Supporting documents - Renfrewshire Council

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Geology, Soils and Contaminated Land No sites designated for their geological interest would be affected by the proposals. No geological resources of particular significance have been identified which would be affected by the works and no significant effects are predicted. Peat is commonly found across the site ranging in depth from very shallow to more than 3m. A peat slip hazard assessment has been undertaken which indicates that hazards can be mitigated by implementation of mitigation measures in the detailed design and the risk of peat slide of the mitigated design would not be significant. No significant areas of contaminated land have been identified which could be affected by the works. An area of potentially contaminated land was identified by ERC some 100m south east of turbine MHT-114. This would be investigated prior to construction commencement and if contaminated the contractor would be required to avoid the area of contamination and ensure that all potential indirect effects were mitigated. Implementation of best management practices including good design of the works would ensure that any impacts to soils were minimised. Implementation of best management practices and the committed mitigation measures would ensure that any risk of subsidence due to the decomposition of buried peat would be avoided and the risk of peat slides minimised. The total carbon emission generated by construction of the proposals is 130,772 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year (tCO2 yr -1 ). Taking into account the estimated carbon dioxide savings which would be generated by the windfarm then the overall payback time in terms of carbon dioxide emissions for the proposals is calculated to be 1.7 years. Water Quality and Drainage There would be no significant effects on hydrology, water quality and drainage provided all mitigation measures were successfully implemented. No known private water abstractions would be affected by the development and groundwater supplies would be protected by design of the works in accordance with best practice. The contractor would be required to develop and implement a Water Protection Plan as part of the site EMP to ensure proactive protection of watercourses, groundwater and potable water supplies including the two public water supply reservoirs. All design and protection measures (permanent and temporary) would be agreed with SEPA and Scottish Water in advance of construction. Flood risk would be appropriately mitigated and would not be significant. Best management practices would be implemented during construction and maintenance activities during operation to ensure there was no significant impact on water quality. There would be minor adverse effects during construction and the contractor would be required to monitor the effectiveness of all protection measures during all phases of construction. Accidental spills and leaks would be dealt with as part of the emergency response plan and all site staff would be trained on its implementation. IX
Landscape and Visual Effects Effects on the Landscape Direct effects on landscape resources due to the loss or alteration of features, including those at the site of the borrow pits would not be significant when examined in the context of the wider landscape. The new windfarm would serve as a new, yet not unfamiliar, landscape feature. There would be significant adverse indirect changes to landscape character as a consequence of the physical changes within the development site. These would mainly affect the local landscapes around the windfarm. Landscapes closer to the site, and those which cover higher ground, would be those which would be most affected, due to the potential intervisibility of these areas with the proposed turbines. These include some landscapes which are already affected by an existing windfarm and those which will also be affected by consented windfarms. Lower lying features such as the borrow pits would have no or very limited effect upon wider landscape character. The proposed location of the windfarm would result in the turbines being seen as part of the Whitelee Windfarm when viewed from the landscapes to the south, and south east, and as such the landscape character of these areas would not be affected. Similarly, when seen from the north west the proposed turbines would lie directly in front of those at Whitelee and so would appear to be part of the same larger windfarm. To the north and north east, and to an extent to the east and south south west, the urban areas of Glasgow, East Kilbride and Kilmarnock and Irvine would result in there being no significant effects upon landscape character across these extensive areas, as views would largely be blocked by existing built development or would be seen in an urban context. No nationally or locally designated landscapes would be directly affected. Some localised indirect non significant effects upon designated landscapes would be apparent on the edge of Cathkin Braes Country Park and Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. Effects on Visual Amenity There would be some significant adverse effects upon visual amenity from closer locations, including from the range of residential properties that lie around the periphery of the development area and recreational viewers using footpaths and visiting locations of interest. Residential viewers close to the development area would experience significant effects due to the proximity of the turbines and the prolonged nature of their view, although as existing windfarms are already present and others consented, people would already be familiar with the sight of turbines. Some recreational viewers would experience significant effects due to the close proximity at which turbines would be viewed, but again turbines are a familiar sight to many already. The majority of significant effects would affect closer locations. It is only from the closest of locations that lower level features such as roads and borrow pits would also be seen. Elsewhere effects upon visual amenity would result primarily from the turbines. From the north west of the proposed windfarm, visibility would be relatively limited, reflecting the location of the development, which provides a degree of visual X
Page 1 and 2: Moorhouse Farmers Windfarm Non-Tech
Page 3: Pre-Application Consultation (PAC)
Page 7 and 8: DELIVERING THE PROPOSALS If at the
Page 9: Traffic and Access The proposals wo
Page 13 and 14: Non-Technical Summary Figure 3 Phot
Page 15 and 16: Some 2km of floating road would be
Page 17 and 18: e an indirect benefit on local and
Page 19 and 20: Copies of the Environmental Stateme

Supporting documents - Renfrewshire Council

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