sandpool farm design and access assessment.doc

THE PLANNING & COMPULSORY PURCHASE ACT 2004

PROPOSAL: NEW SOLAR ARRAYS – 1, MW AND ASSOCIATED WORKS.

SITE: LAND AT SANDPOOL FARM, POOLE KEYNES, GLOUCESTERSHIRE.

CLIENT: WILTSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST AND BATH AND WEST COMMUNITY ENERGY LTD.

DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT

Prepared by

Simon Chambers, BSc (Hons) MA MRTPIDirector LPC (Trull) Ltd

Our Reference: SWLC.LPC.3163

January 2013

DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT

Context Assessment

This Design and Access Statement forms part of the planning application for new

Solar Arrays on land at Sandpool Farm. The extent of the site and surrounding

field boundaries in question is shown by the annotated aerial photographic

extract inserted below.

There is sufficient space to deploy

the panels, adequate exposure to

un-shaded land, good existing

access links, an available grid

connection and a secluded

location away from overlooking

residential properties. Collectively

these criteria have underpinned

the selection process used to

determine the suitability of this site

as being appropriate for

development.

The site is located at OS Grid reference SU40695 194020 on land forming part of

Sandpool Farm located near Somerford Keynes Cotswold Water Park on the

Wiltshire/Gloucestershire border. It is currently being used for grazing.

The closest settlements are the hamlet of Somerford Keynes to the north

(approximately 1.0km away) and the village of Ashton Keynes which is

approximately 3km to the west. The closest principal settlement is Cirencester,

which lies some 8.0km due north.

There are no ‘A’ roads within 3km of the site and the closest ‘B’ road is the

B4696 Ashton Road which runs approximately 2km to the east linking with the

more immediate minor and unclassified roads nearby.

LPC3163 - Design & Access StatementSandpool Farm, Poole Keynes, GlosJanuary 2013

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The site does not fall within any specific nationally designated areas. It is open

pasture land. The site is enclosed to the north by a shelter belt comprising native

and evergreen coniferous trees. There is a dense hedgerow separating the site

from Minety Lane to the east. This is a dense band reduced in thickness along

the southern boundary but still precluding inter-visibility. There is a public right of

way screened outside the site along the southern boundary although a

permissive route existing inside hedgerows.

To the west the application site is part of a larger open area separated by a post

and wire fence from the site itself.

The proposal

The proposal is for the

development of a 1 MW Solar

Photovoltaic Array. The

development will comprise up

to 4186 solar photovoltaic panels arranged in rows approximately 6.6m apart. A

single small building to house the transformers and switchgear is proposed to be

positioned up against the eastern boundary, and thus behind and below the

hedgerows.

The solar panels will be fixed to a metal T framework and will be mounted in

rows. The development will cover approximately 6780m² of the overall site –

2.1ha, and will be connected via underground electrical cables to the Grid.

The site will be prepared in accordance with modern standards to provide a

stable and level area with suitable drainage, environmental protection measures

and stockproof boundary fencing.

The development of the site is expected to take 2 months. The total delivery

requirement is estimated at 20 HGV truckloads. Transport to deploy the panels

will be staggered allowing one delivery at a time, based on speed of erection so

storage requirements during construction will be minimal.


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Once operational the site will generate renewable electricity during daylight hours

with maximum output being obtained when weather conditions are favourable.

The site will function with minimal intervention from human operators.

Maintenance requirements are expected to consist of bi-monthly cleaning of the

panels to remove any dust/dirt particles which may settle on the panels. Electrical

maintenance requirements will comprise periodic inspections and routine

replacements as determined by the electrical suppliers’ recommendations, plus

any emergency maintenance that may be required in the unlikely event of an

electrical component failure. On the whole the site will function unmanned for the

vast majority of the time.

The site itself will have a lifetime of approximately 25 years although it could be

longer. At the end of this operational lifetime the solar arrays will be dismantled

and all panels, frames and electrical infrastructure will be removed from site. A

remediation process will be invoked at this time which will include suitable

landscaping to restore the ground and to maintain any biodiversity features which

have been developed over the life of the solar development.

Social Context

The Solar array development proposed will not result in the loss of any existing

buildings or structures.

The solar panels and associated mounting frames will be approximately 2.5m in

height. The visual zone of influence has been assessed separately as part of this

application to show the locations from which the development may be visible.

This is included in the accompanying overall Landscape Visual Assessment and

remedial planting strategy and demonstrates the site’s effective seclusion.

