Forthbank Wind Energy Development - Partnerships for Renewables

Forthbank Wind Energy Development
7.4.3 Detailed design work for all appropriate road improvement will be undertaken following the grant
of planning permission. The required road works will be consented separately under Section 96
of The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984.
7.4.4 A road condition survey for the proposed construction access route will be undertaken and the
affected road will be restored to the same (or an improved) condition following the completion of
the construction works. Full details of the condition survey will be agreed with
Clackmannanshire Council.
Assessment of Significance
7.4.5 The temporary increase in traffic levels resultant from the construction of the proposed wind
energy development has been calculated by comparing maximum average predicted
construction period vehicle numbers with existing baseline traffic conditions on the local road
network that will be used to access the site.
7.4.6 Traffic increases have been expressed as actual vehicle increases and as percentages. The
significance of these increases has been assessed in accordance with accepted environmental
assessment criteria as described below.
7.4.7 The Guidelines for the Environmental Assessment of Road Traffic (Institute of Environmental
Assessment: Guidance Notes No.1 – Guidelines for the Environmental Assessment of Road
Traffic) suggest that two broad rules of significance can be used as a screening process to
delimit the scale and extent of the assessment. These are:
• Rule 1 - Include road links where traffic flows would increase by more than 30% (or
the number of HGVs would increase by more than 30%); and
• Rule 2 - Include any other specifically sensitive areas where traffic flows would
increase by 10% or more.
7.4.8 Where the predicted increase in traffic flow is lower than these thresholds, the significance of
the effects are considered to be low or insignificant and further detailed assessments are not
deemed to be necessary.
7.4.9 These guidelines are intended for the assessment of the environmental impact of road traffic
associated with major new developments. The assessment is therefore more pertinent to the
operational phase of the proposed wind energy development than the construction phase.
However, in the absence of alternative guidance they are used here to assess the short-term
construction phase.
Preliminary Construction Programme
7.4.10 It is anticipated that the construction of the proposed wind energy development will be
undertaken against a six month programme. A summary of the preliminary construction
programme is included below as Table 7.3.
November 2010 Chapter 7 Page 6
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