solar farms and environmental impact assessment: a case ... q mark... · presentation for uwe msc...

Solar Farms and Environmental Impact

Assessment: A Case Study

Presentation for UWE MSc Environmental

Consultancy EIA module

3rd December 2019

Kara Davies December 2019

GLVIA – DECONSTRUCTED | PEGASUS GROUP | NOVEMBER 2019

- Solar Farm – Wiltshire PAN 19/10890/FUL

- Screened EIA – 49.9MW and nearby designations

- Request for Scoping Opinion submitted.

- EIA topics:

- Landscape and Visual

- Biodiversity

- Cultural Heritage & Archaeology

- Transport and Access

- Hydrology, Flood Risk and Surface Water Drainage

- Agricultural Resources

Introduction

https://planning.wiltshire.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=905825&XSLT=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Wiltshire/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Wiltshire/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING


- Schedule 2 paragraph 3(a). Category of “Industrial installations

for the production of electricity, steam and hot water”

- The majority of our solar farm applications (including others up to

49.9 MW) are not screened as EIA developments.

- Location and potentially sensitive receptors meant

that EIA required in this instance.

Screening


Ecological designations – nearby SPA / SAC


Stone Curlew Survey –nests within approx

600m of Site


Heritage designations – ‘Devil’s Ditch’ Scheduled

Monument along eastern boundary of Site


Stonehenge World Heritage Site &

Bareground Zone of Theoretical Visibility


The EIA Regulations (Schedule 4, paragraph 2) require for inclusion

in an ES:

“A description of the reasonable alternatives (for example in terms of

development design, technology, location, size and scale) studied by

the developer, which are relevant to the proposed project and its

specific characteristics, and an indication of the main reasons for

selecting the chosen option, including a comparison of the

environmental effects”

Considered the ‘do nothing’ alternative and alternative designs.

Alternatives


- Constraints and opportunities presented by the Application Site

used to inform the design principles, which in turn helped refine

and structure the Proposed Development.

- Number of mitigation measures implemented during the iterative

design stage.

- Incorporated into the Proposed Development

as ‘embedded mitigation’ or ‘mitigation

by design’.

Alternatives


Site Layout – informed by EIA studies


- Heritage considerations - set back of panels and infrastructure from

Devil’s Ditch to the eastern boundary (50m buffer) to respect siting of

Scheduled Monument. Informed by consultation with Historic England

and Wiltshire Council’s Archaeologist.

- Transport considerations – different transport options were considered

initially and informed by consultation with Highways England and the

Highways Authority and the transport assessment. Preferred option

bridge over A303 – weight verified with HE for abnormal load

(substation delivery). See next slide.

- The existing PRoW (Byway CHOL1) would be maintained at its current

width, with the proposed internal access tracks designed to run

adjacent to and parallel with this route to minimise construction

related impacts. Construction route only crosses PRoW at two points.

A Construction Traffic Management Plan is provided as part of the

application.

Alternatives


- Internal access tracks designed to utilise existing gateways and

farm tracks wherever possible to minimise the need for localised

hedgerow removal. The location and alignment of access tracks

were also informed by the arboricultural survey.

- Location / siting of 132kV substation near to existing electrical

infrastructure / pylons with due regard to existing site features,

context and views.

- Proposed colour scheme of RAL 6005 (Moss Green) for

switchgear substations, transformers and AC boxes.

- Set back of panels and infrastructure from trees and hedgerows,

including consideration of Root Protection Areas.

Alternatives


Tree survey


- Additional planting and hedgerows enhancements include

strengthening of existing hedgerows using native species that

respond to local landscape character and context. The majority of

hedgerows onsite are well established and quite tall / dense

(including along the Byway, A303 and along the eastern boundary

of the Site). See photomontages on next slide. Three of the

internal hedgerows are gappy in places (See tree survey).

Additional planting is included as part of the Proposed

Development to provide hedgerow reinforcements and habitat

connectivity.

- Details of the future maintenance/management proposals for

existing/proposed planting are described in the Biodiversity

Management Plan and the Planting Plan.

Alternatives


Photomontages


- Further biodiversity enhancements to the onsite grassland, and the

provision of bird and bat boxes. Wildflower grassland (between /

perimeter of the panels) incorporated into the design, including for

target butterfly species. This is to respond to Natural England’s

vision for this area of Salisbury is to create and manage habitat

‘links’ or ‘corridors’ between the designated sites. Provision of

strips of chalk grassland mixes / wildflower areas within the layout

will help to achieve this. Estate uses own seed mix. Details

provided in Biodiversity Management Plan.

- Site continued to be used for grazing sheep – information on

grazing in BMP.

Alternatives


The Application Site forms part of a wider landholding at Cholderton

Estate. Cholderton Estate is organic and prides itself on “farming in

harmony with the natural environment”. The estate has worked with

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and the RSPB and adopts a number of agri-

environmental stewardship schemes.

http://www.cholderton-estate.co.uk/index.php.

It isn’t just renewable energy…

http://www.cholderton-estate.co.uk/index.php


BRE guidance ‘Biodiversity Guidance for Solar Developments’ (BRE, 2014) states

that; “with appropriate land management, solar farms have the potential to

support wildlife and contribute to national biodiversity targets. Indeed, solar

farms may have several additional advantages in that they are secure sites with

little disturbance from humans and machinery once construction is complete.

Recent research suggests biodiversity gains on solar farms can be significant.”

The BRE guidance state that, as panels are raised above the ground on posts, over

95% of a site used for solar farm development is still accessible for plant growth and

complementary agricultural activities, such as conservation grazing (BRE, 2014).

The RSPB briefing note on Solar Energy also states that biodiversity gains are

possible where intensively cultivated arable or grassland is converted to extensive

grassland and/or wildflower meadows between and/or beneath solar panels and in

field margins (RSPB, 2014).

It isn’t just renewable energy…


Planting Plan


Biodiversity Management Plan

(Detailed written BMP included in ES)


Environmental Statement


Non Technical Summary (See handout)


Statement of Competence (requirement of

2017 EIA Regulations)

solar farms and environmental impact assessment: a case ... q mark... · presentation for uwe msc...

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