Dumfries & Galloway Structure Plan
Dumfries & Galloway Structure Plan
Policy D36 : Design of Development
The Council expects development proposals to take into account:-
1.siting, scale, form, massing and layout in relation to townscape and landscape setting;
2.local building styles; and
3.the access needs of all groups.
Further policy guidance on the siting and design of development will be provided in Local Plans. The importance of design in development and the need to take into account matters such as siting and access to the development is recognised in a number of NPPG's and PAN's indicating strong support for the consideration of these matters as an integrated part of the preparation of development proposals.
Policy E3 : Landscape Character
When assessing development proposals likely to have a significant impact on the landscape the Council will take into account the guidance set out in the Landscape Assessment.
The Council will encourage and where resources permit support initiatives to conserve and enhance the landscape character of Dumfries & Galloway.
Policy S21 : Renewable Energy
Development proposals for renewable energy sources will be considered positively provided they do not have a significant adverse impact on :-
1.the built and natural heritage;
2.areas and routes important for tourism or recreational use in the countryside;
3.water and fishing interests;
4.air quality; and
5.the amenity of the surrounding area.
All proposals will be required to provide detailed information on associated infrastructure required, including road and grid connections, impact during construction and operational phases of the development, including visual impact, noise and odour issues and provisions made for the restoration of the site.
Policy S22 : Wind Farm and Wind Turbines Development
Proposals for wind farms and wind turbines will be considered favourably in Potential Areas identified on the Map showing Wind Energy Search Areas, where it can be clearly demonstrated :-
- they are in accordance with Policy S21; and
- take into account the guidance set out in the Wind Energy Strategy, pending completion of more detailed guidance in the Subject Local Plan.
In Intermediate Areas the Council will take into account the location of the proposed development and the issues identified for that area in determining its response to the proposal.
There will be a presumption against Wind Farm development in Sensitive Areas.
When assessing Wind Farm developments the Council will take into account existing sites with planning permission and the cumulative impact of development proposals.
Development proposals for sites outside the search areas identified will be considered in terms of Policy S21 and Policy E3 until replaced by Local Plan guidance.
Stewartry Local Plan
General Policy 1 : Development Principle
There will be a general presumption against development which would give rise to a material degree of land use conflict, which would materially detract from and / or be incompatible with the character or amenity of the locality.
General Policy 2 : Development Considerations
As part of the assessment of development proposals, including those on sites identified in the Plan, developers will be required to satisfy the Planning Authority with regards to their proposals in terms of all of the following, where they are regarded by the planning authority to be material to the determination of the application:-
a)access, ground conditions and stability, contamination, foul and surface water drainage and water supply;
b)traffic generation onto the adjacent road network;
c)flooding; (see Policy 58 on Flood Risk and Development);
d)environmental impact.
When assessing planning applications, the Planning Authority will take into account the provisions of any site guidance, site specifications, or development brief as set out in Section 3 of the Plan. Where further information is required, the Planning Authority may apply the provisions of Article 13 of Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) (Scotland) Order 1992 or Article 4(3) in respect of outline applications.
General Policy 7: Siting and Design
The Council as Planning Authority will require development to:-
a)have regard to the character and appearance, scale, density, massing and materials, of the building, group of buildings or adjacent area of which it will form a part; and
b)retain and, where appropriate, enhance important physical or landscape features which contribute to the quality of the local environment having regard to the Local Biodiversity Action Plan; and
c)have no material adverse effect on the local landscape character, avoiding prominent ridge lines or other visually sensitive sites; and
d)take into account the guidance and advice set out in the Landscape Assessment Study; and
e)comply with the Design Guidance set out in Appendix 1; and
f)where appropriate, have regard to the principles of PAN 46 – “Planning for Crime Prevention”; and
g)have regard to the replacement of any trees which are unavoidably lost as a result of the development; and
h)have regard to the need for energy conservation and efficiency in the design, orientation and layout of the site or buildings.
General Policy 12 : Potentially Polluting Development
Where a development has the potential to cause pollution of water, air, soil or pollution through noise, dust, odour, vibration, light and heat the Planning Authority will only consider granting planning permission where it has been established, following consultation with the relevant organisations, that:-
a)the development would not result in an unacceptable level of nuisance, or unacceptable risk to human health; and
b)the quality of the environment would not be materially damaged or put at risk.
