Volume Three: Non-Technical Summary - IEMA...Non Technical Summary 2 Airvolution Energy Potato Pot wind turbines emissions per year from conventional forms of electricity generation2

Airvolution Energy

July 2012

Volume Three: Non-Technical Summary

Potato Pot wind turbines

1 Non Technical Summary

Airvolution Energy Potato Pot wind turbines

ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Airvolution Energy Limited (AvE) has submitted a planning application to Allerdale Borough Council (ABC) for three wind turbines on land at Potato Pot, near Branthwaite, Cumbria.

1.2. A Figure showing the proposal in its regional and local context is provided in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1: Site Location

1.3. The planning application proposes:

‘The erection of three wind turbines with a maximum blade tip height of up to 100 metres together with a substation and control building, upgraded access track, connecting internal tracks, associated hardstandings and infrastructure.’

1.4. Based on three turbines, and assuming that each has a generation capacity of 2MW, it is estimated that enough electricity could be generated to supply the equivalent of approximately 3,884 households, based on a 30% capacity factor and annual average consumption of 4,148kWh1. Based on current figures, this could potentially displace the equivalent of up to approximately 6,780 tonnes of carbon dioxide

1 Based on DECC average household consumption statistics 2010.



emissions per year from conventional forms of electricity generation2.

1.5. The current proposal is the culmination of a year-long work programme by Airvolution Energy and its consultants, during which time the site’s suitability and environmental characteristics and constraints have been assessed. This process has influenced the design of the scheme as part of an iterative process.

1.6. Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) is a process that aims to improve the environmental design of a development proposal and provide decision makers with sufficient information about its environmental impacts. A key point in the process is the preparation of an environmental statement (ES) to accompany a planning application.

1.7. The wind turbine development has been subject to an EIA and an ES has been submitted with the application. This document is a summary of the ES in non-technical language.

1.8. Prior to the submission of the application, discussions were held with ABC officers, statutory and non-statutory consultees, principally to agree the level of detailed information required by ABC, assessment methodologies and potential mitigation measures.

1.9. A public drop-in session was held at the Kirkstile Community Centre, Dean on 7 June 2012 between 2.30pm to 7.00pm. Invitations were sent to neighbouring properties, Ward and Parish Councillors, Council Officers, local organisations, groups and businesses. In addition, posters were erected on local notice-boards, and an advert was published in the local newspaper advertising the event.

1.10. In accordance with normal planning procedures, it is intended that this environmental statement, together with the other details of the planning application are available to view at the Council’s offices, and online at www.allerdale.gov.uk.

TWO: SITE DESCRIPTION

2.1. The site lies approximately 3km to the east of Distington and 5km south east of Workington, off the Branthwaite Road that links into the A595 by the Lillyhall Industrial Estate. Gilgarran is the nearest principal village, c.1.2 km to the south west. Workington is the nearest principal town, some 4.2km to the north west.

2.2. The site is within the Parish of Dean.

2.3. The nearest settlements are Gilgarran (c.1.2km SW), Branthwaite (c.1.6km NE) and the hamlet of Winscales (c.2.2km NW). A number of scattered dwellings and farmsteads are present in the local area and include Colingate and Colinbank to the south, Wythemoor Sough and Wythemoor House to the north, Branthwaite Row Farm to the east and Wythemoor Head to the west.

2.4. Other major features in the vicinity of the site include:

Overhead high voltage power lines c 500m E;

Lillyhall Industrial Estate and landfill site to the north;

Winscales operational windfarm c.2.9km N.

2.5. The land has previously been used as an open cast coal mine, but is now

2 The UK energy mix is derived using a carbon dioxide offset ratio of 430g carbon dioxide per kWh of wind generation.

http://www.allerdale.gov.uk/



restored to grazing use.

2.6. The surrounding area is farmland with both cattle and sheep grazing within medium to large scale fields and the open moorland of Dean Moor to the south.

2.7. The application site, shown in Figure 2, has an area of 10.58 hectares, within which the three wind turbines, foundations, hardstanding areas, access tracks, a substation and control building, a temporary construction compound and infrastructure as applicable.

2.8. Local roads border the northern, eastern and southern boundaries of the site, whilst field and hedgerows border the western boundary edge.

