Allerdale Borough Council 2/2013/0144 2/2013/0144 Received: 01 February 2013 Proposed Installation of a single wind turbine to be mounted on a 37m tower Development: with maximum tip height of 48.5m Location: Bromfield Farm Bromfield Wigton Appli cant: Mr Harold Armstrong Drawing Numbers: BROM/0001 Rev A - Site Location Plan 1012907 Revision E - Proposed Turbine Details Constraints: British Coal Area Policies: National Planning Policy Framework Building a strong, competitive economy Meeting the challenge of climate change, flooding and coastal change Conserving and enhancing the natural environment Conserving and enhancing the historic environment Supporting a prosperous rural economy Requiring good design Ministerial statement A ministerial statement was issued by The Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP on 6/6/2013. The statement regards planning reforms to make the planning process more accessible to communities giving local people the opportunity to influence decisions that affect their lives. The statement makes specific and direct reference to on shore turbine development and the view that decisions are not always reflecting the locally-led planning system. It is stated that action is required to deliver the balance expected within the NPPF and to ensure that protecting the local environment is properly considered alongside the broader issues of protecting the global environment. In that respect new planning guidance is proposed that will set out clearly that.. 1. The need for renewable energy does not automatically override environmental protections and the planning concerns of local communities. 2. Decisions should take into account the cumulative impact of wind turbines and properly reflect the increasing impact upon a) the landscape b) local amenity as the number of turbines in the area increases 3. Local topography should be a factor in assessing whether wind turbines have a damaging impact upon the landscape (i.e. recognise that the impact on predominantly flat landscapes can be as great or greater than on hilly or mountainous ones) 4. Great care should be taken to ensure heritage assets are conserved in a manner to appropriate to their significance, including the impact of proposals on views important to their setting This ministerial statement is a material planning consideration to be taken into account in the determination of this application. Allerdale Local Plan, Adopted 1999 (Saved) Policy EN10 - Restoration, after uses cease Policy EN19 - Landscape Protection Policy EN25 - Protecting the open countryside Policy EN32 - Protecting wildlife protected by law Policy EN5 - Pollution Control Policy EN6 - Location of potentially polluting development Relevant Planning SCR/2012/0073 Screening Opinion – EIA Development. History: 2/2012/0807 Installation of a single wind turbine, 37m tower with a maximum tip height of 48.5m – Withdrawn to relocate turbine. Representations: Bromfield Parish Council – Object. The application fails to signify the huge impact the development would have on landscape, local heritage and the community. The collective negative impact significantly overshadows any of its benefits. The turbine will be visible from many viewpoints and have a high level of cumulative impact. The Council would support an application for a single much smaller turbine sized to provide consumption for the farm only, this development is neither essential at this location or for the applicants need. Holme Abbey Parish Council – No reply to date. Westnewton Parish Council – Object. It is our view that we have more than our fair share of turbines. The cumulative impact of these is already considerable, and to add another would be to further hideously disfigure a previously pristine environment. Aspatria Town Council – Objection. The area is now at saturation point with the number of turbines in place. Allhallows Parish Council – Object on the following grounds: • Cumulative effect with existing and approved turbines in the locality. • Visual amenity – Not only is the proposal for a medium size turbine which not for sole use of the farm but also an access track in the open countryside. Both of these will affect the visual amenity of the residents of the parish and the surrounding area. • Survey – The Council has conducted a survey of every house within the parish in 2010 and the overall conclusions was that the overwhelming majority of households are against the proliferation of land based wind turbines because of the adverse effect it has on their amenity. • Necessity – The turbine is not for sole use of the farm and the contribution that it will make to green energy targets is minimal particularly when most of the North Sea has been let for the siting or large wind farms that will meet government targets. Bolton Parish Council – Object. Fully support Bromfield Parish Councils objection to this planning application. Waverton Parish Council – Object on the following grounds: • The visual impact to the surrounding area and the cumulative effect. There are already too many turbines and clusters of wind turbines in