General Policy 24 : Farm Diversification
Proposals to diversify the range of economic activities on a farm by the introduction of non-residential uses will normally be permitted where the proposal is operated as part of the agricultural unit(s), is compatible with the continuation of the agricultural operations of the farm and where all of the following tests are met:-
a)the proposal would not result in a material loss of prime quality agricultural land;
b)the character, scale and location of the proposal is compatible with its landscape setting and the landscape character of the area;
c)a satisfactory vehicular access can be provided to Council standards and traffic generated by the proposal could be accommodated on the local road network without detriment to road safety;
d)where practicable the proposal re-uses or adapts existing farm buildings;
e)where a new building is proposed, it should where practicable be sited within or adjacent to the farm steading or group of buildings;
f)the design, siting and external appearance of any building should be appropriate to its rural location and setting;
g) servicing can be provided;
h)the proposal would not have a materially adverse effect on the environment or amenity of the locality; and
i)the proposal would not be detrimental to public safety.
Scottish Planning Policy (SPP)
Wind Farms
187. Planning authorities should support the development of wind farms in locations where the technology can operate efficiently and environmental and cumulative impacts can be satisfactorily addressed. Development plans should provide a clear indication of the potential for development of wind farms of all scales, and should set out the criteria that will be considered in deciding applications for all wind farm developments including extensions. The criteria will vary depending on the scale of development and its relationship to the characteristics of the surrounding area, but are likely to include:
- landscape and visual impact,
- effects on the natural heritage and historic environment,
- contribution of the development to renewable energy generation targets,
- effect on the local and national economy and tourism and recreation interests,
- benefits and disbenefits for communities,
- aviation and telecommunications,
- noise and shadow flicker, and
- cumulative impact.
The design and location of any wind farm development should reflect the scale and character of the landscape. The location of turbines should be considered carefully to ensure that the landscape and visual impact is minimised.
188. When considering cumulative impact, planning authorities should take account of existing wind farms, those which have permission and valid applications for wind farms which have not been determined. Decisions should not be unreasonably delayed because other schemes in the area are at a less advanced stage in the application process. The weight that planning authorities attach to undetermined applications should reflect their position in the application process. Cumulative impact will largely relate to the scale and proximity of further development. The factors that will be taken into account when considering cumulative impact should be set out in the development plan or supplementary guidance.
189. Planning authorities should set out in the development plan a spatial framework for onshore wind farms of over 20 megawatts generating capacity. Authorities may incorporate wind farms of less than 20 megawatts generating capacity in their spatial framework if considered appropriate. Planning authorities should continue to determine applications for wind farms while local policies are being updated. The spatial framework should identify:
- areas requiring significant protection because they are designated for their national or international landscape or natural heritage value, are designated as green belt or are areas where the cumulative impact of existing and consented wind farms limits further development,
- areas with potential constraints where proposals will be considered on their individual merits against identified criteria, and
- areas of search where appropriate proposals are likely to be supported subject to detailed consideration against identified criteria.
Spatial frameworks should not be used to put in place a sequential approach to determining applications which requires applicants proposing development outwith an area of search to show that there is no capacity within areas of search.
190. When identifying areas with potential constraints on wind farm development, planning authorities should consider the following:
- the historic environment,
- areas designated for their regional and local landscape or natural heritage value,
- tourism and recreation interests,
- likely impacts on communities, including long term and significant impact on amenity,
- impact on aviation and defence interests, particularly airport and aerodrome operation, flight activity, tactical training areas, aviation and defence radar and seismological recording, and
- impact on broadcasting installations, particularly maintaining transmission links.
A separation distance of up to 2km between areas of search and the edge of cities, towns and villages is recommended to guide developments to the most appropriate sites and to reduce visual impact, but decisions on individual developments should take into account specific local circumstances and geography. Development plans should recognise that the existence of these constraints on wind farm development does not impose a blanket restriction on development, and should be clear on the extent of constraints and the factors that should be satisfactorily addressed to enable development to take place. Planning authorities should not impose additional zones of protection around areas designated for their landscape or natural heritage value.
191. Having identified areas requiring significant protection and other potential constraints on wind farm development, planning authorities should identify areas of search where there are no significant constraints on development. Within these areas of search, sites may be constrained by:
- other natural heritage interests, including habitats of high nature conservation value,
- project viability, including wind speed, site access, ground suitability and other environmental factors, and
- grid capacity.
Existing and approved grid capacity should be maximised wherever possible. However, grid constraints should not be used as a development constraint where renewable energy potential exists.