THREE: SCHEME DESCRIPTION

3.1. In overview, the scheme comprises the following principal components:

three wind turbines, each with a maximum height to blade tip of 100m,;

a stone pile and concrete foundation for each turbine;

upgrading of an existing site entrance and the creation of an access track to the turbine positions, totalling 1.6km in length;

underground cabling to connect the wind turbines to an electricity substation;

hard-standings at the base of each turbine to facilitate installation using a crane and a temporary construction compound near the access track.

3.2. The applicant is seeking a micro-siting allowance of 50 metres for all elements of the scheme. Any micro-siting would be agreed with Allerdale Borough Council and with any relevant stakeholders, such as Natural England and the Environment Agency.

3.3. Wind turbine technology is evolving rapidly, with each of the major manufacturers making frequent changes to their model line-up and technical specification. Therefore, in line with common practice, it will be necessary for the specific make and model of turbine to be confirmed at a later stage, just before construction.

3.4. However, for the purposes of the ES, it is necessary to set out the parameters on which the assessment has been based. For the Potato Pot proposal, the wind turbines assessed would have a maximum overall height (to the tip of the blade) of 100 metres and a maximum rotor diameter of up to 80 metres.

3.5. The overall foundation structure will comprise three main elements as follows:

A 13.8 metres wide and 2.05 metres deep octagonal reinforced concrete base, laid to fall from the centre outwards, approximately 800-1200mm below ground level.

Below this would be a crushed stone bolster in the order of 1000-200mm thick. The bolster will be carefully rolled and compacted and drainage provided around the edges.

The bolster will form a cap over a grid of stone pile columns which provide a soil replacement. The piles will be approximately 550mm wide, 12 metres long and there are up to a total of 170 piles; some of which may be omitted in the design depending on local ground conditions.



3.6. The cranes that would be used to install the turbines require an area of hard standing to operate next to the turbine base. This will also be used to park vehicles and site materials during construction. The hard-standings would consist of crushed rock laid down to a depth of about 1 m, although the actual depth would vary slightly according to ground conditions and the gradient of the surface.

3.7. The access route involves three main elements:

Upgrading of an existing field access off Branthwaite Road;

Creation of a new track across the site to Turbine 1 approximately 1km in length constructed primarily of compacted granular material to a depth of around 500mm

The construction of tracks between turbines T1 - T2 and then T2 - T3.

3.8. A temporary construction compound would be located at the start of the new access track close to Branthwaite Road. There would be a portacabin style temporary building to accommodate the site office and other facilities. Other key elements of the compound would be:

A reception area for incoming construction vehicles;

Parking spaces for staff and visitors;

Parking for construction vehicles;

Bunded fuel and lubricant storage for vehicles and machinery;

A diesel generator within the compound;

A security gate and fence around the perimeter.

3.9. An on-site substation and control building would be located to the south of the site compound area. The building would contain electrical equipment and a control room.

3.10. The substation and control building would be approximately 8m in width, 12m in length and 4.5m in height. The detailed design and material used to construct the building will be subject to discussion and agreement with the local authority. A small area next to the substation compound will be retained to provide parking for vehicles during the operational phase of the wind turbines.

3.11. The connection of the turbines from the substation and control building to the local electricity distribution network would be the subject of a separate application by the electricity distributor, Electricity North West (ENW). However, initial research indicates that a point of connection (POC) to the local distribution network could be achieved using underground cables to connect with the existing overhead line from Stainburn to Embleton.

OUTLINE OF ALTERNATIVES

3.12. The EIA regulations state in Schedule 4, Part 1 and 2 that an ES must include ‘an outline of the main alternatives studied by the applicant or appellant and an indication of the main reasons for the choice made, taking into account the environmental effects’. Assessment of alternatives and the reporting of them are also widely regarded as best practice.

3.13. Airvolution takes a phased and rigorous approach to the appraisal and



selection of wind turbine sites. The stages are as follows:

stage one: site identification and first GIS screen;

stage two: pre-feasibility stage;

stage three: full planning feasibility stage.

stage four: detailed environmental assessment and design work on an iterative wind turbine layout, which if the outcome is positive might lead to a planning application.

