Forthbank Wind Energy Development - Partnerships for Renewables

Forthbank Wind Energy Development
• Sequential effects occur when the observer has to move to another viewpoint, for
example when travelling along a road or footpath, to see the different developments.
Sequential effects may range from frequent (the features appear regularly and with
short time lapses between, depending on speed and distance) to occasional (long
time lapses between appearances due to a lower speed of travel and/or longer
distances between the viewpoints.
The Scope of the Cumulative Assessment
9.5.4 Two or more wind energy developments are required for the occurrence of a cumulative visual
effect. This assessment has therefore considered the development of the Forthbank wind
energy development in addition to other wind energy development sites in the landscape in
order to test the landscape capacity of the area and provide conclusions for the CLVIA relevant
to this proposal.
9.5.5 The cumulative assessment covers the potential cumulative effects on landscape character
receptors and views. Cumulative effects on landscape elements are not included in the
cumulative assessment as they cannot be assessed without detailed knowledge of the other
wind energy development sites.
9.5.6 The assessment of cumulative effects comprises:
• The scope of the cumulative assessment;
• Methodology;
• Cumulative Zone of Visual Influence - an overview of the wind energy development
capacity of the study area, based on field observations and the cumulative ZTVs;
and
• Cumulative Effects on views and Visual Amenity - consideration of the potential
cumulative effects on views from 22 representative viewpoints.
9.5.7 The study area for cumulative impacts is 70km to reflect the advice in the SNH Guidance. The
assessment covers all wind energy developments that are constructed, have consent or are
sufficiently advanced in the planning process to be considered in this assessment. Wind
energy developments in scoping have not been considered in this assessment, although
presented on wireframes, because until an application has been submitted to the local
planning authority the final layout and height to tip of the proposed turbines cannot be known,
both of which form fundamental factors in the assessment of cumulative effects.
9.5.8 It should be noted that wind energy developments in scoping within the 35km are left out
according to Scottish Natural Heritage, (Version 2 revised 13 April 2005) Guidance on the
Cumulative Effects of Windfarms, Paragraph 19 which states: ”In some cases it may be
thought desirable to include more speculative proposals in the assessment (e.g. where a
formal scoping opinion has been provided and thus the principle of a proposal is within the
public domain). Nonetheless inclusion of such projects would render the assessment less
certain. …..Therefore, cumulative assessment should normally be limited to the categories set
out in paragraph 18. However, pre-application proposals could be regarded as a material
November 2010 Chapter 9 Page 97
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