Policies of Groups in the UK Concerning Renewable Energy

In Association with the Climate Change Group of Transition City in Lancaster

Background to policies in the UK

 

The UK Government have signed an overall policy under European agreements, the Kyoto agreement, and probably the Copenhagen agreement (yet to come at this point, May 2009), concerning the amount of CO2 that will be emitted by the UK by 2020 and has to pass on the directives to groups under its control to carry this out.  The major problem with this is that many groups simply don’t want to make it happen as they are living sleepy lives having an easy time just now and not looking too far into the future.  As a result, there are International, National and Local policies, and democratic methods have the problem of trying to get people to do things that they don’t feel they want yet.   To get anything done locally it is necessary to show that many aspects are an advantage and not a disadvantage to the populace, and again this becomes difficult because the information that local councils are given is often only short term viewpoints (e.g. bird populations etc) which would change much more if nothing was done!

 

Index to policies

 

  1. International policies.  International: Kyoto, European Commission
  2. National Policies. 
    1. UK Government, Stern report
    2. OFGEM
    3. Planning documents and requirements.
    4. Sustainable Development Commission
  3. Local Policies.  Northwest of England,  Lancashire,  Lancaster
  4. Policies and advice groups concerning specific factors in wind generation
    1. Landscape and Visual Impact of a wind farm
    2. Airspace, telecommunications, radar
    3. Wildlife and Ecology
    4. Noise
    5. Archaeology
    6. Transport
    7. Hydrology and hydrogenology
    8. Carbon Saving
    9. Shadow Flicker
    10. Peat

 

 

 

International Policies

 

  1. The European Commission has been specifically aggressive in this. 2008  New Directive on Renewable Energy.  This states that the EU will reach a 20% share of energy from renewable sources by 2020 and a 10% share of renewable energy specifically in the transport sector.  It is argued over to some degree in that it is clear that  by using 1990 as an original point to fall from 20% then many countries, which have gone over to using gas rather than coal to produce electricity will have done a bit of this anyway.  Some countries, like Poland that have a lot of coal but little else to work on are begging to be let out of this.  The UK does not seem to do much more than state that they will make it somehow.   There are some good sites on the EC web site concerning renewable energy.  See their index on the subject.  Also, have a look at the European Energy Policies as a whole. 

  2. Kyoto Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 1997.  This is of course stating that something must be done and it is all of us that must do it together.  Unfortunately some countries just did not sign (e.g. China and the USA, the biggest producers of CO2).  However things are getting worse and the Copenhagen agreement will show much more.  The full document is shown, but we must not forget that each country takes that document and decides what they are going to do as a single country or as a group.  The UK’s response is also found.   

 

 

 

Government Statements, Directives and Acts concerning Climate Change

Not easy in that there have been so many documents produced that it is difficult to keep touch with the waterfall of paper that is appearing!

Energy Act 2008

http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/legResults.aspx?LegType=All+Legislation&title=energy&searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower=0&blanketAmendment=0&TYPE=QS&NavFrom=0&activeTextDocId=3540328&PageNumber=1&SortAlpha=0  (basically to say that the Government can decide when energy production can take place and when it should be stopped.  Also demanding a specific change in the amount of renewable energy that should be involved)

Planning Act 2008

http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/legResults.aspx?LegType=All+Legislation&title=planning&Year=2008&searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower=0&blanketAmendment=0&TYPE=QS&NavFrom=0&activeTextDocId=3535444&PageNumber=1&SortAlpha=0  (the aim of this was to make it outside normal planning restrictions for specific types of energy production to take place e.g. nuclear power stations, offshore wind turbines etc.  It does not apply to wind farms on land.  Basically it wants to make it much easier and quicker for it all to take place). 

 

Stern Review:

Estimate of the social cost of greenhouse pollution. Stern review of economics of climate change: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/sternreview_index.cfm

 

House of Lords 2003-4 Renewable Energy Practicalities. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200304/ldselect/ldsctech/126/126.pdf (this actually was very good but had not gone into the economics of several of the factors e.g. solar powering).

 

Review of Renewable Energy in Europe and US. http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file22073.pdf Said how they loved wind power because it was cheap but did not know where to go then.

 

Reform of the Renewables Obligations;  May 2007 http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file39497.pdf Stephen Clark, Renewables Obligation Policy Department of Trade and Industry, 2nd Floor, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET, Email: roco.info@dti.gsi.gov.uk, Tel: 020 7215 5014  (send replies to him) http://www.dti.gov.uk/consultations/page34162.html (index) and http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review/implementation/renewables-obligation/page34483.html  

 

Renewables Innovation Review.  http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file22014.pdf No date on it but it looks to be about 2007.  All this shows is a short series of pictures indicating how some technologies are almost entirely capital (PV) and some are almost entirely ongoing cost (gas). Good.