3.14. Airvolution Energy has undertaken over 200 stage one, 115 stage two and 50 stage three appraisals of potential wind farm sites in the United Kingdom; with more than 900 sites failing the initial check process prior to stage one. These sites cannot be identified here for reasons of confidentiality.

3.15. After a detailed stage three appraisal, the Potato Pot site was progressed to stage four - the EIA and project design stage for the following reasons:

the site does not lie within a landscape designation;

the site does not lie within an ecological designation;

the distances from the nearest residential properties are such that potential noise impacts can be avoided;

the land lies near a main trunk road and there is good access to the site;

there are existing electricity lines near the site that can be used to make a grid connection;

the average wind speed at the site is above 7 metres per second (m/s) at a height of 45 m.

3.16. The relatively unconstrained nature of the Potato Pot site is evident from the Cumbria Wind Energy SPD produced by Allerdale Borough Council

3.17. The applicant has ensured that the EIA and the scheme design proceeded hand-in-hand with the aim of producing a refined and sensitive wind energy proposal. The design evolution of individual components of the proposed wind farm will now be explained.

3.18. In October 2010, prior to the iterative Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) design process, a tentative initial turbine layout was circulated to the team for the purpose of identifying constraints. The layout comprised four wind turbines arranged in a linear fashion with uniform spacing, and was based on a wind turbine model with a tip height of 125m and rotor diameter of 90m.

3.19. In order to provide increased separation distances between the turbines and the closest residential properties the layout was then amended to show fewer turbines with a maximum tip height of 125m.

3.20. The Government’s aviation advisor, NATS, was also contacted and an objection was received due to an impact on their Lowther Hill radar facility. As a direct response to this consultation response, the indicative turbine model was changed to a wind turbine with a maximum tip height of 100m and rotor diameter of 80m.

3.21. The turbine design was further amended to include three wind turbines with these reduced dimensions.



FOUR: PLANNING POLICY

4.1. Within the field of land use planning there are the following policy tiers; the international level, the national level and the local level. The policies for each level are set out in various documents and the statutory development plan.

4.2. For the purposes of section 36(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the statutory development plan is as follows:

Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure Plan 2006 (saved policies);

Allerdale Local Plan 1999 (saved policies);

Allerdale Local Plan First Alteration 2006 (saved policies).

4.3. At international, European and national levels, the recognition of the need to bring forward new renewable energy generation capacity is clear. Wind energy is acknowledged to be one of the most technically mature, viable and deliverable forms of renewable generation capacity. National policy thus supports renewable energy development in the form of onshore wind farms, provided that the local environmental, economic and social effects can be addressed satisfactorily.

4.4. The Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure Plan 2001-2016, Policy R44, provides regional support for renewable energy projects provided that there is no significant impact upon the landscape, amenity, economy, telecommunications or highways, and that all practical measures to reduce adverse impacts are taken. In addition to this, Policy E37 aims to further protect the landscape character of the region, whilst Policy E38 provides protection for historical assets.

4.5. The wind turbine proposal for the Potato Pot site has taken this policy guidance into consideration.

4.6. Whilst there are no policies specifically relating to renewable or wind energy development in the Allerdale Local Plan, Policies EN3 – Landscaping, Policy EN10 – Restoration after uses cease, Policy EN19 – Landscape Protection, and Policy EN25 – Protecting the Open Countryside are relevant to the proposed development.

4.7. The relevant parts of these policies have been taken into account when developing the scheme to ensure that landscape impact and impact upon the countryside was minimised through design.

4.8. The Allerdale Local Plan First Alteration 2006 contains no saved policies which are relevant to the development proposal.

4.9. To replace the existing Local Plan a draft local plan has been prepared with the preferred options report published for consultation in June 2012. Policy EC8 of the draft plan states that ‘Allerdale Borough Council will seek to promote and encourage the development of stand-alone renewable or low carbon energy resources given the significant wider environmental, community and economic benefits. Proposals that have an unacceptable impact, either in isolation or cumulatively will be strongly resisted.’

4.10. Whilst this policy has not been subject to formal examination, and can therefore only be given limited weight in decision the making, the policy criteria contained therein have been considered whilst developing the development proposals.

