Planning Supporting Statement - Partnerships for Renewables

Louth Canal Wind Energy Development
8 Conclusions
8.1.1 The UK Government regards climate change as probably the greatest long term challenge
facing the human race, and has made it a top political priority. Increasing the supply of energy
from renewable resources in the UK is one of the measures that will enable the Government to
deliver its short and long term international and domestic commitments on reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, as well as its own targets for increasing the supply of energy from
such sources.
8.1.2 National Planning Policies clearly acknowledge the benefits that the provision of renewable
energy can play. It is generally accepted that wind power is currently the best-placed
renewable energy resource to contribute towards reducing levels of CO 2 in the UK in the short
term, and consequently, national planning policy supports the development of wind farms in
suitable locations. In this case the proposed Development is located within an area which is
considered to be one of the most appropriate locations for large scale wind development as set
out in the Local Carbon Energy Opportunities and Heat Mapping Study for the East Midlands.
8.1.3 The proposed Development could generate approximately 16.4 Gigawatt hours of renewable
electricity per year, which is equivalent to the amount of electricity used annually by up to
approximately 3,680 average households 15 . In addition, the proposed Development could also
displace up to approximately 7,060 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year 16 .
8.1.4 Although it is acknowledged that there will be effects on the landscape character and visual
amenity within close vicinity to the site, the proposed Development will not have a significant
impact on national landscape designations in the area. An EIA of the proposed Development
has been undertaken, within which the primary issues of landscape visual impact, including
cumulative impacts have been assessed in detail. Any wind farm development will give rise to
a degree of landscape and visual effects due to the very nature and scale of the development.
In the case of the proposed site, taking into account existing and planned wind farms
alongside other industrialising infrastructure already within the assessment area, it is
considered that the proposed Development would not significantly contribute further to any
adverse cumulative landscape or visual effects.
8.1.5 The impacts of the proposal on nature conservation and ecology, ornithology, transport, noise,
residential amenity, cultural heritage, hydrology, geology, and shadow flicker have also been
assessed in detail and environmental effects are considered to be limited and therefore are
considered acceptable in environmental terms and in terms of impact on residential amenity.
The benefits of the proposed development in terms of sustainable energy security and
contribution to renewable energy targets also outweigh the limited effects which will result
as a consequence of the development.
15 Average household electricity use of 4,463kWh per annum,
(http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/statistics/publications/ecuk/269-ecuk-domestic-2010.xls table 3.3)
16 Based on three 2.5MW turbines, operating with a 25% capacity factor and the electricity generated displacing
electricity generated from Combined Cycle Gas Turbines / average fuel mix – approximately 430 gCO 2 /kWh
(endorsed by the Advertising Standards Authority in September 2008)
March 2012 31 Planning Supporting Statement
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