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

4.26 Again there are no scheduled ancient monuments, listed buildings, historic
parks and gardens or conservation areas within the site boundary.
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield Airport
4.27 The nearest major civil airport to the Penny Hill site is Robin Hood Airport
Doncaster Sheffield (RHADS), which is located approximately 20km away.
The radar vectoring area surrounding the RHADS covers a large part of
the administrative area of Rotherham and although it is not an absolute
constraint for wind farm development, it provides a useful means of
defining the important operational area for the airport. The initial sieve
mapping exercise for the proposed development considered the radar
vectoring area and the Penny Hill site falls outside of this.
4.28 In order to protect the airport instrument flight procedures, the airport has
submitted an application to the Civil Aviation Authority for the setting up of
an area of “controlled airspace” around the airport within which only prenotified
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. The airport has received final authorisation for controlled
airspace, all the procedures have been approved and are now in
operation. The airport management have stated during consultation that it
does not envisage any circumstances that could cause an objection to be
raised in relation to the Penny Hill Wind Farm.
Residential Amenity
4.29 The Government stress that the protection of residential amenity is key to
the delivery of successful wind energy projects. Key concerns relate to
wind turbine noise and shadow flicker. Developers avoid sites where there
could be an adverse effect on residential amenity, generally by seeking to
achieve appropriate separation distances between noise sensitive
properties and turbines. The Applicant applies a 500m buffer around all
known occupied buildings (residential or otherwise) in areas where they
are searching for appropriate sites.
4.30 No turbine in the Penny Hill proposal lies within 500m of an occupied
domestic property and it has been the approach of the Applicant to engage
with the local community in order to identify other concerns or issues
which may affect impact on residential amenity. The unoccupied property
at Ulley Beeches, immediately adjacent to the M1 carriageway, is 350m
from the closest turbine position. The property is owned by one of the
wind farm site landowners. Special care was taken with this property with
regards the siting of turbines, to ensure that it met the ETSU-R-97 noise
guidelines, should it ever become occupied during the lifetime of the wind
farm.
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Penny Hill Wind Farm
Environmental Statement