Designing with Renewable Energy 2007.  Steve Mitchell. A lecture. http://www.greenenergy.org.uk/sta/documents/Steve_Michell_BERR_000.pdf

 

Energy Security. No date. http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file39565.pdf

 

Distributed Energy : Call for Evidence for the Review of Barriers and Incentives to Distributed Electricity Generation November 2006 Response from the Renewables Advisory Board.  Go via a wide set of replies: on http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review/implementation/distributed-energy/cons-responses/r-z/page36391.html#warwick_bs

 

Energy Markets Outlook 2007.  Ofgem. http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/energymarketsoutlook/page41839.html

 

Energy Policy and Strategy (BERR an ongoing website) http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/policy-strategy/index.html

 

Energy Statistics (BERR an ongoing website) http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/statistics/index.html

 

DTI.  Impact of Banding on ROC.  (this contains the costs of all the methods of electricity producing but seems to have got the PV ones quite oddly wrong).  http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file39038.pdf

Woking Town Council: Sustainability and Renewable Energy Strategy. http://www.woking.gov.uk/council/hoe_valley/hoevalleysustainability/hoevalleysustainabilityb

 

Planning Policy Statement 22 (2004).  This is one of the most important, specifically concerning wind power in that it explains to local authority planners how they can go about giving the OK (or not) to a plan that has been put to them:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planning/planningpolicyguidance/planningpolicystatements/planningpolicystatements/pps22/ 

 

 

 

Documents useful for development of community renewable energy projects

Look under the PPS web page (see 1 below) for ‘good practice guides (GPG)’ as well as the PPS and PPG type documents that are below.  There are some very specific documents around, should you know where to find them!  Don’t forget to get hold of the documents from the local councils about their Regional Spatial Strategy, whether there have been previous applications for planning concerning this type of renewable project, whether there have been decisions made already as to how this should progress. 

Before you go anywhere else have a look at three things: Sustainable Development Commission.  Wind Power in the UK. 2005  This is excellent document (of 174 pages) that looks into many of the aspects already seen above.  It has one specific section on shadow flicker that BERR sees as being useful. http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications/downloads/Wind_Energy-NovRev2005.pdf  I would recommend this as a specific document to take into account as a project was commenced. Many of the documents below are gone over in this official document itself.  Also have a go at the book: Renewable Energy. Technology, Economics and Environments 2007.  Eds: Kaltschmitt M, Streicher W, Wiese A.  Springer Publication.   Also the Danish Wind Industry Association explains how to go about organizing, understanding and planning specific sites so that they are adequate and would be looked on as acceptable see: http://www.windpower.org/en/tour/wres/variab.htm  (it is in English).

  1. Council Planning Policy Statements (PPS): http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/professionals/en/1021020428382.html
  2. Council Planning Policy Statement 22 (PPS22) from 2004. Renewable Energy.   PPS 22 is one of the most useful documents as it gives a very good idea as to how applications should fit into the planning and guidance that has been suggested by Government.  http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/147444.pdf
  3. Council Planning Policy Statement 22 Companion Guidance .  This is 186 pages long and gives a much more precise guidance as to how to run the renewable energy statement 22 for each council.  http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/planningrenewable
  4. Onshore Planning Guidance for Wind Farms.  Supplementary Planning Guidance. http://www.spgadvice.co.uk/docs/Landscape%20and%20Visual_Good%20Practice%20Guidance_141008.pdf
  5. Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/planningpolicystatement1.pdf This also includes information about the overall viewpoint of planning for climate change.
  6. Planning Policy Statement 1 section Planning and Climate Change. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/ppsclimatechange.pdf
  7. Planning Policy Guidance 16  Archaeology and Planning 1990.  http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/156777.pdf This gives a very reasonable view of how anyone applying for planning should have some idea as to the archaeological significance of the site that they are dealing with.
  8. Planning Policy Statement 7 2004. Planning in Rural Areas.  This gives some idea largely concerning farming as to how things can be carried out.  Things are potentially so complex that it is difficult for the document to give full advice. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/147402.pdf
  9. Planning Policy Guidance 2  2001.  Green Belts.  http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/155499.pdf
  10. Planning Policy Guidance 20  1992.  Coastal Planning.  http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/147498.pdf  This is actually quite difficult to do, but gives the indication as to what should be looked on as a piece of local coast to be retained.
  11. Planning Policy Guidance 24.  1994.  Planning and noise http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/156558.pdf .  This is quite specific but really cannot make medical statements or state that certain people don’t like certain amounts of noise.
  12. Environmental Impact Assessment.  2000.  This is a document that gives a guidance to the way in which an applicant with a wind farm of greater than 5MW must provide data at the time of application as to the environmental effects of the farm that they intend to build.  http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/environmentalimpactassessment
  13. The Plan Led System.  General Principles.   2008  This gives a good idea of how the whole system is laid out and how any specific attempt to produce a new plan for the usage of land must fit in with an awful lot of guidances and demands, followed by a lot more of people’s opinions.  http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/147396.pdf
  14. Planning Inspectorate. 2009  This is a document that lays out how the Government can check up on the local authority and its action concerning planning.  Also it can make sure that the Local Development Framework is taking place.  This explains how things should be put to the Council for planning applications and how things can then go to appeal if need be.  http://www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/pins/appeals/local_dev/index.htm
  15. Local Development Framework. 2009  This web site explains to everyone how the planning system takes place, how it can  be altered, and how it must fulfil regulations from Government. This particular web site is the centre for a large amount of other paperwork that shows more clearly each specific aspect.  http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115311947782.html .  For instance it shows the costs that an applicant must pay and what sort of thing people must apply for a planning permission to carry out.
  16. Local Development Framework Monitoring Good Practice Guide 2004.  This gives a good idea to the planning department as to how they should handle things and to some degree shows any individual how they must go about demonstrating to the planners that what they want to do is acceptable. I.e. if you fulfil the good practice that the planners have to demand then you should be acceptable. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/147438.pdf
  17. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Process.  This is part of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999.  http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1999/19990293.htm This puts you through to numerous web sites that explain how many items such as advertising that a plan is taking place etc. 
  18. Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment, which comes from the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) 2004 (only available as a book: see http://www.iema.net/shop/product_info.php?products_id=6962 ) plus updates 2006 http://www.iema.net/sections/readingroom/show/16805/c312   After looking at one document it gives the impression that this is fairly obvious action but gives indications as to what kind of data would be looked on as acceptable.
  19. Environmental Assessment Handbook.  This is an ongoing index to the work being carried out by the Scottish National Heritage and contains a wide range of specific documents on line. http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/heritagemanagement/eia/  

