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

likelihood of this occurrence the impact significance is considered to be
slight adverse.
Bats
7.61 Bats may suffer fatalities due to collision with turbines, or as recently
discovered barotrauma (Baerwald et al, 2008) when bats come in to close
contact with turbines and suffer lung injury. Natural England have
produced tables in the „Bats and Onshore Wind Turbines: Interim
Guidance‟ (2008) listing bat species likely to be at risk of impact with
turbines, and populations likely to be threatened due to impacts with
turbines. The bat species recorded at Penny Hill and their associated risk
are shown below in Table 7.1:
Table 7.1: Risk to different bat species of impacts with wind turbines
(Natural England, 2008)
Species Risk of impact with
turbines
Common pipistrelle Medium Low
Soprano pipistrelle Medium Low
Natterer‟s Low Low
Brown long-eared Low Low
Whiskered/Brandt‟s Low Low
184
Populations likely to be
threatened due to impacts
with turbines
7.62 The turbines are not located along linear flight lines, being given a
minimum of 50m buffer between such features and turbines as
recommended by the Natural England guidance, and the amount of bat
activity recorded was low. Also, the species of bat recorded are not of
high risk of impact, and there is low risk of the populations of these
species being threatened due to impacts with turbines. Therefore this is
considered to have a minor negative impact on the bat species recorded.
As the Nature Conservation Value of this species within the study area is
Medium – Regional importance, the impact significance is considered to
be slight adverse.
7.63 The disruption of flightlines by access tracks may have a minor negative
effect on the distribution of bats and their use of such flightlines but is
unlikely to affect roosts or the local population. The magnitude of impact
is, therefore, considered to be minor negative with an impact significance
of slight adverse.
7.64 The emission of ultrasound noise emitted by the rotating turbines could
disturb foraging bats. Some turbine types have been found to emit sound
at frequencies of around 30 kHz at which some bats echolocate.
Ultrasonic noise can detract and attract bats, the use of sonic lures works
Penny Hill Wind Farm
Environmental Statement