the area; these are degrading the whole beauty of the County of Cumbria. • The erection of one turbine would lead to the possible building of others and the setting of unwanted president in the area. Dundraw Parish Council – No objections. Cumbria Highways – No objections subject to conditions. RSPB – No reply to date. Ministry of Defence – No objections. Environment Agency – We have no comments to make. Environmental Health – No objections subject to conditions. County Archaeologist – I consider it very unlikely that the proposed development will have an impact on below ground archaeological remains. In terms of any impact on the settings of the nearby designated heritage assets, I note English Heritage have been consulted and I defer to any forthcoming comments they may make. I therefore have no objections (13/03/13 and 24/05/13). English Heritage – The proposed turbine will have a limited impact upon the settings of the Grade II listed church of St Mungo and of the scheduled St Mungo’s Castle, and this will not cause the ‘substantial harm’ which, in line with paragraph 132 of the NPPF, would be sufficient justification for the with holding of planning permission on heritage grounds alone. Additionally it will not harm the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site. English Heritage therefore do not wish to object to grant of planning permission. Natural England – No objections (26/03/13, 31/05/13 and 18/06/13). Civil Aviation Authority – No site specific comments. Fire Officer – No reply to date. Cumbria Wildlife Trust – No reply to date. County Planning – Do not consider the proposal to be Category 1. Therefore the County Council will not be responding from a strategic planning perspective. Arqiva - No objections. Carlisle Airport – No objections. NATS – No safeguard objection (21/05/13 and 24/05/13). Ministry of Defence – No objections. The application has been advertised on site and in the local paper. Adjoining owners have been notified. A letter of objection has been received from FORCE who recommend the application is refused. Their concerns are: • Understating of visual impacts on high sensitivity receptors – for example, St Mungo’s Church, St Mungo’s Castle and also Gill House a Grade II Listed building 660m to the south of the application site. These impacts cannot be mitigated and are in breach of Policy E38 Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure Plan and Policy CO18 of the Allerdale Local Plan. • Unacceptable change to visual amenity and landscape character. • The scheme, if it were to go ahead, would have an unacceptable cumulative impact from single viewpoints and also sequentially with other wind energy developments in the area. • Unacceptable impact on wildlife. • Lack of benefits of the scheme. • Incompatibility with local and national planning policy. • Inappropriate size and scale of the proposed development. • Insufficient information to prove compliance with aviation safety regulations. An objection letter has been received from Westnewton Action Group. Their concerns are: • The developer has referred to the turbine as relatively small. The turbine does not constitute a small scale turbine under the DECC definition. • The turbine will not be supplying on-site demand but will be feeding directly into the national grid. • Allerdale has already contributed – pro rata- more onshore wind energy supply than probably anywhere else in the UK. • This turbine would add to a 6km direct line of turbines beginning with the Westnewton array, Crossrigg and then Lanrigg, resulting in an unacceptable level of cumulative impact. • The environmental, visual and cumulative impact a commercial wind turbine such as this would have on the local area, and on the amenity of local residents and visitors is unacceptable. • The adverse impact on, and harm to the character and appearance of the area surrounding this site is potentially so significant that, even when taking account of potential benefits of, or from the projected wind turbine, the negative impacts clearly outweigh any of these. • Given the size of the proposed turbine, with its potential visual impact on the area, particularly due to the cumulative effects created with other local wind turbines and also the possible damaging effects a machine of this size may have on the local wildlife, we believe that this application should not be permitted to proceed any further. 27 further letters of objection have been received. The concerns are: • The turbine is of industrial size. • The proximity to dwelling houses will be in breach of Allerdale proposed Local Plan. • The landscape all around Allerdale is tarnished with these ugly things, it was reported in the local press that 62% of all turbines in Cumbria are allocated in Allerdale. • There are homes located on the very edge of the current permitted noise levels. Concern is raised that there could be discernible noise problems. • There would be adverse impact on the amenity for walkers in the lanes and footpaths around the turbine from its noise generated. • The turbine will generate shadow flicker.