 

  1.  Landscape and Visual aspects that must be addressed as part of the EIA.  Remembering that Landscape impacts concerns what any specific change actually is, whereas Visual Impacts represents how they look.
    1. Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment 2nd Edition (2002)  Only available as a book see: http://www.iema.net/shop/product_info.php?cPath=27_26&products_id=57
    2. Landscape Character Assessment Guidance. This is as a document (http://www.landscapecharacter.org.uk/files/pdfs/LCA-Guidance.pdf) This includes examples for many reasons.  It is also shown as a web site that can be worked through: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ This gives specific examples to work through in different parts of the country. 
    3. Visual Assessment of Wind Farms – Best Practice 2002 (University of Newcastle for Scottish Natural Heritage report) http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/f01aa303a.pdf 
    4. Visual Assessment of Wind Farms Good Practice Guide 2006.  This takes into account the previous one.  http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/heritagemanagement/Visual%20Representation%20of%20windfarms%20-%20excerpt.pdf 
    5. Supplementary Planning Guidance: Landscape and Visual Amenity for on-shore Wind Farms over 20MW. http://www.spgadvice.co.uk/docs/Landscape%20and%20Visual_Good%20Practice%20Guidance_141008.pdf
    6. Guidelines on Cumulative Effects of Windfarms 2003. Scottish National Heritage.
    7. RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENTS: THE ROLE OF THE COUNTRYSIDE AGENCY (AP 99/50).  Its position in this is mainly to worry about overhead lines, and the finding that the wind farms may be too close (they feel that 12km apart is needed, although this is not accepted elsewhere). http://p1.countryside.gov.uk/LAR/archive/board_meetings/boardPapers/CA_AP99_50.asp
    8. Visual Representation of Windfarms.2006  Scottish National Heritage. http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/heritagemanagement/Visual%20Representation%20of%20windfarms%20-%20excerpt.pdf
    9. Zones of Visual Influence (ZVI).  These are commonly worked out by subcontractors that are simply brought in and can largely done from OS maps before taking action to the ground.  For example: http://users.aber.ac.uk/zwk/distlearn/virtlib/theses/thomas/visua.htm
    10. PAN 45.  A major document of the Scottish Parliament giving indications as to how it expects many aspects of renewable energy to be carried out including visual appearance. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2002/02/pan45/pan-45
    11. Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Energy Development in Lancashire.  An absolutely excellent independent document that appears to take many other of the sources into account, although probably the Scots ones too much in that lowland farming is taken as quite important factors to avoid wind farms, whereas in England this is not so clear because of the sheer quantity of them.  It also quotes the possible Countryside Commission idea of keeping wind farms at over 10km apart, which again seems in excess for relatively small wind farms.  However, apart from much quoting of other sources it does come out with a good method of working out what is most acceptable and what size of wind farm should be considered in each site.  http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/landscape/landscapewind/contents.asp
  2. Airspace, telecommunications, radar.   It is probably a good idea to involve the Civil Aviation Authority, if only to ask them what is going on, the MOD, and the National Air Traffic Services.   Local airports, and groups involved in ballooning and parachuting may be helpful but often are  not happy with windfarms as they might represent a risk.  Also amateur groups involved in model aeroplane.  In 2008 the BWEA, BERR, DfT, MOD, NATS and the CAA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to demonstrate a shared commitment to remove aviation and radar barriers in wind farm development (see the BWEA document below). 
    1. Civil Aviation Authority: CAP 764. Policy and Guidelines on Wind Turbines. 2009 . This is quite complicated but really shows that there should be an adequate distance between the wind farm and the low flying aircraft or the radar systems. http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/cap764.pdf
    2. PPG 8 Telecommunications 2001  http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/ppg8.pdf .  This spends a lot of time explaining what they are, and giving idea as to how telecommunications even might be affected.   The document from BBC and OFCOM gives a good idea as to whether they actually do make any problem and how to test it.
    3. Wind Energy and Aviation Interests: Interim Guidelines 2002 http://www.bwea.com/pdf/Wind-Energy-and-aviation-interim-guidelines.pdf  This seems an excellent document tht came from the DTI and gives a good idea as to how things should be handled.
    4. The Impact of Large Buildings and Structures (including wind farms on terrestrial Television Reception) BBC Ofcom  2001. http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/info/pdf/buildings_factsheet.pdf   This document includes the direction to how to measure or predict any specific problem as a link.
    5. British Wind Energy Association web site on aviation: http://www.bwea.com/aviation/index.html  This gives a good indication of data from other sites that can be found and quoted.
    6. NATS document on Windfarms: National Air Traffic Services  see http://www.nats.co.uk/text/248/nats_and_windfarms.html In this they mitigate the significance of windfarms per se.
  3. Cumulative Impacts of Windfarms
    1. Guidance on the Cumulative Impacts of Windfarms 2005  Scottish National Heritage. http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/strategy/Cumulativeeffectsonwindfarms.pdf
  4. Wildlife and Ecology (note that the Scottish National Heritage has produced an excellent set of documents on this and should be looked up if only to find basics).   The BWEA and the RSPB and the SNH agree as to various methods that can be used to check the effects of any specific wind farm on birds (see below)
