ANGUS LOCAL PLAN REVIEW FINALISED PLAN - Angus Council

Wind Energy3.75 Onshore wind power is likely to provide the greatest opportunityand challenge for developing renewable energy production in Angus.Wind energy developments, because of their scale and location, raisea number of issues which require specific consideration. Technicalfactors will establish the commercial viability of any site but not itsenvironmental implications. Wind turbines/farms vary in scale but, bytheir very nature and locational requirements, they have the potentialto cause significant visual impact over long distances. NPPG6recognises that wind energy developments raise a number ofenvironmental issues and advises that planning policies should guidedevelopers to broad areas of search and to establish criteria againstwhich to assess development proposals.NPPG6: Renewable EnergyDevelopments (Revised 2000)The siting, layout and design ofwind farms will be conditionedby a number of technical,practical, and environmentalconsiderations which seek tobalance factors such as windcapture, turbulence, access andpower line linkage with theimpact on heritage resourcesand local communities3.76 Angus Council commissioned an analysis of technical factorsthat identifies average wind speeds in Angus and this data has beenused in the consideration of the potential location of turbines. A windspeed in excess of seven metres per second (m/s) is consideredsuitable for commercial wind energy generation and this occurs overmuch of Angus. Average speeds of less than 6.5m/s are restricted tothe more sheltered area such as the Angus glens and lowlandvalleys.3.77 The Tayside Landscape Character Assessment (TLCA)provides a starting point for considering visual impact on the varyinglandscape types within Angus. There are three basic geographicareas within Angus, each with its own particular landscape and hencesensitivity to the visual impact of high structures.Geographic Area TLCA Landscape Type Sensitivity1 Highland 1a, 1b, 3, 5 High2 Lowland and hills 8, 10, 12, 13, 15 Moderate3 Coast 14a, 14b High3.78 The open exposed character of the Highland and Coast (Figure3.4 – Areas 1 and 3) is highly sensitive to the landscape and visualimpact of large, man-made features such as wind turbines. Whilst it ispossible that individual turbines may be satisfactorily accommodatedin parts of these areas, locations associated with highland summitsand plateaux, along the highland boundary fault line or on coastallocations are unlikely to be suitable, primarily because of the visualsensitivity. The capacity of the landscape to absorb wind energydevelopment will also vary, and the scale and location of the turbineswill be an important factor in their impact on the landscape.Angus Local Plan Review87Finalised Plan