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

ASSESSMENT OF ADJACENT CIVIL AIRFIELD SITES
WALTON WOOD
12.10 Walton Wood is on the A639 near the village of Thorpe Audlin. It is a
private unlicensed airfield and has been in operation for over 20 years.
The current owners use the airfield for predominantly helicopter training
and maintenance. A ground to air service is used. A grass runway is
identified at 700m x 16m wide.
12.11 The airfield is not officially safeguarded. However, there is likely to be
consultation between the local planning authority and the airfields owner
where a potential development may impact on the airfield‟s operation. If
the airfield was to be examined with a safeguarded area as applied to a
Code 1 runway, the proposed wind farm site would be outside this area.
12.12 It is assessed that there is no potential reason for the Walton Wood Airfield
to be adversely affected and thus warrant an objection to the proposal
from the airfield‟s operator.
ROBIN HOOD AIRPORT DONCASTER SHEFFIELD
12.13 RHADS is a new fully licensed commercial passenger and freight airport
which opened in April 2005 and forms part of the Peel Holdings airport
group. The airport is equipped with a state of the art Raytheon aerodrome
surveillance radar used for the guidance and vectoring of approaching,
departing and transit aircraft within the airport‟s operational area.
12.14 In general terms, the airport‟s operator has been concerned with the
number of wind farm planning enquiries (currently numbering 101) that
have been submitted in the last 3 years in locations adjacent to the aircraft
approach and departure tracks. The applications are mostly for
developments of less than ten turbines which individually would not cause
major interference to the radar but cumulatively, without effective
mitigation, could have an adverse effect on an air traffic controller‟s ability
to provide a safe radar service to aircraft.
12.15 In order to protect the airport instrument flight procedures, the airport has
submitted an application to the CAA for the setting up of an area of
“controlled airspace” around the airport within which only pre-notified
aircraft can enter. The effect of controlled airspace is that all aircraft
operating in the designated area are “known” to the controllers thereby
reducing the risk of a spurious radar return, as created by a turbine, being
an unknown aircraft with the potential to become a confliction.
12.16 The airport has received final authorisation for controlled airspace, all the
procedures have been approved and have been in operation since 28 th
August 2008. The airport operator has stated that it does not envisage
any circumstances that could cause an objection to be raised to the
proposed wind farm. Correspondence is contained in ES Appendix 8.
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Penny Hill Wind Farm
Environmental Statement