Camilty Wind Farm - Partnerships for Renewables

Camilty Wind Farm
Construction on Site
8.5.5 The construction works will follow a 6 month programme. During this period, noise from
construction is likely to arise during:
• Construction of access tracks and crane pads;
• Construction of lay down area;
• Construction compound and turbine foundations;
• Erection of turbines;
• Site cabling; and
• Substation installation.
8.5.6 Construction activities will not involve piling or blasting, which are the activities generally
considered to have the greatest potential for significant construction noise effects.
8.5.7 It is inevitable that, with the construction of any new development, there will be some
disturbance caused to those nearby during the construction phases. However, disruption due
to construction is a localised phenomenon and is temporary in nature. In general, only
people living within a hundred metres or so of a construction site have the potential to be
seriously bothered by noise. The distances between sources of construction noise and the
closest identified NSR are significantly more than this.
8.5.8 Although there are techniques available to predict the likely noise and vibration effects from
construction operations, such as those contained within BS5228 Code of practice for noise
and vibration control on construction and open sites Part 1: Noise, they are necessarily based
on quite detailed information on the type and number of plant being used, their location and
the length of time they are in operation. Such precise details are not available at this stage.
8.5.9 A pragmatic approach should be adopted when considering likely noise levels from works
such as these. Under typical conditions, the impacts from construction activities as a whole,
providing they are properly managed, would be expected to be negligible or, at worst, slight
adverse. It is also important to recognise that the proportion of the works which will generate
‘worst case’ noise levels at any given receptor will be very small.
8.5.10 It therefore follows that the inevitability of occasional noise impacts associated with the
construction works should be addressed through the practices adopted and equipment
utilised by the Contractor and controlled by the requirements of WLC Department of
Environmental Health, for example, by restricting hours of noisy activity on the site.
8.5.11 The onus should be upon the Contractor to reduce construction noise levels in so far as is
reasonably practicable through the implementation of Best Practicable Means; guidance in
this respect is set out in CoPA. This is discussed in more detail in the Mitigation section of
this chapter.
Operational Effects – Proposed Wind Farm
8.5.12 This section addresses noise associated with the operational turbines of the proposed wind
farm at the closest identified NSR.
8.5.13 It is common practice to use candidate turbines when assessing the noise effects of a wind
farm as the final turbine choice is often only made when the developer enters into commercial
contract negotiations with a range of turbine manufacturers. The choice of candidate turbine
March 2013 8-13 ES Chapter 8
Noise
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