Supporting documents - Renfrewshire Council

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MOORHOUSE FARMERS WINDFARM ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY INTRODUCTION This document is the Non-Technical Summary of the Environmental Statement for the Moorhouse Farmers Windfarm which is proposed by Falck Renewables. Coriolis Energy LLP is developing the proposals on behalf of Falck. The proposals are for a 19 turbine windfarm with approximately 47.5 Mega Watt (MW) capacity located on land in the Moorhouse area, to the west of Eaglesham and some eight kilometres (km) south west of Glasgow, between the M77 and the B764 Eaglesham Moor Road (see Figure 1). Five farms would have an interest in the windfarm. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT Coriolis Energy is submitting a planning application to East Renfrewshire Council (ERC) on behalf of Falck Renewables under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 as amended by the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 1 . The proposals require environmental impact assessment (EIA) under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1999 (as amended) (the EIA Regulations) because of the scale of the proposals and the potential for significant effects. The connection of the windfarm with the local electricity distribution network would require consent under Section 37 of the Electricity Act, 1989. This would be the subject of a separate application. The EIA has been informed by a Scoping Opinion, as permitted under the EIA Regulations, from ERC Planning and Transportation Service and consultations with a wide range of organisations and landowners. This information and the findings of the assessments have been used to help develop the design of the windfarm by ensuring that wherever possible, adverse effects on people and on the natural and cultural environment would be avoided and environmental benefits delivered. The findings of the environmental impact assessment and details about the project including mitigation commitments (measures that would be implemented to avoid, reduce or remedy adverse environmental impacts) are presented in the Moorhouse Farmers Windfarm Environmental Statement. The Environmental Statement comprises two volumes: Volume 1 containing the main text, annexes and appendices and Volume 2 containing the figures This Non-Technical Summary summarises the findings of the EIA and other key information contained in the Environmental Statement. 1 Electricity generation projects below 50MW are authorised under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act, 1997. Those over 50MW are authorised under Section 36 of the Electricity Act, 1989 I
Pre-Application Consultation (PAC) The project is defined as a major project under the Town and Country Planning (Hierarchy of Developments) (Scotland) Regulations 2009. Pre-application consultation (PAC) between the developer and local community has thus been carried out in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure (Scotland) Regulations 2008 and the relevant provisions of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 as amended by the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006. The PAC procedures were agreed with ERC and included a public exhibition in Eaglesham on 20 th October 2009. PROJECT NEED Recent legislation has set tough targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. In Scotland the long-term target is to reduce Scotland’s emissions of greenhouse gases by at least 80% by the year 2050 with a 2020 interim target of 42% and a framework of annual targets intended to drive the policies necessary for achieving the long-term target. The Renewable Energy Directive (2008) 2 requires that 22% of all energy in the European Union is to be generated from renewable sources by 2020, split between Member States in a ‘burden sharing scheme’. The UK portion is 15% of the total energy requirement, which includes energy for transport etc. In November 2007, the Scottish Government committed in its Government Spending Review 3 that 31% of electricity would be generated from renewable sources by 2011 and 50% by 2020. The Moorhouse Farmers Windfarm would contribute to a net reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. PROJECT OBJECTIVES The objectives which have been defined to underpin the development of the proposals are: to safely construct and operate a windfarm with a design life of at least 25 years; to integrate successfully with other land uses in the area taking account of landowner interests; to safeguard the quality of surface and groundwater and minimise water crossings where practicable; to safeguard the natural and cultural heritage of the area, where practicable; to design, as far as practicable considering other constraints, a windfarm that visually integrates with Whitelee Windfarm; to avoid significant effects on peat where these could be avoided 4 ; to be a well maintained and sustainable business contributing to the delivery of UK and Scottish renewable energy and carbon reduction targets; and to produce a robust, cost effective design that is transferable to construction whilst taking account of environmental constraints. 2 Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council, On the Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources, Commission of the European Communities, 2008 3 Scottish Budget Spending Review, Scottish Government, 2007 4 For example by the use of floating roads on deep peat II
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Page 7 and 8: DELIVERING THE PROPOSALS If at the
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Page 11 and 12: Landscape and Visual Effects Effect
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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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