4.11. In addition to the statutory development plan documents, Cumbria County Council published the Cumbria Wind Energy Supplementary Planning Document which provides guidance for developers preparing proposals for wind energy developments.



The document provides guidance on how developers should take account of various issues, such as wildlife, local housing, and aviation and radar. It also provides guidance in respect of assessing cumulative impacts, landscape and visual effects, siting and good design, all of which have been taken into account.

4.12. Both national planning policy guidance and development plan policy are supportive of wind energy proposals, and the Potato Pot scheme has taken this guidance into consideration. The proposals also take account of other material considerations, including the emerging Draft Local Plan 2012 and the Cumbria Wind Energy Supplementary Planning Document.

FIVE: LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL

5.1. A comprehensive landscape and visual assessment of the proposed development has been carried out.

5.2. This assessment has concluded that, through an iterative design process, the direct effects of the proposal on the landscape would be limited and would be reversible when the development is decommissioned. In addition to this, it was found that the wider landscape is capable of accommodating the scale of the development proposed.

5.3. The designated landscapes of the Lake District National Park and the Solway Coast AONB would experience no significant effect from the proposed development, although the assessment does note that indirect effects are likely on the Landscapes of County Importance at Braithwaite and Dean Moor, although these would be localised.

5.4. The assessment identified that significant visual effects from settlements are limited to within approximately 5 km from the proposed wind turbines. These comprise localised parts of Gilgaran, Branthwaite, Winscales, Pica, Distington, Dean, Mockerkin and Great Clifton. It is important to note that in the majority of cases visibility from settlement is restricted by local topography, tree cover and intervening buildings, limiting the potential for significant effects.

5.5. In addition to assessing the overall visual impacts, an assessment of residential visual amenity was undertaken for all properties within a 1km radius. This assessment concludes that in no case would the potential effect of the Potato Pot scheme be such as to give rise to turbines which would be “…..present in such numbers, size and proximity that they represent an unpleasantly overwhelming and unavoidable presence in the main views from a house or garden…” and thereby convert any property into an “unpleasant or unattractive place to live”.

5.6. In terms of road users and recreational users of the National Cycle Route 72, it is recognised that such users could experience visual effects from the proposed wind turbines when close to the operational Winscales windfarm, although these effects are confined to distances up to 3km from the proposals.

5.7. Furthermore, the combination of the nearby Winscales windfarm and the Fairfield Farm windfarm with the Airvolution proposal is not anticipated to have any significant effect on the landscape.

5.8. Overall the landscape and visual assessment concludes that significant landscape and visual effects will be localised and limited given the size of this three turbine proposal. It should be noted that all on-shore wind farm developments lead to significant landscape and visual effects, and that significant effects are not necessarily unacceptable.

5.9. Overall, the three wind turbines would relate well to local landscape character



and respect the scale and composition of the landscape. Significant landscape and visual effects would be localised as a result of local topography and the limited size and scale of the wind farm.

SIX: ECOLOGY AND ORNITHOLOGY

6.1. A desk-based assessment incorporating a biological records search and Extended Phase 1 habitat survey was used to identify the baseline ecological conditions present within 500m of the three proposed turbines. A series of field surveys were also carried out specifically to identify the presence or absence of great crested newts and bats. No great crested newts were found, and only low levels of bat activity were recorded during the survey work.

6.2. In addition to this, winter bird surveys were carried out between October 2011 and March 2012 to identify potential impacts on birds. These surveys didn’t find any concentrations of birds which are vulnerable to wind turbines, and specifically hen harrier, which are sensitive to wind turbines, was not noted as present during the surveys.

6.3. As a result of the construction of the wind turbines there would be some loss of tree saplings, some grassland, and short sections of hedgerow which would be removed. This could result in a minor impact on birds due to the loss of suitable breeding habitat, and a minor impact on bats through the loss of foraging habitat.

6.4. To compensate for the loss of habitat resulting from the construction of the wind turbines an area of approximately 4.3ha of woodland will be planted to replace the 3.4ha of saplings removed.

6.5. The ecological assessment concludes that the effects on all identified species and habitats is expected to be minor positive following the implementation of habitat enhancement.