    1. Bats and Onshore Wind Turbines. Natural England 2009.   http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/strategy/Cumulativeeffectsonwindfarms.pdf
    2. Cumulative Effect of Wind Turbines on Birds 2000.  Not a lot of effect was found except on specific species and then it was mainly carnivorous ones such as kestrels and buzzards.  Many birds were more pushed away from the wind farms than actually were found to have been killed in any way.  http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file17849.pdf
    3. Guidelines for Ecological Impact Assessment.  From the Institute of Environmental and Ecological Management. 2006  http://www.ieem.net/ecia/impact-assess.html   They try to look at a way of deciding something that is ecologically important and then assessing how the item (wind farm, road etc) might have an effect.
    4. Extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey.  Handbook for Phase 1 Habitat Survey - a Technique for Environmental Audit. England Field Unit, Nature Conservancy Council, reprinted Joint Nature Conservation Committee, (1993). Peterborough. PE1 1JY
      Tel:01733 562626 See http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ and then look under their publications.  The aim of this survey is to be able to put on a map in different colours and plans the positions and times of different species. You may have to ring them up. 
    5. Wind Farm Development and Nature Conservation.  2001 from English Nature, BWEA, RSPB and WWF. http://www.bwea.com/pdf/wfd.pdf  A relatively short document but full of data indicating just how thorough you have to be.  One is clear is that wind farms have much less effect than a railway or a road.  Simply having a few houses in a wind farm area or clearing the area of peat for cattle has a much greater effect.
    6. Bird survey methods for use in assessing the impacts of onshore windfarms on bird communities.  Scottish National Heritage 2005.  http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/strategy/renewable/bird_survey.pdf
    7. A review of the disturbance distances of selected bird species.  Scottish National Heritage 2007 This is not specifically about windfarms. http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/strategy/renewables/BIRDSD.pdf
    8. Monitoring the impact of onshore windfarms on birds; 2009 Scottish National Heritage.  This is a short document giving a good idea as to how it would be a good idea to follow up the effects seen on the birds. http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/strategy/renewable/A221794.pdf .  There is a guidance document on this as well also in 2009. http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/strategy/renewable/A222916.pdf
    9. Calculating the collision risks for birds passing through the wind turbines.  Scottish National Heritage.  This relatively simple piece of mathematics is generally found to be easy to do but does not match to any degree with what is actually found on the ground.  The reason for this is simply that the birds generally stay quite a long way away from the blades of the rotors.  Hence these figures come out as the maximum that might be possibly seen. http://www.snh.org.uk/strategy/renewable/sr-we00a1.asp
    10. Assessing Significance of Impacts from Onshore Windfarms on Birds Outwith Designated Areas. 2006 Scottish National Heritage.  This demonstrates that there really is an effect on bird populations for some distance outside the wind farm itself, and of course many birds would be migrating through the site area.  http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/strategy/renewable/Significance%20of%20bird%20impacts%20July%2006.pdf
    11. Methodology for Assessing the Effects of Wind Farms on Ornithological Interests.  2008?  This is agreed with the BWEA and the SNH and so is likely to have a good effect and be relatively simple to carry out.  Currently I cannot find it on the internet as a source.
       Bird fatalities due to human aspects Erickson 2002.
  5. Noise.  The most amazing thing is that the noise level from wind turbines generally is so low as to be almost inaudible and most of the sound comes from the wind passing next to the rotor blades but even that is minimal.  However, and I wonder if some of this is a legal ‘watch your back’ principle, everything has to be done properly according to the regulations.  Basically the nearest noise affected place must be found, background noises checked and noise at different windspeeds with and without the wind farm.  A prediction of the noise level has to take place before the turbines are put up, and the comparison between the prediction and the findings found. If noise is too high then action must be taken to avoid problems to people.  It must be noticed that animals like sheep do not seem to care at all about it and I could not find and great chasing of this in the documents.
    1.  The Assessment and Rating of Noise from Wind Farms.  From BERR as ETSU-R-97.  This is a huge document of 17 chapters that is continually being updated.  http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/explained/wind/onshore-offshore/page21743.html   To see the index view: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file20433.pdf .  It describes how to carry out all the procedures very precisely.
  6. Archaeological and historical findings.  These are similar to the findings and demands for many other planning applications and basically have to look into the above and below ground aspects.  In many places where a wind farm would be put there would  be none simply because of the position of the site.
    1. PPG 15 Planning in the Historical Environment. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/142838.pdf  Also there have been some changes: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/ppg15
    2. PPG 16 Archaeology and Planning. 1990 (or see above for 2006) DoE. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/156777.pdf
