July 4, 2011
England

Eight wind turbines planned along A595

By Kelly Eve, www.newsandstar.co.uk 4 July 2011

Eight wind turbines more than twice as high as Carlisle’s Civic Centre could be on the cards for the A595 corridor near Bolton Low Houses, west of Carlisle.

UK renewable energy company Your Energy is investigating whether the Little Waver wind farm is a viable option.

The site is near the existing three-turbine High Pow wind farm, which is also seeking to double its number of turbines.

Your Energy is hosting two public information events at Bolton Low Houses village hall this month to allow people to find out more.

A formal planning application has yet to be submitted but early ‘scoping’ documents sent to Allerdale Council reveal that the Little Waver wind farm – formerly known as Percy Hill – would have a maximum of eight 2.5MW turbines, each up to 110 metres in height.

Planning officers at Allerdale Council state that the wind farm “has the potential to have significant environmental effects” which largely arise from the “scale and magnitude” of the development in relation to the landscape and visual impact.

The council also says that there is likely to be a cumulative impact when the proposal is combined with existing turbines.

The local planning authority, Allerdale Council, has told Your Energy that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and an environmental statement must be submitted with any future planning application.

It also advises that a full landscape and visual impact assessment of the site, which lies four kilometres north of the Lake District National Park boundary, should cover a 30km area.

Any assessment of the cumulative effect of the Little Waver site should consider any other developments within a 60km radius.

A number of parties have already been notified, including Boltons parish council. It stated: “In view of the fact that the potential development would be relatively close to both High Pow and Wharrels Hill wind farms, any photographs and photo montages in the EIA should include views and angles that will clearly show the relationship of the development to the other two so that the issue of visual impact shows it not only as a ‘standalone’ development, but cumulative effect is addressed. This would also apply to noise.”

Cumbria County Council’s landscape planning experts also state that, if a planning application was to be submitted, the developer would have to clearly demonstrate why the land could support more than the normal number of turbines recommended for the area.

Your Energy’s public information days at Bolton Low Houses village hall are on Tuesday, July 12 between 2pm and 9pm and July 13 between 10am and 2pm.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/07/04/eight-wind-turbines-planned-along-a595/