Dumfries & Galloway Council Draft Interim Planning Policy (IPP) on Wind Energy Development
The Council undertook a public consultation during summer 2011 on a draft IPP for Wind Energy Developments. The report only a draft at the time the application was determined and therefore only had very limited weight as a material consideration. It was subsequentapproved by the Planning Housing & Environment Services Committee on 14 February 2012.
The document is too large to reproduce in full within these agenda papers but it can be viewed at the following web address:-
The proposed turbines would fall within the small – medium scale typology (20 – 50m height), the landscape character type of the application site is Drumlin Pastures. The Sensitivity Assessment in terms of the impact of small – medium scale turbines in this landscape character type is assessed as being High -Medium in respect of terms of landscape and visual terms and High –Medium to Lowin terms of values (Appendix B).
Guidance for Small – medium size turbines
(20m – 50m in height)
Detailed guidance on development opportunities and constraints for this typology is contained in the detailed landscape sensitivity assessments in Appendix C of this IPP.
It is considered that this size of turbine is associated with more settled landscapes and applications are unlikely to come forward in areas where there are no farms or other settlements. For this reason, Appendix C contains a review of the sensitivity of the landscape to this development typology in all lowland landscape character types but not in the less settled upland landscape character types.
Where relevant, all applications must demonstrate they comply with detailed guidance contained in Appendix C and the general guidance below. Applications for this typology of development in areas without detailed guidance should demonstrate they comply with the general guidance that follows.
In general within the Dumfries and Galloway landscape, the following issues have been identified as being particularly influential in terms of detailed siting of this typology within character types and units identified as being appropriate for this typology:
Turbine height in relation to the scale of the landscape
Landform shape
Settlement and landscape pattern and features
Visibility
Cumulative issues
Turbine height in relation to the scale of the landscape
Turbines of between 20m and 50m are going to be one of the tallest structures in any landscape. They are going to be taller than most buildings and most trees. They are still, however, similar in height to some pylons.
Turbines of this height can be accommodated most readily by relating the height of the turbines to the scale of the landform, rather than trying to link them to the size of other structures and trees. If well sited, turbines of this size, even in small groups of up to three turbines, may be able to take advantage of the degree of relief created by medium scaled landforms, for example where small hills and ridges rise from 100m – 250m in height above surrounding lower lying valleys and plains.
Scale: Indicative turbines of about 45m (6x house height) located on a long ridgeline, where there are few features in close proximity against which to judge the scale. They are also located at a slight dip in the ridge, and back-dropped in this view by higher ground. Note that even so, they are still large when referenced against fields and nearby buildings – they would be difficult to accommodate any closer to the valley without dominating the scale of the smaller features.
These turbines are likely to be more difficult to accommodate in landscapes of intimate or complex topography, within narrow valleys or along the upper edges or rims of smaller valleys and where small landscape scale is created by small fields, diverse land use and complex or dense settlement distribution.
Landform shape
This size of turbine is likely to be more readily accommodated in medium scaled landscapes where they are more likely to fit with the landscape if they are sited to clearly relate to a specific land form. Turbines of this size could be accommodated on low hills or ridgelines which provide the immediate backdrop to the farmed lowland areas, especially if they, too, are back-dropped by larger hills or more sweeping plateaux.
Distinct changes in gradient associated with rising slopes, well defined dips within undulations or more expansive concave landforms, long ridges and interim hills along the lower edges of the foothills, as well as the edges of more expansive plateaux all provide potential opportunities for micro-siting turbines of this size.
Landform shape and scale: Indicative 35m high turbine (4.5 x house height) located on the side of a hill, sited where there is a distinct fold in the landform. The turbine has been located on a hillside where there are no other features – like trees or houses – against which to gauge its height.
Landform shape and scale: Indicative 48m high turbine (6 x house height) located on the side of a hill, sited where there is a distinct fold in the landform. The taller the turbine, the more important it is that it is located where it is associated with landform scale, not the size of individual landscape features – this size would be more readily accommodated further away from the farm.
Settlement and land use pattern and features
These turbines are larger than most buildings found in rural areas. They therefore should be sited where they can more readily be accommodated by landform scale, and avoid overshadowing or dominating smaller elements in the landscape, including small and complex landforms, small fields and intricate patterns of settlement. It is more likely that these small-medium sized turbines will be located on low hills, perhaps at some distance from farms or settlements. Care should be taken not to disrupt the pattern and prominence of small clumps of trees on top of rounded hills, which is a feature in some of the lowland character types.