    3. Hedgerow Regulations 1997 http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1997/19971160.htm as the law and a much easier to understand document from the DoE  http://www.iow.gov.uk/living_here/planning/images/HedgerowLeaflet.pdf  and another one: Hedgerow Regulations an article in a magazine in 2000 http://www.naturenet.net/articles/congreve/index.html
    4. Also it is necessary to look up data on listed buildings, conservation areas, monuments,  Ancient monuments, and Archaeological areas act 1979.
  7. Transport to the site.  It must not be forgotten that the sites will contain very heavy wind rotors, and a lot of concrete!  This will mean that road will need to be created to the local national road.  Depending on the aspects of the road needed, it will be expensive and so long roads may make the project uneconomic. The creation of resulting through traffic may take place but this is unlikely in most cases.   This has to be carried out for the construction, operation and de-commissioning of the site.   The best way for the planning permission applicants is to simply say that they will do this with the interaction of local planning guidance, and do it with the simple calculation as to the number of major lorries delivering and removing turbine sections, concrete etc.
    1. PPG 13.  Transport  2006.  http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/155634.pdf A lot of this is blatantly obvious and goes into the creation of major roads.
    2. The Scottish National Heritage EIA index page for road assessment.  This is really quite widely laid out and it is clear that many of the documents are generally insignificant. http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/heritagemanagement/eia/annex5.shtml
    3. Commission of the European Communities (1985). Council Directive on the Assessment of the Effects of Certain Public and Private Projects on the Environment (85/337/EEC).  The EC Directive which triggered statutory environmental assessment procedures for the first time in the UK. It is still the basis of all EC and UK legislation but is currently being updated and extended in the light of practice.   This is very non-specific and is largely covered by other documents.
    4. Guidelines for the Environmental Assessment of Road Traffic 1993.  from the Institute of Environmental Assessment.   This did not seem to be available on line but is quoted by many applicants as being included in their assessment procedure.   It seems very difficult to get hold of.
    5. NPPG 17.  Produced by the Scottish Government 1999 goes along with PAN 57 to give indication as to how all this should take place.
  8.  Hydrology and Hyrogeneology.  The UK is generally not short of water, or so you would think.  However, things are set up in various ways already to make sure that the water is available adequately to people and to the land itself.  For instance if the wind farm is to be on very porous soil it will probably not make any difference, whereas if it is on an area of peat, then the building of roads to and from the site, or clearing away the peat may be significant.  Wind farms generally don’t make a big difference in that they simply don’t actually cover much of an area (each turbine is only is only over 25 sq meters maximum, and so, if not much affect was carried out on the land (e.g. it remains as grassland), then the effect wound not be great.  Notably wind farms do not respond well to trees nearby and attempts to plant trees may make a difference to their ability to produce electricity. Always discuss things with the National Rivers Authority, the local utility company, the council, and the Environmental Agency.  Surprisingly a lot of data is already available by the time the system starts (OS maps, water fall data etc) and a lot of regulations are in fact of little significance and can be put to one side.  There seems a tendency by applicants for windfarms that they will do just about anything that is necessary…even though it is fairly clear that nothing is needed.
    1. Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC)  This simply makes it clear that water is a more important factor than has been felt in the past and that specific action must be taken concerning it. Most of what it says is clear.  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32000L0060:EN:NOT
    2. Water Resources Act 1991  (largely taken into account in the EC directive). http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts1991/ukpga_19910057_en_1.    (Also look under the European documents which are quite broad http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/index_en.html )  The act sets up the various authorities to maximise and optimise the rivers and water in the UK e.g. the National Rivers Authority. 
    3. Land Drainage Act 1991 and 1994.  http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1991/ukpga_19910059_en_1.htm This goes along with the Water Resources Act and explains how simply organising the drainage of the land may be more of a loss than is realised.  It goes over the way in which water areas that are generally owned by local farmers may be bought by utilities, or authorities simply to make sure that the water drainage remains to the water supply.  For the 1994 document see http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1994/ukpga_19940025_en_1
    4. PPS 23  Planning and Pollution Control 2004.  This is largely insignificant from wind farms except in the production and use of large amounts of concrete.  The assessment of the use of concrete has largely been well defined.  http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/planningpolicystatement23.pdf  There are other parts to this document that are almost certainly not of significance in many wind farm projects but may be in some (e.g. development of contaminated sites)
