Camilty Wind Farm - Partnerships for Renewables

Camilty Wind Farm
Landscape Character: Direct Effects
9.5.42 The likely effects on the landscape fabric and character during the operational phase are
described in tables at Appendix 9.7.
9.5.43 The proposed wind farm would lie within the North West Pentland Fringe Character Area,
which comprises a diverse landscape of commercial forestry, small scale farmland and
upland moorland. The wind farm would be located in an area of commercial forestry near the
eastern edge of the character area. Forestry as a land use is a significant landscape feature
of the character area, extending as a series of geometric blocks from the base of the
Pentland Hills at West Cairn Plantation in the east, via the Camilty Plantation; and then west
in a relatively continuous band through Harburn Hill, Woodmuir Plantation and Blacklaw.
Conifer plantations are a typical feature within the North West Pentland Fringe Character
Area and although distinctive, do not increase the scenic quality of the landscape. Wind
farms are also a prominent existing feature of the landscape of the character area. Schemes
at Pates Hill and Blacklaw are associated with this band of commercial forestry and provide
an established part of the landscape. The proposed wind farm would provide a repetition of
these features in the landscape, by locating a further scheme at the eastern end of this
forestry, resulting in an intensification of an existing characteristic of the character area.
9.5.44 The area of landscape to the north of the site comprises farmland enclosed by an extensive
network of dense hedgerows and tree belts, forming a relatively complex and intimate mosaic
of spaces. There would be no direct effect on the features and elements of this part of the
North West Pentland Fringe. However, the large scale of the turbines and their close
proximity would have an influence over the small scale of the landscape pattern, which would
be slightly uncharacteristic of this landscape.
9.5.45 To the north east of the site the area defined as the North West Pentland Fringe Character
Area extends further into the Pentland Hills Regional Park, including more of the upland
moorland landscape. This area includes landscape features at Corston Hill, Harperrig
Reservoir and the base of peaks at Hare Hill and Mid Hill. The proposed wind farm would
form a prominent new element in the landscape beyond the fringes of these upland areas of
the North West Pentland Fringe. The development would have an influence over the more
remote parts of this upland landscape, forming an intensification of the ‘forestry with wind
farms landscape’, which exists to the west and forms the existing context to this part of the
character area.
9.5.46 The turbines would be arranged in a cluster within the Camilty Plantation. Areas of conifer
plantation would be felled to accommodate the turbines and wind farm infrastructure. The
necessary work to the woodland would be incorporated into the ongoing Forest Management
Plan and would be typical of practices within a commercially managed forest. The strategic
felling of trees would offer the opportunity to break up the mass and scale of the geometric
blocks of monoculture conifers, introducing less regular shapes and a mosaic of colours,
textures and habitats into the landscape.
9.5.47 The proposed wind farm although prominent, would not be of sufficient scale to result in the
creation of a wind farm landscape character sub type within the North West Pentland Fringe
Character Area. Direct effects would be confined to loss of commercial forestry. Areas of the
highest scenic quality would not be directly affected by the proposals. The condition of the
character type is good and the value, based on the local importance of the AGLV and the
March 2013 9-59 ES Chapter 9
Landscape and Visual
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