOGICAL EFFECTS...................................................................86 9.10 ASSESSMENT OF ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS: VEGETATION AND OTHER ECOLOGY.........92 9.11 MITIGATION OF IMPACT........................................................................................................93 9.12 MONITORING...........................................................................................................................94 9.13 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................94