    5. PPG 25  Development and Flood Risk.  If anything wind farms cause greater evaporation than flooding, but they may represent a risk themselves if there is a risk of flooding on the site.  A such the turbines must be adequately underpinned. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/planningpolicystatement25.pdf  There is also a good practice guide: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/pps25practiceguide.pdf
    6. Groundwater Regulations 1998. Probably best to see the guidance from DEFRA that was seen later.    Also present in Scotland: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1998/19982746.htm  There is also a guidance on these that was produced in 2001.  http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/water/ground/pdf/groundwater-guidance.pdf  The most useful thing about this one is that it gives a list of the chemicals that would be looked on as unacceptable and how to get them checked if need be.
    7. Environmental Good Practice on Site C650.  This was brought out by CIRIA (the Construction Industry Research and Information Association) and its latest edition is in 2005.  They will organise meetings and training procedures.   They also have a Control of Water Pollution from Construction Sites (C532) from 2001, which seems much more significant than many other documents.  See their home site: http://www.ciria.org/service/Home/AM/ContentManagerNet/HomePages/CIRIA_1502_20080929T115140HomePage.aspx?Section=Home
    8. Environmental Agency Pollution Prevention Guidelines.  (they call these PPGs but this is rather confusing in that it is nothing to do with other PPGs).  http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/PPG_6.pdf This goes along with the CIRIA documents concerning building sites.  However, there is a list of other PPGs: see the web site http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/pollution/39083.aspx .  These will cover things from airfields to sewerage.
    9. Environmental Protection Act 1990.  This is overall organisation of the system and sets up how it all should be run. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1990/ukpga_19900043_en_1
  9. Carbon Saving and other aspects for any sites that are to be used.
    1. Calculating Carbon Saving from Wind Farms on Scottish Peat Lands.  Scottish Government 2008 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/229725/0062213.pdf
    2. Geology:  A lot of this information concerning any specific site is to be found on OS maps and local maps available from the council planning department.  This will also give information about previous mining and potential hazards that might appear during development or running of the site.
    3. Socio-economic aspects.  These are generally not present at all in that the wind farm is commonly developed by a company from outside the site, and has no specific employees at the site itself at any one time.
    4. Recreational.  By rights wind farms can largely continue to be used for farming and recreational aspects.  E.g. Haverigg in Cumbria where the site is used for motocross and the position of walks and pathways should either be moved as need be or specific action taken to make sure that they are clear to anyone that is actually on the walk at a later date.  Clearly usage like football would be too difficult and so it may be necessary for the company to supply the local groups with land elsewhere for these purposes.
  10. Shadow Flicker.  This is an aspect that can be measured and predicted using mathematical systems in that it will only appear when the wind turbine rotors cross the image of the sun to a viewer and the viewer is at an adequately close position.  The potential risks from this concern epilepsy, headaches, irritation and just annoyance.  To a large degree the frequency of the flicker makes the epilepsy risk very low, but the other aspects are difficult to deny.  The colour and type of paint for the rotors, the distance for anyone nearby, must be considered, and possibly a warning to people crossing the site that this may be a problem.  However, after many sites have been built, there are complaints that go on for some time about just this and they are difficult to take to court by the claimant.  One document from Germany sets out that they would accept anything that was expected to produce 30 hrs per year of shadow flicker to a property where the people were present and awake (and of course the weather permitted it!).  Unfortunately there appears to be very little adequate data that disagrees with the official position…just an irritation.  What happens as a result is that groups use flicker as one of their problems,  even though this cannot be demonstrated.
    1. BERR document on Shadow Flicker in Wind Farms.  This is an ongoing web site that will give several links to other documents including the Sustainable Development Commission report…which appeared to say little about flicker! http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications/downloads/Wind_Energy-NovRev2005.pdf
    2. Sustainable Development Commission.  Wind Power in the UK. 2005  This is excellent document (of 174 pages) that looks into many of the aspects already seen above.  It has one specific section on shadow flicker that BERR sees as being useful. http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications/downloads/Wind_Energy-NovRev2005.pdf  I would recommend this as a specific document to take into account as a project was commenced.
    3. A ‘wind turbine syndrome’ has been in a way created in the USA http://www.windturbinesyndrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/wind-turbine-syndrome-noise-shadow-flicker-and-health-pdf1.pdf but the different legal aspects seen between Europe and the USA may mean that this is difficult to be of significance.
  11. Peat.  The building of wind farms on peat has been carried out in numerous places and this is largely because they are high up and often flat.  The major problems appear in that the development of the sites (not so much the wind turbines themselves) causes great drying out and so releasing the carbon they hold.  There are plenty of sites on this.  One caused a large slide of peat http://www.uel.ac.uk/erg/documents/Derrybrien.pdf

