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Development of Solar Farms in South West England: Environmental Assessment and Planning Issues
Ian Roach MSc MIEMA CEnv
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Development of Solar Farms in South West England: Environmental Assessment and Planning Issues
Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs)
• FiTs scheme introduced 1 April 2010
• Subsidies to encourage deployment of
small scale (<5MW) low carbon electricity
generation
• Cost shared among electricity suppliers
according to their market share, with costs
ultimately passed on to consumers
• Focus on organisations, businesses,
communities and individuals who have not
traditionally engaged in the electricity
market
• Attractive subsidies led to significant activity
by developers of 5MW solar PV farms
• However, recent Government review
significantly reduced tariff (more on this
later…)
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Development of Solar Farms in South West England: Environmental Assessment and Planning Issues
Global Irradiation and Solar Electricity Potential
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Development of Solar Farms in South West England: Environmental Assessment and Planning Issues
URS Scott Wilson Experience
Major commission October 2010 to April 2011 with one developer client:
• 11 sites across Devon and Somerset
• EIA screening opinion requests – EIAs not required
• Ecology, landscape, heritage and flood risk assessments
• Multidisciplinary design workshops to minimise environmental effects
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Development of Solar Farms in South West England: Environmental Assessment and Planning Issues
EIA Screening Reports prepared and submitted with Screening Opinion requests
• Schedule 1? No
• Schedule 2? Not specifically, but our interpretation was Yes under Part 3a
“industrial installations for the production of electricity, steam and hot water”
• [Note: Cornwall Council also interpreted Yes but under Part 1a
“use of uncultivated or semi-natural land for intensive agricultural purposes”, mainly because Circular
2/99 referred to development “such as greenhouses”.]
• Within a Sensitive Area? No, deliberately so
• Meet or Exceed Threshold? Yes, sites typically 15 to 20 hectares
(threshold 0.5 hectare)
• Significant Effects Likely? Although there would be some environmental
effects, robust arguments were made such that these would not be “significant”
in EIA terms
EIA Screening
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Development of Solar Farms in South West England: Environmental Assessment and Planning Issues
Ecology
Extended phase 1
habitat survey and
desk study
Wintering birds survey
Designs retained
hedges and trees
Recommendations for
timing of vegetation
clearance
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Development of Solar Farms in South West England: Environmental Assessment and Planning Issues
Landscape and Visual
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Development of Solar Farms in South West England: Environmental Assessment and Planning Issues
Heritage
Built heritage – potential setting impacts
Historic landscape – close liaison with landscape architect
Archaeology – potential physical impacts
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Development of Solar Farms in South West England: Environmental Assessment and Planning Issues
Flood Risk and Hydrology
• Sites chosen to be in Flood Zone 1 – low risk from fluvial, no risk from tidal
• Increase in impermeable area not significant, nevertheless SUDS proposed in
the form of cut-off trenches and swales to avoid impacts on adjacent land
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Development of Solar Farms in South West England: Environmental Assessment and Planning Issues
Collaborative Design Workshops
Engineers
Landscape
Architect
Hydrologist
Project
Managers
Ecologist
Heritage
Specialist
Planner
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Development of Solar Farms in South West England: Environmental Assessment and Planning Issues
Landscape Masterplan
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Development of Solar Farms in South West England: Environmental Assessment and Planning Issues
Final Designs and Planning Applications
Environmental assessments complete?
Site layouts and design details finalised?
Planning documents ready?
Planning applications submitted? Not yet, but maybe….