11/00713/F - Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk

At a regional level, the East of England Plan sets targets in policy ENG2 for renewable
energy generation. It states that 10% of the regions energy needs should be met by
renewable sources by 2010, rising to 17% in 2020. This document still forms part of the
Development Plan but recent court decisions have indicated that the government’s intention
to abolish regional development plans can be a material consideration in determining
planning applications.
There are no saved Structure or Local Plan policies that relate directly to renewable energy
developments. However, the LDF Core Strategy Proposed Submission Document policy
CS08 states that ‘The Council and its partners will support and encourage the generation of
energy from renewable sources. These will be permitted unless there are unacceptable
locational or other impacts that could not be outweighed by wider environmental, social,
economic and other benefits’. This Document has now been found ‘sound’ by the Planning
Inspectorate and it is expected to be adopted later in the month.
The application lies in open countryside and in a locally designated Area of Important
Landscape Quality (AILQ). The turbines would also be visible from the North Norfolk Coast
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty so PPS7 ‘Sustainable Development in Rural Areas’ is
relevant as is saved Local Plan policy 4/6. In addition, there are a number of listed buildings
and Scheduled Ancient Monuments in within the development’s Zone of Visual Influence so
PPS5 ‘Planning for the Historic Environment’ needs to be considered.
A number of protected species are potentially affected by the development. PPS9 is
therefore relevant to the assessment of the application. Any assessment should also include
an assessment under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010, that
requires the Council to determine the impact of the development upon the species and
habitats for which the North Norfolk and Wash Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are
designated.
LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL IMPACTS
The application site lies within a locally designated Area of Important Landscape Quality
(saved Local Plan policy 4/6). The landscape within this part of the AILQ is split between
two types described as ‘confined’ (the western part of the site) and ‘open’ (to the east). The
North Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty lies around 7.5km north of the
application site.
In addition, two documents have been published that provide further guidance on the
character of the landscape and its sensitivity to any development. The first of these was
produced for the Borough Council and Breckland District Council by Land Use Consultants
in 2003 and is entitled ‘Wind Turbine Development: Landscape Assessment, Evaluation and
Guidance’. The second is a more recent publication, again commissioned by the Borough
Council, prepared by Chris Blandford Associates in 2007 and entitled ‘King’s Lynn and West
Norfolk Landscape Character Assessment – Final Report’. The latter forms part of the
evidence base for the Local Development Framework, but the former does not.
Notwithstanding the status of either of the previous documents, the applicant has referred to
both in their assessment so it is pertinent to examine what each says about the landscape in
the vicinity of the application site.
The Land Use Consultants report (LUC report) ‘provides strategic guidance on the
landscape factors influencing the location of wind turbines’. It is not, to quote the document
‘intended to stereotype any landscape for a particular type of development’ and neither does
it suggest that some landscapes are more suitable for development. Its assessment is
10/01419/FM Development Control Board
25 July 2011
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