Generating light on landscape impacts - Campaign to Protect Rural ...

Return to contentsDeveloping a strategic,plan-led approach910. We all have to make a contribution to tackling climate change.Communities which are affected by renewable energy developments,including onshore wind, should have a choice about how their areacontributes and which technologies should be used. This should beachieved through a planning system which is less confrontational andinstead fosters engagement, co-operation and respect, somethingCPRE has previously advocated in respect to renewable energy. 1311. At the heart of the problem lies the question of how our landscapescan accommodate necessary changes while retaining the characterwe value. Not all landscapes have the same value, although many thatare not classified as nationally important will nevertheless be of realimportance to people living within and close to them. Determininglandscape value objectively requires an understanding of a landscape’scapacity and its sensitivity to change. These should be importantconsiderations when determining where onshore wind turbines shouldbe sited. Alongside community engagement, landscape characterassessments are the most established way of determining capacityand sensitivity and therefore the relative ability of areas toaccommodate wind energy development without unacceptableadverse impacts. 14Some regions andcounties are experiencingvery large numbersof applications foronshore wind farmsand single turbines12. Regional Spatial Strategies, which will be revoked through theLocalism Act 2011, often used landscape character assessments whenallocating sub-regional targets. These helped to outline a landscapesensitivedistribution of onshore wind across a region. This assistedlocal planning authorities in connecting the Government’s nationalrenewable energy strategy with local action, and required them torecognise landscape constraints. Following the removal of the regionalplanning tier, evidence on landscape capacity and its sensitivity tochange is unlikely to be as comprehensive or up to date in future.13. As a result, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) hasattempted to develop new ways to determine the opportunities andconstraints for the deployment of renewable energy at a regional andlocal level. 15 This methodology represents a step in the right directionbut questions remain over whether the resulting reports are effectivelyinforming local level strategies. In Yorkshire and Humber, for example,the aim of the 2011 regional study 16 was to provide evidence thatcould be taken further at the local level. This has not happenedbecause it seems cash-strapped local authorities have been unableto conduct the necessary local research.14. Without such a joined-up approach, some regions and counties areexperiencing very large numbers of applications for onshore wind farmsand single turbines. These are having adverse cumulative impactswithout any evidence of what scale of development can reasonably beaccommodated in the landscape. The volume of applications presentsa real challenge to local communities keen to ensure that eachapplication is scrutinised according to an overarching landscapeassessment. While some landscapes are able to absorb onshore winddevelopment, others are highly sensitive to one or multiple13CPRE, National Trust and RSPB, JointStatement on the UK Renewable EnergyStrategy, 200914CPRE, Unlocking the Landscape:Preparing a Community LandscapeCharacter Assessment, 200515SQW Energy and Land Use Consultants,Renewable and Low-carbon EnergyCapacity Methodology: Methodology forthe English Regions, DECC, 201016Arup, North East Renewable CapacityStudy, One North East, 2011<strong>Generating</strong> <strong>light</strong> on landscape impacts: How to accommodate onshore wind while protecting the countryside