PROJECT UPDATE - DECEMBER 2009

Through the consultation process to the planning application, a number of issues were raised by consultees. The Applicant has undertaken correspondence and commissioned further work to address the issues raised. The majority of this information forms part of the application process. As the application has not yet been reviewed by the relevant Highland Council Planning Committee, the Applicant is submitting this additional information as an Environmental Statement (ES) Addendum (dated November 2009), to provide a single point of reference for the varied work which has been undertaken over the intervening period.

The Applicant has also used the submission of the Addendum to update the Planning, Landscape and Visual and Ornithology chapters of the Environmental Statement to take account of changes to the baseline and planning context since the submission of the Environmental Statement.

There have been no material changes to the proposal. The proposal is therefore as described in Chapter 2, Project Description, of the Environmental Statement (April 2007).

The Environmental Statement Addendum (Addendum) has now been submitted to provide additional information on this proposal. This Addendum comprises two volumes:

• Volume 1, comprising Introduction, Planning and Renewable Energy Policy, Landscape and Visual Assessment, Ornithology, Peat Slide Risk Assessment, Hydrology and Hydrogeology and Cultural Heritage;
• Volume 2, comprising large format visualisations.

In addition, the Non-Technical Summary prepared for the ES has been re-printed and remains current for the Addendum. This provides a summary of the statement in a non technical manner.

Volume 1

The first volume provides updates on the following aspects of the proposal:

• Planning & Renewable Energy Policy Context

Prepared by Jones Lang Lasalle, this chapter provides the up to date policy context for the application, taking account of changes to national policy and the development plan. This concludes that Development Plan policies have been taken into account in the formulation of the development proposals for the Spittal Hill wind farm. UK and Scottish Government renewable energy policies are also described and are found to be material to the proposed development by setting the context and requirement for renewable energy developments.

This chapter has not included an assessment of the proposed wind farm’s accordance with statutory Development Plan policy and relevant material considerations. However, a Planning Policy Statement has been prepared which includes an assessment of the proposed development in terms of relevant planning policies and material considerations. The Planning Statement does not form part of the ES.

• Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment

Prepared by Geddes Consulting, this chapter provides an update to the cumulative assessment to reflect new wind farm developments which have been constructed, consented, submitted and scoped since the ES was submitted, and any change to the status of applications which were considered.

Also contained is a copy of a detailed sequential assessment which was prepared in June 2008 as supplementary information to the ES in response to the objection from SNH on the grounds of significant landscape and visual impacts from the A9 and A882, and significant cumulative sequential impacts on the A9. This sequential assessment confirms the conclusions of the ES that the sequential effects on the A9 and A882 in both directions are considered to be moderate, which is not equivalent to a significant effect under the EIA (Scotland) Regulations 1999, as defined by the assessment methodology.

• Ornithology

Prepared by RPS to provide an update to the ornithology chapter, and in particular collate information provided to SNH since the submission of the ES. This information forms the basis for the current SNH position on this application, that SNH agree that the Spittal Hill proposal is unlikely to have an adverse effect on the integrity of the Caithness Lochs SPA, alone or in combination with other plans or projects.

• Peat Slide Risk Assessment

Although SEPA noted that there is very limited peat associated with the site and is satisfied that the design of the scheme has minimised the potential impact, a Peat Slide Risk Assessment was commissioned from the Macaulay Institute, and scrutinised by RPS. This demonstrates that there is very low potential for peat landslides, and that the project can proceed on this basis with monitoring and mitigation.

• Hydrogeology and Hydrology

This chapter has been compiled by Geddes Consulting and comprises correspondence between SEPA, the Energy Consents Unit and Spittal Hill Windfarm Ltd., to address issues raised to the application. This correspondence confirms SEPA’s requirements for this application can be met.

• Cultural Heritage

This chapter has been compiled by Geddes Consulting and comprises correspondence between Historic Scotland, Highland Council Archaeology Unit, the Energy Consents Unit and Spittal Hill Windfarm Ltd., to address issues raised to the application. This correspondence confirms that there are no objections to the proposed development on Cultural Heritage grounds and that proposed conditions relating to this can be met.

Volume 2

Volume 2 contains large format visualisations. The ES provided panoramas, wirelines and photomontages within the main volume in an A3 format for all copies of the ES. As the Applicant was aware that the size of these visualisations did not reflect the current Good Practice Guidance from SNH, four number large format visualisations were also submitted.

The submission of the Addendum provides the opportunity to also include the visualisations within a second volume, to ensure that every statutory consultee has been provided with visualisations which meet the SNH Good Practice Guidance, and these are also available to members of the public for inspection.

In addition, a total of five number viewpoints have been re-photographed in better viewing conditions and / or from slightly revised locations, in response to criticism of the original visualisations, or to reflect a change in the existing baseline since the original photography was taken (i.e. construction of other wind turbines). The viewpoints to be re-photographed were agreed in advance with the Planning Officer at The Highland Council.

This comprised:

• Viewpoint 1 – a revised location was requested to avoid the foreground being occupied with road signage. However, beyond the road signage an electricity substation and pylons obstruct the view in the middle ground. It was agreed with the Planning Officer at Highland Council that the ES viewpoint location was preferable.
• Viewpoint 2 – re-photographed in the same location, but in better viewing conditions;
• Viewpoint 3 – re-photographed in the same location, but in better viewing conditions;
• Viewpoint 7 – re-photographed in the same location, but in better viewing conditions;
• Viewpoint 9 – re-photographed in a slightly revised location to avoid the farm building, and in better viewing conditions;
• Viewpoint 16 – re-photographed in the same location, but in better viewing conditions;

No update to the assessment of these viewpoints has been undertaken, as the assessment was based on field survey as well as review of the visualisations, and the improved viewing conditions of the visualisations do not alter the conclusions within the ES.

The Addendum may be viewed at the following locations during the consultation period (until 15th January 2010):

• Highland Council, Planning and Building Control, Market Square, Wick, KW1 4AB
• Thurso Library, Davidson’s Lane, Thurso, KW14 7AF
• Spittal Garage, Spittal, By Watten, KW1 5XS
• The Post Office, Watten, KW1 5YJ

Further copies of the NTS are available free of charge.

Volume 1 of the Addendum may be purchased for £100 and Volume 2 may be purchased for £250 per hard copy, or £10 for CD-ROM from:

The Quadrant
17 Bernard Street
Leith
Edinburgh
EH6 6PW

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