Landscape Capacity Study for Wind Farm ... - North Ayrshire Council

6.5 There is some limited capacity for development within the Duchal Moor
landscape character area. In order to avoid intrusion on the adjacent
character areas of Loch Thom and the Upland Core, it is likely that only
smaller typologies (3+4) would be appropriate, providing these were located
on lower slopes at the transition with the ‘Rugged Upland Farmland’ character
area. Although views of wind farm development in this area would be likely to
be restricted by higher ground, there would be impacts on views from the
settled lowlands to the north-east and from nearby hill summits. This area lies
beyond the boundaries of North Ayrshire.
6.6 There was also found to be some limited capacity within the ‘Raised Beach
Coast’ but only for small development typologies (4) located within the more
modified parts of this character area. The need to avoid cumulative visual
impacts with other tall structures was highlighted in the sensitivity
assessment.
6.7 The ‘Loch Thom’, ‘Upland Core’, ‘Intimate Pastoral Valley’, Haupland Muir’
and ‘Rolling Hill Fringes’ landscape character areas were identified as having
no capacity for wind farm development. This was due to the high sensitivity of
the majority of key characteristics to all the development typologies
considered in the assessment or, in the case of ‘Haupland Muir’, because
capacity has already been reached due to the presence of existing wind farm
development and landscape and visual constraints associated with remaining
undeveloped land.
A spatial strategy for development
6.8 A strategy for directing future wind farm development to areas where
landscape and visual impacts would be less significant and avoiding areas of
high sensitivity is recommended below. Figures 9 and 10 illustrate key
constraints to wind farm development within the study area.
Avoid wind farm development within the remote and undeveloped core
of the uplands
6.9 Wind farm development should be avoided within the central, slightly higher
and open, undeveloped core of the uplands to conserve these qualities as a
contrast to the remainder of the upland area, which is more modified, and a
‘sanctuary’ for quiet recreation and the experience of wildness. This relatively
intact upland landscape of rugged moorland is rare in the context of North
Ayrshire and is valuable in terms of its proximity to centres of population. This
aim would also have the related advantages of retaining an intact skyline to
this central and higher core of more defined hills seen from the Firth and
islands to the west and from the lowlands of North Ayrshire to the east. It
would also conserve the scenic landscape setting these hills provide to
coastal settlement and the hill fringes to the east.
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