Glenmount Wind Farm - South Ayrshire Council

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A Transport Management Plan will also be required to be developed by the applicant addressing construction traffic management issues in connection with the project. I look forward to receiving an Environmental Statement from the applicant addressing the matters raised above and developing the issues raised in section 6.10 Transportation and Access of the Scoping Report. Appendix 2 Recommended further consultation: East Ayrshire Council Roads Division East Ayrshire Council Outdoor Access Officers Local Community Councils within a 10km radius of the application site. 3. SEPA We would welcome meeting with the applicant at an early stage to discuss any of the issues raised in this letter. Windfarm developments can make a valuable contribution to achieving Scotland's renewable targets and help fulfil public sector duties under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. However, even small windfarms can potentially have an adverse environmental impact. While all of the issues below should be addressed in the Environmental Statement (ES), there may be opportunities for several of these to be scoped out of detailed consideration. The justification for this approach in relation to specific issues should be set out within the ES. Carbon balance Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) recognises that "the disturbance of some soils, particularly peat, may lead to the release of stored carbon, contributing to carbon emissions" (Paragraph 133). In line with SPP and government guidance, we recommend that the ES or planning submission contains a section systematically assessing carbon balance. This assessment should quantify the gains over the life of the project against the release of carbon dioxide during construction. It should include all elements of the proposal, including borrow pits, construction of roads/tracks and other infrastructure and loss of peat bog. Please refer to the Scottish Government guidance Calculating carbon savings from windfarms on Scottish peat lands - A New Approach, which provides a revised methodology for estimating the impacts of this type of development on carbon dynamics of peat lands. We will 48
validate carbon balance assessments for Section 36 windfarm applications that use this revised version of the tool. In order to validate such assessments, all input data, assumptions and workings need to be provided within one dedicated sectionof the ES. In addition we will provide comment on drainage and waste management aspects of the peat management scheme to ensure that the carbon balance benefits of the scheme are maximised. Disruption to wetlands including peatlands If there are wetlands or peatland systems present, the ES or planning submission should demonstrate how the layout and design of the proposal, including any associated borrow pits, hard standing and roads, avoid impact on such areas. A Phase 1 habitat survey should be carried out for the whole site and the guidance A Functional Wetland Typology for Scotland should be used to help identify all wetland areas. National Vegetation Classification should be completed for any wetlands identified. Results of these findings should be submitted, including a map with all the proposed infrastructure overlain on the vegetation maps to clearly show which areas will be impacted and avoided. Groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystems, which are types of wetland, are specifically protected under the Water Framework Directive. The results of the National Vegetation Classification survey and Appendix 2 (which is also applicable to other types of developments) of our Planning guidance on windfarm developments should be used to identify if wetlands are groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystems. The route of roads, tracks or trenches within 100 m of groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystems (identified in Appendix 2) should be reconsidered. Similarly, the locations of borrow pits or foundations within 250 m of such ecosystems should be reconsidered. If infrastructure cannot be relocated outwith the buffer zones of these ecosystems then the likely impact on them will require further assessment. This assessment should be carried out if these ecosystems occur within or outwith the site boundary so that the full impacts on the proposals are assessed. The results of this assessment and necessary mitigation measures should be included in the ES. For areas where avoidance is impossible, details of how impacts upon wetlands including peatlands are minimised and mitigated should be provided within the ES or planning submission. In particular impacts that should be considered include those from drainage, pollution and waste management. This should include preventative/mitigation measures to avoid significant drying or oxidation of peat through, for example, the construction of access tracks, dewatering, excavations, drainage channels, cable trenches, or the storage and reuse of excavated peat. Detailed information on waste management is required as detailed below. Any mitigation proposals should also be detailed 49
Page 1 and 2: SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT ENERGY CONSENTS
Page 3 and 4: 10.1 Waste 10.2 Telecommunications
Page 5 and 6: Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) is a
Page 7 and 8: process is via the completion and s
Page 9 and 10: (c) an estimate by type and quantit
Page 11 and 12: drying or oxidation of peat through
Page 13 and 14: use of oil-cooled power cables and
Page 15 and 16: advise, when consulted upon the sco
Page 17 and 18: close proximity to the site. Collis
Page 19 and 20: http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
Page 21 and 22: The ES should contain detailed stat
Page 23 and 24: source is to be utilised, the follo
Page 25 and 26: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publicat
Page 27 and 28: planned restructuring and/or woodla
Page 29 and 30: early stage with SEPA as decisions
Page 31 and 32: The Environmental Statement should
Page 33 and 34: used by government officials when c
Page 35 and 36: CONSULTEE COMMENTS 1. SOUTH AYRSHIR
Page 37 and 38: should be provided and agreed upon
Page 39 and 40: The conservation village of Stratio
Page 41 and 42: Carbon emissions A statement of exp
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Page 45 and 46: The impact of the proposed developm
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Page 53 and 54: One of our key interests in relatio
Page 55 and 56: KA 7 2AX Disclaimer This advice is
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Page 59 and 60: Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus in
Page 61 and 62: The high recreational value of the
Page 63 and 64: cumulative visual assessment should
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Page 69 and 70: Gardens and Designed Landscapes •
Page 71 and 72: Atlantic salmon, trout (sea trout a
Page 73 and 74: should be paid to species of high e
Page 75 and 76: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/m
Page 77 and 78: identify whether there is a set of
Page 79 and 80: CAA Policy and guidelines on wind t
Page 81 and 82: 14. JOINT RADIO COMPANY Name/Locati
Page 83 and 84: To ascertain whether your developme
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Page 94 and 95: The proposal would be very damaging
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APPLICATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL STATE
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Glenmount Wind Farm - South Ayrshire Council

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