SEVEN: NOISE

7.1. An assessment of the potential noise impacts of the turbines has been carried out in accordance with relevant guidance which included noise survey data collected from three locations around the site to determine existing noise conditions in the area.

7.2. Noise levels at Wythemoor House are lower than all other measurement locations, at most wind speeds during the day and night-time periods. This is likely to be because some parts of the house are sheltered from noise from the A595 road and industrial estate and the prevailing south westerly winds by a barn.

7.3. Predicted noise levels at residential properties were derived which indicated that these would be well below the limits prescribed in guidance in all cases. Noise levels are also below World Health Organisation limits for sleep disturbance.

7.4. A cumulative assessment has been carried out with the proposed Potato Pot turbines and the nearby Lillyhall scheme, which is at an early stage. In the event that both of these schemes are granted planning permission, noise levels from wind turbine noise will still be comfortably below noise limits.

7.5. A construction noise and vibration assessment concludes that significant noise or vibration impact is not expected during the construction or decommissioning phases.



EIGHT: AVIATION AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

8.1. The potential impacts of the development on aviation and telecommunications were considered through desk based assessment.

8.2. With regard to the potential impacts on television reception the BBC has developed an online tool for the assessment of wind turbines. This indicates that there are no homes without alternative off-air service that are likely to be affected, but that 2,359 homes which may have an alternative off-air service could be affected. It should be noted that digital television signals are less susceptible to potential interference from wind turbines.

8.3. During the pre-application process consultation was undertaken with a variety of organisations to identify potential issues with telecommunications. A response was received from JRC, a company who manages telecoms links, with regard to a microwave link located within 1km of the turbines. JRC are carrying out a detailed assessment which will quantify the impacts on this link and set out a strategy to address the issues.

8.4. Arqiva, an operator of telecoms equipment, also indicated that one of the turbines could potentially impact upon their telecommunications link to the west of the site and requested that a turbine be repositioned to protect the buffer. The offending turbine was relocated prior to submission to respect this buffer.

8.5. In terms of aviation, it is likely that the turbines would be visible to the civil aviation radar station at Lowther Hill, potentially affecting it’s performance. Technological measures can be implemented to address this and we are in talks to enable this.

8.6. Military aviation has been considered by specialist consultants Wind Power Aviation Consultants (WPAC), with specific regard to Ministry of Defence radar assets at RAF Spadeadam. The assessment concluded that the turbines would not be visible and would not therefore have any impact. Furthermore, the assessment concluded that there would be no impact upon MOD low flying activity.

NINE: SHADOW FLICKER AND SAFETY

9.1. Shadow flicker is the name given to the effect that may arise when turbine blades rotate in bright sunlit conditions, casting shadows over windows. As the blades rotate the shadow is seen to flick on and off within a neighbouring property as the blade shadows move past the window.

9.2. The effect should only occur within a building if a wind turbine is located within a distance of 10 x the rotor diameter or less and there is no intervening topography, vegetation or other obstruction between the turbines and the house window.

9.3. The likelihood and duration of the effect depends upon:

Orientation of the property’s windows relative to the turbine: in the UK, only properties within 130 degrees either side of north, relative to the turbines, can be affected, as turbines do not cast long shadows on their southern side;

Distance from the turbines: the further the observer is from the turbine, the less pronounced the effect would be;



Turbine height and rotor diameter;

Time of year and day;

Weather conditions (cloudy days reduce likelihood).

9.4. The majority of the buildings surrounding the site are either oriented in such a way that they would not be effected by shadow flicker, or are outside the 10 rotor diameter area where shadow flicker is likely to occur.

9.5. Three buildings to the east of the turbine could potentially be affected by shadow flicker if specific conditions occur. To remedy this, the turbines can be equipped with a detector which will automatically shuts down the turbines when shadow flicker could occur, normally only for a short period of time.

9.6. The turbines have been located to maintain an adequate buffer between buildings and roads to ensure the safety of users.

9.7. Other potential safety hazards include electrical risk, mechanical risk, ice projectile risk, and lightning strike.

9.8. Wind turbine technology has an exemplary safety record with the percentage of failures potentially resulting in harm to people being very low. Through high quality engineering all of these risks are minimised. Furthermore, to address the potential for ice projectile risk an automatic ice detection system can be installed to shut down the turbine if levels of ice are detected.

