Issue - meetings

To consider a report by the Planning Policy Manager seeking approval for the Council’s Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine Development Supplementary Planning Document

Requested officers to further review the content of the draft Supplementary Planning Document - Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine Development, noted the Statement of Consultation and officer responses to the issues raised during the consultation on the draft Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine Development Supplementary Planning Document and agreed that the Cumulative Landscape and Visual Impacts of Wind Turbines in Huntingdonshire be the subject of a public consultation exercise.

(Councillor G J Bull (Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environmental Well-Being) was in attendance and spoke on this Item.)

By way of a report by the Planning Service Manager (Policy) (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Cabinet was invited to consider the content of the following documents:-

·  Proposed Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) – Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine Development;

·  Draft Revised SPD: “Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine Development” – Revised Statement of Consultation; and

·  Cumulative Landscape and Visual Impacts (CLVI) of Wind Turbines in Huntingdonshire.

Members were advised that the new SPD had been prepared to update, clarify and replace the existing SPD document adopted by the Council in 2006. The document reflects the publication of new policy guidance within the National Planning Policy Framework and the methodology approach undertaken to assess landscape sensitivity to wind turbine development since 2005.

With regard to the Cumulative Landscape and Visual Impacts (CLVI) report, the Planning Service Manager explained that this had been commissioned to address the concerns over the effects of wind turbines and to clarify the evidence base for the SPD.  The document detailed all operational and consented wind turbine developments in the District together with those currently awaiting determination and offered guidance on the capacity of local landscapes to accommodate further wind turbine development. In the discussions that ensued, Members’ attention was drawn to a letter from “Stop Molesworth Wind Farm Action Group” expressing support for the visual impact report as technical evidence alongside the Council’s policy. However, the Group believed that some additional work and consultation would be required to transform the proposed SPD into a document that represented the views of Huntingdonshire residents as a whole.

Members’ attention was drawn to the conclusions reached by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environmental Well-Being) on the documents. In that respect, Members concurred with the Panel that the SPD should not include the proposed upper limit for large groups of wind turbines and that the specification of an upper limit would provide developers with an indication of the level of development they could expect to receive approval for, and in some cases, they might expect to exceed that level.  Executive Councillors referred to Table 1 of the SPD which indicated that there was, at best, moderate capacity for large groups with some of these limited to groups of 13-15. The Cabinet expressed some doubts over the capacity judgements, given that Table 6 of the CLVI revealed that some areas of the District were already reaching saturation point. Mention also was made on the fact that there appeared to be fewer wind turbine developments in neighbouring local authority areas.

Having concurred with the Panel that the CLVI should be the subject of a separate public consultation exercise as this would strengthen the SPD during any potential appeal process, the Cabinet

RESOLVED

(a)  that Officers be requested to further review the content of the draft Supplementary Planning Document  - Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine Development in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24

To receive a report from the Planning Services Manager (Policy) seeking approval of the Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine Development Supplementary Planning Document.

With the aid of a report prepared by the Planning Service Manager (Policy) (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Panel gave consideration to the Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine Development Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and the supporting technical evidence prior to their submission to the Cabinet. In introducing the item, the Planning Service Manager (Policy) reported that the Draft Revised SPD had been updated to take into account the publication of new national policy guidance within the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the development of the technical methodological approach to assessing landscape sensitivity to wind turbine development since 2005, the need for guidance on the siting and design of smaller scale wind turbines and the need to clarify the document’s evidence base. The evidence base included an additional commissioned piece of work on the Cumulative Landscape and Visual Impacts of Wind Turbines in Huntingdonshire, which detailed all operational and consented wind turbine developments in the District together with those which currently were awaiting determination.

The Chairmen drew attention to the content of a letter sent to Members by Mr Watters, a representative of Molesworth Action Group, in which he stated a number of concerns relating to various aspects of the proposed SPD. In the letter the view was expressed that the guidance on wind turbine developments had been relaxed. In response, the Landscape Officer confirmed that there may have been some confusion over the reclassification of wind turbine group sizes within the SPD but the guidance overall was designed to tighten up the guidelines for developers. The omission of separation distances between developments was a further area of concern and it was held that other local authorities within Cambridgeshire had introduced them. However the Landscape Officer confirmed that this was not correct and that, in any case, the Local Plan was the appropriate place for such a policy. Finally, in response to references in the letter, clarification was received of the term “historic village”. It was noted that this included conservation areas as well as buildings of historic interest which were on the Listed Buildings Register. Having expressed their satisfaction with the responses received to the points made, Members requested that a written response was sent to Mr Watters.

Following discussion on the findings of the study on the Cumulative Landscape and Visual Impacts of Wind Turbines in Huntingdonshire and in acknowledging the importance of this piece of work, the Panel made a recommendation that in order to give the draft revised SPD further weight and to make it better able to withstand the rigours of an appeal, the document should be subject to a separate public consultation exercise. It was therefore agreed that this recommendation should be put to the Cabinet.

Having regard to the NPPF, a Member commented upon the omission of the terms “adverse visual impact” and “material harm” from the SPD. The Planning Policy Manager (Policy) responded by informing the Panel that they appeared in the Core Strategy. Nevertheless, the Panel  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17

To consider a report by the Planning Service Manager (Policy).

(A copy of the draft SPD is enclosed for Members of the Panel only.)

(The Chairman acknowledged receipt of an e-mail sent to the Panel containing the views of Councillor R B Howe on the draft SPD.)

A report by the Head of Planning and Housing Strategy was submitted (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) requesting the Panel’s views, as a consultee, on the content of the Draft SPD:  Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine Development.  A copy of the Draft SPD also is appended in the Minute Book.

Bearing in mind, the disparate views held by Members on wind farm development, the Chairman encouraged the Panel to respond individually to the consultation and suggested that, notwithstanding Members’ views, the Panel would determine future applications in accordance with the new guidance ultimately adopted by the Council.

In introducing the document, the Head of Planning and Housing Strategy acknowledged that the subject of wind turbine development evoked varied emotions but it was important to update the Council’s current guidance to take account of the National Planning Policy Framework and the evolving assessment of landscape sensitivity to development.  It was anticipated that extensive representations would be made in response to publication of the Draft SPD by the deadline of 4th January 2013 although it was made clear that submissions after this date also would be considered.

The Panel acknowledged that the 2006 SPD required updating and in response to a question from a Member, it was understood that the new draft guidance would refer specifically to the Great Fen and Paxton Pits.  It also was noted that a companion document might be produced, in due course, to offer guidance on the development of large scale solar farms.  Whereupon, it was

RESOLVED

  that, having indicated their support for the work being undertaken to revise the 2006 wind power SPD and their intention to apply the adopted new SPD in the determination of future applications, Panel Members be encouraged to respond individually to the consultation exercise on the Draft SPD:  Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine Development.