Examples of Documents That Are Found Locally: e.g. Lancaster

One of the biggest problems with trying to work out what is actually going on is that the Council is not allowed to issue maps without them being paid for at great expense.  They are only permitted to produce maps that contain the very specific information that is required.  This is demanded by the Ordinance Survey people who demand to own all maps of this kind in the UK.  Noticeably,  Lancaster has got going with the LDF system and is wallowing its way through waterfalls of documents, which are in fact aimed at making things easier and clearer for the population.

  1. Lancaster District Local Plan 2004-6 (in fact it is active until around 2009 but a forward looking plan is not available yet) http://www.cartogold.co.uk/lancaster/   Just about impossible to download any useful images.
  2. Lancaster District Core Strategy.  As you will see in this web site it is not yet ready for viewing. http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/Download.asp?path=/Documents/Planning/LDF/Core%20Strategy/Submission%20Documents/Core%20Strategy%20Objection%20Form.pdf.  Can have a try at the previous one: http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/GetAsset.aspx?id=fAAyADEAMwA1AHwAfABGAGEAbABzAGUAfAB8ADAAfAA1
  3. Lancaster Strategic Housing Land Availability.  A Consultant Document 2009.  This looks forward until about 2024 and looks entirely into the availability of land for housing.  What is clear, however is that there is not much space.  http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/GetAsset.aspx?id=fAAxADcAOQAwAHwAfABGAGEAbABzAGUAfAB8ADAAfAA1.  To get that out you may need to go via  www.lancaster.gov.uk/SHLAA
  4. Lancaster does have some policies concerning Wind farms (see Policy E22) and on Renewable Energy (See  ER7).  I cannot find these on the internet apart from the small sections on http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/GetAsset.aspx?id=fAAyADEAMwA1AHwAfABGAGEAbABzAGUAfAB8ADAAfAA1 .
  5. Forest of Bowland AONB Enterprise Report 2008. http://www.forestofbowland.com/publications/strategies/enterprise_survey08report.pdf 
  6. Forest of Bowland AONB Visitor Survey 2008 http://www.forestofbowland.com/publications/strategies/visitor_survey08_report.pdf
  7. Forest of Bowland Annual Reports and Business plans to 2009 http://www.forestofbowland.com/publ_plans.asp
  8. A Landscape Strategy for Lancashire 2000 http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/landscape/landscapecharacass/characterassesment.pdf  (10MB) This kind of document was produced to give a good idea as to the current usage of all the land in the area and how it is made up of geological, archaeological and image.  They are exceptionally useful in seeing how areas could be used and areas that are over-used already.  It is clear from this type of document that all land is used in some way, be it for farmland, industrial, saved for wildlife, beautiful sights etc.  It is a good example of any new ideas being put forward having to squeeze themselves into areas already in use.  The Strategic Core Strategy that is aimed at a much later date is already available to some degree.  You will need to contact Rebecca Jones rjones@lancaster.gov.uk  at the Planning Office of the Council.
  9. North West England Regional Planning 2009.  This site gives the links to further sites concerning different parts of the area.  http://www.nwrpb.org.uk/  The Partial Review 2009 http://www.northwestplanpartialreview.org.uk/
  10. Government Office for the North West.: Regional Planning.  http://www.gos.gov.uk/gonw/Planning/RegionalPlanning/  This actually gives a lot of documents of things that are going on currently and will be expected to do so over the next few years.  A very useful site.  
  11. Archaeological and historical aspects: these can often be relatively simply checked using local official offices (Photographs from above, applications from recent land users, English Heritage, County Records, Local Libraries, LCC Historical Environment Service, and of course Oxford Archaeology in the middle of Lancaster would certainly take part in any aspects that were needed.  Simply walking over the site as a walkover survey gives a good idea to understand what is really going on but often this is more important for an external company that wants to use the area.  What may happen generally is that the application has to modified simply to avoid important aspects of the site or to allow archaeological digging to the site if only to make sure that there is nothing that is a specific problem.  However, when certain concrete platforms are being created by digging it simply may be that archaeological things may appear and these must be investigated and retained by photographs (as well).
  12. Sustainability Partnership.  This is part of the Council Environmental Department.  Contact Jill Wesolowski Environmental Assistant - Corporate Strategy Lancaster City Council, Town Hall, Dalton Square, Lancaster, LA1 1PJ Tel: 01524 582061
  13. Local Wildlife Groups:
    1. www.lancasterbirdwatching.org.uk Quite a major group but they are spread out quite a way.  They will know about the various species that are present at any specific site.
    2. North Lancashire Naturalists Group.  They are a very useful group http://www.nlng.co.uk/  with specific contacts concerning sites. John Holding (Secretary) tel: (01524) 852482.  Jennifer Newton is very useful in the biology of the area.
    3. Jean Roberts of the British Trust for Ornithology http://www.bto.org/index.htm  representative for North Lancashire.  Jeanrbrts6@aol.com 
Lancashire and North West: Documents that directly work on the aspects of renewable energy

