A site visit to establish the scale of development suitable for your site

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1 Wind Feasibility Study Our wind feasibility study comprises the following: A site visit to establish the scale of development suitable for your site Advice on whether a planning application is likely to be successful and what the major risks are Production of a Zone of Theoretical Visibility map to establish the visual impact of the proposed project, this can be used as part of a future planning application turbine Checking of land allocations and uses Review of Local and National Planning Policy Frameworks, including discussions with the Local Authority. Checks of aviation radar maps for NATS and MOD Production of baseline noise study (optional) Production of a basic analysis of potential shadow flicker effects Consultation with Ofcom on television and radio wave interference Searches of local landscape and ecological designations Submission of a Screening Opinion to the Local Planning Authority to establish whether an Environmental Impact Assessment will be required An appraisal of the electrical connection on site and its impact on maximum system size and likely connection cost Energy generation estimates based on local wind data, refined using software modelling An economic analysis of the proposed options, including project costs, expected maintenance costs, energy savings and income from FITs over system lifespan Wind Planning Application Our planning applications comprise the following: Our Medium Wind planning applications comprises the following: Pre-application discussions and submission of Screening Opinion to LPA Pre-application consultation with other relevant parties (e.g. Natural England, English Heritage, RSPB.) OS Location Plan at 1:2500, including CAD plan if required OS Block Plan at 1:500

2 Wind Turbine elevation plans as supplied by turbine manufacturer Completion and submission of relevant planning application forms Management of application through to approval stage, including ongoing discussions and negotiation with the LPA Management of additional study work as required by local planning authority during the course of the application Regular updates provided to applicant Detailed statement supporting the proposal and all relevant appendices - a comprehensive statement which is typically pages in length and covers all relevant planning topics. The Environmental Statement covers the following chapters: 1. Project overview 2. Application description - overview of the proposal, turbine specifications, access arrangements and installation of the turbine(s) 3. Planning Policy Review - covering all relevant national and local planning policy, and supplementary planning guidance where appropriate 4. Land Use and tourism desk based assessment considering the impact of the proposal on local land use and tourism in line with current planning policy requirements for renewable energy planning applications 5. Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment this is supported by wireframes and photomontages produced on WindFarm software, which is the industry standard. All imagery and subsequent assessment is carried out in line with best practice guidelines and includes Zone of Theoretical Visibility Mapping Figure: Zone of Theoretical Visability Mapping (ZTV mapping) undertaken on WindFarm software

3 6. Shadow Flicker - a Shadow Flicker plot undertaken on WindFarm software and are accompanied by an overview of current planning legislation regarding shadow flicker and an assessment of the findings of the shadow flicker plot Figure: Shadow Flicker Plot undertaken on WindFarm software 7. Noise A desk based noise survey to establish the likely impact of turbine noise on neighbours 8. Ecology - a desk based assessment is included which looks at ecological designations in the vicinity of the site and an assessment of the potential impact on bats, birds and other protected species. 9. Hydrology, geology and hydrogeology a desk based assessment is carried out which looks at groundwater conditions, soil, rock type, and nearby water bodies. An assessment is carried out looking into the impact of the turbine at the construction, operation and decommissioning stages

4 Figure 9: Example map showing groundwater conditions on site 10. Historic Environment a desk based assessment is carried out to identify all assets of historic importance within the vicinity of the site. This includes listed buildings, conservation areas, scheduled ancient monuments, registered parks and gardens and World Heritage Sites. The impact of the turbine on these assets is assessed in line with best practice and might include further consultation with the LPA and other bodies such as English Heritage to establish the level of information required 11. Aviation maps produced by MOD and NATS are used to assess the impact of the turbine on the aviation domain. All civil and military aviation operations within set consultation distances are identified and consulted where necessary Figure: Example of NATS radar map used to assess the impact of turbine proposals

5 12. Communications and Infrastructure Ofcom are consulted at an early stage in the planning application preparation to establish any fixed links in the vicinity of the turbine location which may be affected by the installation. The operators of these links are consulted separately to establish the individual impacts on their operation 13. Access a desk based assessment is carried out which considers the impact on existing access arrangements and local traffic. The delivery route of the turbine to site and any proposed access changes and access tracks required are addressed as part of this chapter. If further analysis is required in the form of swept path diagrams, this is charged additionally 14. Miscellaneous other relevant issues including health and safety, energy generation and the impact on air quality are addressed in this chapter *N.B. Although we try work hard to minimise the amount of additional study work required by the LPA to support wind turbine planning applications, there are times when additional study work is unavoidable. In these instances, this is quoted for separately and is not included within the Wind Planning Application fee. The LPA planning fee to process the application is also excluded.