TEN: TRANSPORT AND ACCESS

10.1. A route survey from the nearest suitable port of entry at Blyth to the site has been undertaken. The proposed route is summarised below:

Exit the port onto A1061;

Merge onto A189 southbound;

Turn right at Moor Farm Roundabout onto A19;

At Seaton Burn Roundabout continue towards A1 then turn left onto the A1 southbound;

After approximately 6 miles exit onto the A69 and continue westbound;

Travel approximately 46 miles to Carlisle;

At Hardwicke Circus turn left onto A595 signed for Workington;

After approximately 25 miles turn right at roundabout onto A66;

After approximately 4 miles turn left at roundabout onto A595 signed Whitehaven;

At roundabout entering Lillyhall turn left onto unclassified Branthwaite Road heading east; and

Continue to proposed site access junction.

10.2. The only constraint that has been identified is at the A595 / A66 roundabout where abnormal loads will be required to undertake a contraflow manoeuvre. Minor roadworks including removal of street furniture and removal of or ramping over



roundabout splitter islands will be necessary.

10.3. At the peak of construction, during the third month, traffic flows are predicted at 33 vehicle movements per day, with flows significantly falling after this period. This represents a 1% increase in traffic on the A595 and less than 0.5% increase on the A66. This is not predicted to have any significant impact on the local road network due to the existing capacity of the roads. Once operational the site would only be accessed by a single inspection vehicle on average once every two weeks.

ELEVEN: CULTURAL HERITAGE

11.1. The proposed development has the potential to impact on cultural heritage assets such as listed buildings and Scheduled Ancient Monuments both directly, through construction, and indirectly, through impact on their setting.

11.2. The cultural heritage assessment concluded that the site has low potential to contain archaeological remains for most time periods, with the exception of the post-medieval period. However, the removal of coal from the area would have disturbed any remains and consequently there is a low potential for any activity being identified on the site. It is therefore concluded that the construction of the turbines would have no impact on designated or non-designated remains.

11.3. The operation of the turbines would introduce a new element into the landscape potentially impacting upon the visual setting of heritage assets. Due to topography and intervening screening, such as vegetation and buildings, the potential impact upon scheduled ancient monuments and listed buildings in the area is considered to be very low with the exception of the listed building at Wythermoor Sough.

11.4. The proximity of Wythermoor Sough and its relatively modest scale mean that the height of the proposed turbines will be immediately obvious when visiting or using the property. This building has formed part of an industrial landscape in the past, most recently in relation to the open cast coal mining which took place on the east, west and southern sides of the buildings plot. There are no planned views to or from this building and to experience it in any meaningful way the viewer needs to be fairly close to it. As such the turbines will not interfere with the immediate surroundings within which the fabric of the building, its layout and its composition can be appreciated.

11.5. The presence of the Potato Pot scheme in conjunction with those sites already consented or built will not add to any potential impacts on setting taking them into the significant category.

TWELVE: GROUND CONDITIONS

12.1. Historical maps of the site indicate that the Potato Pot site was in agricultural usage for a considerable period until 1986, when it was opencast mined to extract coal from 12 seams to depths of up to approximately 75m. The opencast mining operations were completed in 1993 and the site backfilled with uncompacted spoil and returned to agricultural and woodland usage.

12.2. Desk study and field studies have indicated that the site is underlain by made ground comprising soft becoming firm sandy clay with scattered gravel and cobbles of sandstone, mudstone and coal at shallow depth.



12.3. The unpredictable nature of the backfill material used to reinstate the coal mine excludes the possibility of using certain foundation methods. A column design foundation is therefore more likely to be used in the foundations, pending the completion of full site investigations prior to construction.

12.4. No evidence is apparent to suggest the potential for soil contamination over the bulk of the site; however at the time of the site walkover, the soil was saturated and iron pyrite from the coal measures mudstone could potentially result in aggressive ground conditions that could accelerate the corrosion of any buried iron pipes or couplings.

Documents

Volume Three: Non-Technical Summary - IEMA...Non Technical Summary 2 Airvolution Energy Potato Pot wind turbines emissions per year from conventional forms of electricity generation2