Forthbank Wind Energy Development - Partnerships for Renewables

Forthbank Wind Energy Development
Key Landscape
Issues
LCA Sensitivity
The potential threat of the sea is present and will not be diminished by rising sea levels.
Declining field hedgerows and stone dykes and scrub invasion of embankments and ditches
indicate that these landscapes are vulnerable to changes in management as well as to
changes in land use through development pressures.
Medium
The tranquil, wide-reaching views of the coast are almost always dominated by the striking
structures of the road and rail bridges.
Landscape Character Type: COASTAL MARGINS
Landscape Character Area: The Bo’ness Coastal Hills
Extent within the LCT extends to a 13-20km radius in a south east direction within the study area. A series of
study area
rolling, coastal hills about 100 to 150m ADD with a general down-slope to Bo'ness and the
Firth of Forth. The town of Bo'ness lies mainly on the rising land of the hills which are topped
by a golf course. The hills are crossed by the M9 and other major roads and railways.
Representative VP12 – Bo’ness
viewpoints
Wind energy
None identified
developments
Key Characteristics/ Rolling hill landforms.
Landform
Water
The area drains partly to the River Avon, which cuts a sinuous well wooded channel through
the hills and partly direct to the Forth, in a few small, north flowing burns.
Land Cover/Use The hills are predominantly open arable and grassland in medium to large fields bounded by
beech and hawthorn hedges.
Settlements
The town of Bo'ness lies mainly on the rising land of the hills which are topped by a golf
course. Steadings tend to be set prominently on hill tops.
The hills are crossed by the M9 and other major roads and railways.
Other Features Woodland and policies are rare but there are frequent lines of trees along the roadside and in
narrow shelterbelts.
Experience
Large-scale, open, rolling, simple, balanced, well-tended landscape with seasonal colours,
varied textures and regular, organised patterns.
Internal/External
visibility
Scale
Diversity
Visual detractors
Designations
Key Landscape
Issues
LCA Sensitivity
Wide-reaching views of the coast. A coastal landscape where the character is always
influenced by the sea and can be particularly affected by the weather conditions and views of
the sky and the sea.
LARGE scale
Balanced, well-tended landscape with varied textures.
Local disturbance and intrusion of motorway/railway;
Visual sprawl of development on edge of Bo'ness;
Industrial works at Whitecross.
There are many historical and archaeological features ranging from Roman camps and parts
of the Antonine Wall to Blackness Castle and the Union Canal.
Urban expansion of Bo'ness;
New housing in countryside;
Conversion/development of steadings;
Decline of hedges and shelterbelts owing to inadequate management;
Major road and other infrastructure improvements;
Canal related development.
MEDIUM
The wide-reaching views of the coast are almost always dominated by the striking structures
of the Longannet Power Station and Grangemouth Oil Refinery.
The Proposal Site and Surrounding Landscape Context
9.3.32 The proposed wind energy development is to be located approximately 0.17km south of Alloa
and 1.1km west of Clackmannan on a northern shore of the River Forth at the level 1m AOD.
The site is within the Carse of Forth local landscape character unit which belongs to the
Lowland River Valleys Landscape Character Type.
9.3.33 The application boundary encloses an area of approximately 37.9ha. The application boundary
is shown on Figure 1.2.
9.3.34 The national grid reference for the site is E289102, N691085. The elevation of the site is 0m to
7m above ordnance datum (AOD). Its location is shown in Figure 1.1.
November 2010 Chapter 9 Page 31
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