It appears that many of the documents from part of the county, (e.g. Lancaster) depend on the large amounts of work and guidance that has come from the Environmental groups in Lancashire (based in Preston) County Council.  They have produced some excellent documents:

  1. Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Energy Development in Lancashire.  An absolutely excellent independent document that appears to take many other of the sources into account, although probably the Scots ones too much in that lowland farming is taken as quite important factors to avoid wind farms, whereas in England this is not so clear because of the sheer quantity of them.  It also quotes the possible Countryside Commission idea of keeping wind farms at over 10km apart, which again seems in excess for relatively small wind farms.  However, apart from much quoting of other sources it does come out with a good method of working out what is most acceptable and what size of wind farm should be considered in each site.  (2005) http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/landscape/landscapewind/contents.asp
  2. Joint Lancashire Structure Plan 2001-16.  Renewable Energy Supplementary Planning Document.  2005.  This is a relatively wide ranging document that is aiming at giving an idea about the amount of energy that will be required, the potential ways that it can take place and how it might be brought forward. One thing that it does is to make it clear that it is a major aspect of Government action currently and that the Councils agreed that renewable energy should receive major help in progress. http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/web/view.asp?siteid=3654&pageid=11649&e=e 
  3. Renewable Energy Targets for the North West. 2006.  This takes over from the document ‘From Power to Prosperity’ that carried out a similar viewpoint.  It is from this document that the plans for Lancashire were taken. http://www.nwrpb.org.uk/downloads/documents/imported/rp_4Zzd_RENEWABLE_ENERGY_TARGETS_FOR_T.pdf
  4. Advancing Sustainable Energy in the North West.  Mapping the way forward to 2020.  Perhaps a rather hopeful document that explains how this should be carried out using specific methods and by using less energy itself.  A very well written item that explains why it is in fact so difficult to get many sustainable aspects carried out (the barriers) and how these must be modified to allow progress.  http://www.nwrpb.org.uk/documents/?page_id=4&category_id=197
  5. North West of England Plan. Regional Spatial Strategy to 2021.  2008  If you go to  http://www.nwrpb.org.uk/whatwedo/issues/environment/?page_id=457 and then pick out the pdf file at the bottom of the page that you feel would be useful.   This is a broad document that is taken by many of the smaller councils as useful and they commonly just accept it as being the direction that they will take.  North West England Regional Spatial Strategy until 2021.  This came from the Government Offices NW so you can try..  http://www.nwrpb.org.uk/downloads/documents/oct_08/nwra_1224255799_Final_adopted_RSS_300908_Conte.pdf  (5MB)
  6. Towards Broad Areas for Renewable Energy Development 2008.  This was produced by an independent company Arup and partners for 4NW.  It has some excellent pictures, which are themselves very difficult to copy from the screen.  One of the best is about the distribution of peat in the district, which I could not find elsewhere.   The major document is on http://www.4nw.org.uk/towards-broad-areas-for-renewable-energy-development.html .  It goes over the problems at this point, the expected action that can be taken and the predicted value that will appear.  One of the most useful aspects is the picture set on the appendix. http://www.4nw.org.uk/assets/_files/documents/nov_08/ps__1225881892_Towards_Broad_Areas__Appendix.pdf  This lays out the areas where wind farms may take place…but the image is extremely difficult to understand in that it represents many images superimposed.
  7. Lancashire Climate Change Strategy 2009.  It is clear that things are getting difficult in that the document simply says what is happening already that that individual parts of the various councils are doing their best and have plans for themselves.  In fact these plans are quite inadequate and largely unfounded.  If you look at the major part of the document through web site: http://www.blackburn.gov.uk/upload/doc/LANCASHIRE_CLIMATE_CHANGE_STRATEGY-_JANUARY_09.doc then you realise where things have got so at this point.  One thing is clear that pressure is on the councils to allow external groups to carry out renewable energy projects if they have the cash.
  8. Its Time to Act.  An ongoing web site from the Climate Change unit of the North West. http://www.climatechangenorthwest.co.uk/assessment-of-potential-carbon-savings.html .  It has a series of specific documents about how things are going both locally and nationally.  Much of this was taken for the Lancashire Climate Change Strategy 2009 document.  They, and the NWDA may turn out to be a major source of funding initially.
  9. Lancashire and Yorkshire Renewable Energy Planning Study 1998.  This was organised by BERR and showed just how much could be fitted in of renewable energy and how would be the best to do it.  An independent group carried this out.  http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file15124.pdf

 

This site was provided by Lancaster Transition City

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