The site is located on poor quality grassland having historically been an inert

landfill site. It is though occasionally grazed by cattle. The visual impact of a

development is a very subjective issue and it is difficult to predict local

perceptions, however, the solar arrays should not be a prominent landmark

compared with the surrounding land topography and boundary vegetation.


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The solar panels will not generate any noise during operation. An inverter will be

required to convert the direct currently (DC) produced by the panels to alternating

current (AC), allowing generated electricity to be exported to the distribution grid.

All switching and control gear will be housed in a single building, subtly coloured

to be satisfactorily accommodated on site.

DESIGN OF THE SCHEME

Use

Existing land uses both on-site and in the near vicinity is of low intensity

agricultural. It is not expected that the proposed development will have any

detrimental effect on the continuation of farming in the area generally or in part

on the site.

This solar photovoltaic project is considered to be consistent with current policy

regarding land use and the integration of renewable technologies. The use also

sits full square with both national and local planning policies. A full review of the

relevant planning policies is presented separately in the attached Planning

Statement, confirming the use’s acceptability in principle.

Amount and Scale

On completion the development proposal will consists of 4186 solar photovoltaic

panels each measuring 1640mm by 992mm. The development will be

constructed in a single phase expected to take 2 months in order to become

operational. The red line planning boundary contains an area of approximately

2.1ha.

The frames with panels installed will be 2.5m tall and will be positioned so as to

produce as much renewable energy from the site as possible. These systems

are laid out in horizontal east-west rows. The site will be fenced with standard

post and wire stock proof fencing, augmenting the hedged boundaries.


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The solar arrays will have an operational life span of 25 years (although 30 years

is believed to be possible at least), after which the site will be decommissioned

and all trace of the panels removed, it will though be largely invisible from the

surrounding area regardless of its operational use.

A single small prefabricated building will be provided to house the associated

control systems. The building measures 3.75m by 4.45m and is 2.5m high with a

very shallow pitched roof.

The way the development is distributed on site is fixed by the design criteria for

the solar arrays. In simple terms this involves maximising insulation and

minimising any potential shading between the arrays while facing south. Every

effort has been made to ensure that the layout that has been adopted is the most

suitable in terms of the minimising any potential adverse environmental impacts.

The proposed development requires an area of 2.1ha in total, contained within

existing field boundaries, and associated with new planting. Within this area the

solar panels themselves have a surface area of 6780 m2. This equates to around

only 32% of the actual application site identified.

The solar arrays are located on a much larger land holding. It is therefore

proposed to use the area between the panels for continued purposes, providing

opportunities grazing and habitat diversity, although sheep will replace the

existing cattle. The area devoted to the actual solar panels amounts to a small

percentage of the landholding as a whole.

The proposed solar panels are also low to the ground, being around 2.5m high at

the maximum point at the top edge of the panel. The low profile of the scheme

allows effective visual screening to be achieved by retaining hedgerows and new

field margin planting.

It is considered therefore that the scale of the proposal is in keeping with the

wider rural context and being low to the ground and easily screened will not

detrimentally impact on the character of the landscape.


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Location and Layout

The location of the proposed solar array has been governed by a number of

factors. Foremost of these is the need to find a suitable location with a clear view

south towards the sun. Clearly a slope on the northern side of a hill would not be

suitable due to the shadowing effects it would cause.

The availability of a connection to the national grid to allow the electricity

generated to be exported is also of prime importance. Without a connection and

capacity at the substation, a proposed site cannot be progressed any further.

The position of the site in relation to its surroundings is also a factor, to ensure

the scheme would not have significant impact on views or neighbouring

residential properties, which could not be mitigated by screening and

landscaping.

Other site specific issues which have been considered include landscape

designations, surrounding trees and buildings (which create shadows), ecology,

archaeology, flooding and drainage and access for construction. Leasing the site

from a landowner is also a key factor, although in this instance a joint venture is

being pursued.

The ecological impacts have been assessed in detail by the Ecological Appraisal

enclosed and its recommendations and programme of works form part of the

application to be conditionally controlled as necessary. The exclusion of the

northern area of land used by Great Crested Newts has specifically determined

the shape and extent of the application site, as two distinct areas.

These factors are taken in balance and the intended scheme compared against

them to determine if adverse impacts exist, and if they can be suitably mitigated.

These factors and the shape of the selected site dictated the layout of the solar

panels, which run east west in rows across the field, mounted on frames to face

south at 30 degrees from the horizontal.


