Gwent Farmers’ Community Solar Scheme October 2016 Planning, Design and Access Statement Gwent Farmers’ Community Solar Scheme www.savills.co.uk Project: Gwent Levels Community Solar Scheme Client: Gwent Farmers’ Community Solar Partnership Ltd Job Number: SG 1480 File Origin: Internal Document Checking: Prepared by: Nick Beddoe Signed: : Checked by: Peter Grubb Signed: Verified by: Peter Grubb Signed: i Contents 1.0 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Background Information ........................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Site area and Description ................................................................................................................ 4 3.0 Development Proposals ............................................................................................................................ 7 3.1 Overview .......................................................................................................................................... 7 3.2 Proposed Biodiversity Areas and Landscaping ............................................................................. 10 3.3 Proposed Stock Proof Fencing ...................................................................................................... 10 4.0 Planning Policy Context .......................................................................................................................... 12 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 12 4.2 National level commitments and guidance .................................................................................... 12 4.3 Energy Wales: A low Carbon Transition ........................................................................................ 14 4.4 Planning Policy Wales (Edition 8, 2016) ........................................................................................ 14 4.5 Technical Advice Notes ................................................................................................................. 18 4.6 Practice Guidance: Planning for Renewable and Low Carbon Energy - A Toolkit for Planners ... 19 4.7 Newport Local Development Plan 2011 – 2026 ............................................................................ 21 4.8 Newport Local Development Plan – Proposals and Constraints Maps ......................................... 26 4.9 Renewable and Low Carbon Energy Assessment: Torfaen County Borough Council and Newport City Council ................................................................................................................................................ 28 5.0 Relevant Statutory Designations ........................................................................................................... 32 5.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 32 5.2 SSSI Designations ......................................................................................................................... 32 5.3 Gwent Levels Historic Landscape In Wales .................................................................................. 34 5.4 Severn Estuary Designations ........................................................................................................ 36 6.0 Principle of Development ........................................................................................................................ 39 6.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 39 7.0 Assessment of proposals against planning policy .............................................................................. 41 7.1 Ecology and Biodiversity ................................................................................................................ 41 ii 7.2 Heritage ......................................................................................................................................... 42 7.3 Landscape and Visual Impact ........................................................................................................ 43 7.4 Impact on Agricultural Land ........................................................................................................... 44 7.5 Flood risk and hydrology ................................................................................................................ 45 7.6 Traffic Management ....................................................................................................................... 46 7.7 Impact on Amenity and Rights of Way........................................................................................... 48 8.0 Sustainability Credentials ....................................................................................................................... 49 8.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 49 8.2 Economic Sustainability ................................................................................................................. 49 8.3 Social Sustainability ....................................................................................................................... 51 8.4 Environmental Sustainability .......................................................................................................... 52 9.0 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................. 55 9.1 Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 55 iii Planning, Design and Access Statement Gwent Farmers’ Community Solar Scheme 1.0 Executive Summary The renewable energy hub seeks to provide green energy for over 15,000 homes and save over 21,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum. It will enable a group of nine local landowners to diversify their agricultural enterprise and help secure their livelihood during uncertain times for farming communities. The site is located on the Gwent Levels, to the south of the former Llanwern Steelworks site which closed in 2001. The land is of poor agricultural value and the scheme would provide an enhancement to the biodiversity of the area. Sheep would graze the site, which would maintain the agricultural use of the land. The incorporation of a battery storage area will allow for the energy captured during the day to be stored and re-used during times when energy is in greater demand and make the most of the energy generated by a renewable source as well as helping to make it a viable proposal at a time when subsidy has been removed. The site has some unique advantages. The first is the high irradiation which the site benefits from which will drive high levels of solar generation. The coastline in South Wales has a high solar irradiation (1230 kWh/m² vs UK average of 1100 kWh/m²) and its location on a south facing coastline it benefits from secondary irradiation or “bounce” where light “bounces” off the sea up into the atmosphere and is then reflected down by particles in the air. The second is the capacity of the local electricity network to accommodate a substantial new generator. Elsewhere in the UK the electricity grid is under severe constraint and is rarely able to accommodate new large generators without substantial and costly upgrades to the network which then make the projects unviable. Llanwern and the area around it benefits from very large scale electricity transmission assets which have considerable spare capacity. These were in the main put in to serve the requirements of heavy industries which once existed along this coastline but are now no longer in operation. The third is that the land around Llanwern on the Gwent Levels is drained salt marsh of low agricultural worth in relatively small parcels. Most of the farms on the Levels are less than 100 acres, so are lacking the critical mass of larger farms and the quality of land to produce high yields. The land here is Grade 3b and grade 4, the latter of which is defined as “Land with severe limitations which significantly restrict Gwent Farmers’ Community Solar Scheme October 2016 1 Planning, Design and Access Statement Gwent Farmers’ Community Solar Scheme the range of crops and / or level of yields.” It can be easily seen why this is a rural community in need of investment and economic diversification. The scheme covers around 345 acres (139 hectares) shared by farmers on the peninsular and an application for planning permission is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate as a Development of National Significance (DNS). The development will generate a consistent and reliable ground rent for the farmers that will supplement their farm businesses and allow the continuation of the enterprise for future generations. In addition a proportion of the revenue from the scheme may be diverted towards local Parish Councils, to be spent on local community projects which are in the early stages of discussion, including the Living Levels scheme. The Welsh Government is committed to renewable