environmental statement - Rotherham's Online Application for ...

the context of the turbines being removed, they would be barely
perceptible.
6.250 Therefore, there would be no additional effect on landscape character in
the wider landscape during the de-commissioning phase over and above
those assessed as permanent under the heading of Operational Phase.
EFFECTS ON LANDSCAPE DESIGNATIONS
Construction Phase
6.251 There would be no additional effect on landscape designations during
the construction phase over and above those assessed as permanent
under the heading of Operational Phase below.
Operational Phase
6.252 There are no national or regional landscape designations covering the site
and therefore there would be no direct impact on any such designated
landscapes.
6.253 There is one national landscape designation just within the study area,
namely the Peak District National Park, which at its closest point is located
approximately 19km to the west of the site. Where there are unobstructed
glimpses of the turbines from the eastern edge of the National Park, the
view towards the site would be across the city of Sheffield with its
extensive coverage of built structures. The view would be punctuated by
significant evidence of human activity such as industrial development,
motorways and overhead power lines. At this distance, the turbines would
be barely perceptible in the landscape and therefore there would be no
effect on the Peak District National Park.
6.254 The site lies within the South Yorkshire Green Belt. It is acknowledged that
the turbines would have a minor impact on the openness of the Green Belt
in that the structures would all occupy land that has not previously been
built upon. However this loss of openness is extremely modest in scale.
The areas to be built upon are very small in size and have to be seen in
the context of a large uninterrupted expanse of open agricultural land.
Nevertheless there would be some loss in openness and, as such when
assessed against paragraph 3.12 of PPG2, the wind farm would be
„inappropriate development‟.
6.255 The turbines would represent an encroachment of development into the
countryside, one of the purposes for including land within a Green Belt.
However this needs to be tempered by the requirement for wind turbines
to be located within open areas well away from tall buildings and features
which may impede or divert the flow of wind. It is also noted that the
eastern boundary of the site is defined by the M1 motorway and as such
this is a much greater encroachment into the countryside.
97
Penny Hill Wind Farm
Environmental Statement