Agenda item

The PDG will receive a presentation.

The Strategic Director, Mr Yates, gave a presentation which provided background information to help the PDG make recommendations relating to the production of a wind energy supplementary planning document. The briefing incorporated background information, the reasoning behind producing a supplementary planning document, the process that would need to be followed and key considerations.

Planning policies EN1 (protection and enhancement of the character of the district) and EN3 (renewable energy generation) were both cited as criteria by which to judge planning applications for wind turbines on their own merits. The presentation included a table summarising the number of applications made between 2007 and 2012, the sizes of the turbine and whether planning permission was granted or refused.

Government policy did not provide statutory limits on the proximity of wind farms to houses. Both Scotland and Wales had guidance on separation distances (2km and 500m respectively), however there was no guidance for England.

The National Planning Policy Framework included brief guidance on renewable energy applications and stated local authorities should have a positive strategy to promote energy from renewable and low carbon sources and design policies to maximise renewable energy while ensuring adverse impacts were addressed, including cumulative landscape and visual impacts. A supplementary planning document would provide additional guidance to development plan policies.

Mr Yates explained that there were a number of approaches that the Council could take:

·         Providing general guidance, which would allow for consideration of site specific circumstances and the discretion to make value judgements on competing issues

·         A prescriptive approach which sets out specific fixed criteria to assess development proposals with no discretion to make value judgements

·         A balanced approach, which combines elements of general guidance and prescriptive approaches

The Lincolnshire County Council position statement, which was based on information from Scotland and Fenland, took a prescriptive approach, providing definitive distances from existing turbines, housing and areas of natural beauty. It also provided detail on the acceptable heights of wind turbines. It was noted that the document produced by Lincolnshire County Council was not a policy, rather a political statement of what they believed the criteria should be. PDG members were also advised that this document had not been subject to public consultation.

The presentation also included a summary of appeal decisions. The outcome of these planning appeals will be used as a source of evidence in support of any policy produced by the Council.

Informal consultation had been completed. Feedback from this would be used to produce the draft SPD, which needed to be based on sound reasoning and evidence so that it could be defended if legally challenged. The draft policy would be presented to Cabinet who would consider whether it should go forward for a six-week period of formal public consultation.

The PDG discussed the presentation and possible contents for the draft SPD. Councillor King was also invited to participate in discussions because of his expertise in planning.

The following issues were highlighted during discussion:

·         Once planning permission had been granted, turbines could be moved by 50m. The power of their motors could also be changed

·         To assess the visual impact of a development, requiring a visual rendering of a scheme was suggested. To ensure an accurate portrayal of any scheme, requirements for any imaging could be prescribed

·         While there was no national policy on separation distances, there was nothing that would prevent district councils from adopting separation distances

·         The SPD should be prescriptive. It should also be criteria based and not show geographical areas where wind turbines would and would not be acceptable

·         For any sizable application, officers would go out and assess sites and the relevant facts

·         With all applications for wind turbines there was a requirement for the installation of transmission lines, which were not incorporated into the planning application.

·         Without an SPD on wind energy, developers and local residents would rely on the Core Strategy and the broad principles in the NPPF

·         Current policies did not incorporate arrangements for the decommissioning and removal of wind turbines at the end of their useful life or when they had be decommissioned by energy suppliers.

Recommendations:

1.    That the draft Wind Energy Supplementary Planning Document should be prescriptive, including separation distances.

2.    Costs, proposals and a programme for decommissioning of wind turbines at the end of their useful life should be a requirement as part of any application for the installation of a wind turbine. It should also be at the expense of the party who erected the turbines.

3.    All applications for wind turbines should include visual rendering to demonstrate their impact on the environment.

4.    The positioning of transmission lines should be clearly shown at the time an application for a development involving wind turbines is submitted.

16:20 to 16:30 – the meeting adjourned.