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The location of the site is such that the development will be situated on relatively

flat land, at a reasonable distance from any residential properties. Public

vantage points are already well screened from the site by existing trees and

hedgerows, and the boundary planting of the solar arrays will be supplemented

and enhanced where necessary to maintain this enclosure.

We consider that the location and layout of the scheme is such that it will not

have an adverse impact on the character of the surrounding countryside. Even

when it can be seen, then the low level regularly spaced rows of the solar panels

would not be harmful to the wider nature of the other land uses in the area.

Once it becomes operational, crime is not expected to be a particular problem at

the site and CCTV cameras are not expected to be provided. The site lies on

private land although the WWT has provided a permissive path along the

southern boundary of the site. It is not possible to discount crime altogether and

for insurance purposes a new stock fence will be installed around the perimeter

of the site, augmenting the hedgerows. This is less than 2m in height so

obviously planning permission is not required.

Appearance

Each of the solar panels is 992mm wide by 1640mm high, and are mounted on

frames at a 30° angle. Each of these frames will stretch across the site but are

different in lengths. Because of the angled mounting of the panels they are

around 2.5 metres at the highest point from the ground. The frames will be

approximately 6.6m apart.

The panels are constructed with a protective aluminium frame, which provides

structural rigidity. The front face of the panel is made from a sheet of glass

covered with a non-reflective coating. This ensures that the maximum amount of

light is absorbed by the photovoltaic cells, improving efficiency and reducing

glare to a minimum.

The panels are arranged in rows running across the field, forming a regular

pattern, although this will be largely hidden from view by the surrounding


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landscaping and screening. Furthermore, and as illustrated, the panels are

spaced widely apart, effectively ‘greening’ the appearance of the site as the

panels would become a comparatively small part of the overall site area.

Whilst the intention of the development is to minimise views of the scheme and

ensure that it blends into the surrounding landscape, the regular rows of solar

panels are not necessarily unattractive, and are becoming more common place.

The proposed solar arrays are considered to have limited impact on the

appearance of the wider countryside and landscape in the area.

The switch house building will be constructed from reinforced fibre grass with a

green finish.

Access

Road access to the site is likely to be gained from the B4696 depending of

course whether vehicles are coming from the north or south, and will largely

mirror the route used by quarrying traffic in this area over the years. Ultimately

though access to the site will be off the Spine Road West using an existing track,

the route of which is sown as part of the application package. Only around 20

delivery vehicles (standard articulated lorries) will be needed to transport the

panels to site as each vehicle would be able to carry around 560 panels in total

over the 2 months. It is not expected to be a requirement for any additional

tracks for the panels and the grid connection is close at hand. Accordingly, there

will be minimal transport impacts associated with the project.

It is anticipated that the construction phase of the scheme could take around 2

months with fencing and frames being installed first and then the panels being

delivered to the site at a rate of around one lorry load per day during the panel

installation phase. The switch house building is prefabricated with a steel frame

and will be easily assembled on site.

Construction workers and ongoing maintenance at the site will be carried out

using standard cars or light vans unless a major failure occurs with a larger


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piece. Traffic to the site following the completion of the construction will be very

low and on an intermittent basis, and will not impact on the character and

tranquillity of the area.

Landscaping

Details of the landscape strategy proposed to mitigate the potential impact of the

proposed development are provided in the enclosed Landscape Visual Impact

Assessment prepared by DLA Ltd, including retention and planting. It is

therefore suggested that these matters are conditionally controlled including both

planting details and management practices, particularly to allow existing

hedgerows to obtain greater heights before being trimmed, if considered

necessary.

Conclusions

The Design and Access issues of the proposed new solar array development

have been assessed above. It is considered that due to the benign appearance

of the scheme and the natural screening afforded to the site, that the

development proposals will not have an unacceptable adverse effect on the

visual or amenity value of the wider countryside.

The solar array proposals are compliant with planning policy and will not have an

adverse effect on the landscape character or residential amenity of the area.

The site has been carefully selected and is naturally screened, which coupled

with its low profile and physical height of the solar panels, results in only limited

views of the site being possible. The panels will blend into the overall field

patterns, colours and textures.

There are also positive benefits arising from this renewable energy project, as it

will raise the profile of renewable energy in the local community, and may

encourage greater take up of solar power on domestic properties as the benefits

are seen and understood.


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Overall, we are of the view that the proposals comply with planning policy and

are appropriate in terms of design and access and represent a necessary step

toward meeting the UK’s legally binding climate change and renewable energy

obligations. It is therefore considered that the application be supported and

planning permission be granted.


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sandpool farm design and access assessment.doc

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