Ironstone Quarry Wind Energy Project Environmental Statement

Non Technical Summary April 2011

Introduction

Waste Recycling Group (WRG) Ltd is seeking permission to construct and operate a

four turbine wind farm at one of its landfill sites in North Lincolnshire. The proposed

development is called Ironstone Quarry Wind Energy Project. The wind farm

development would be situated at the existing Winterton landfill site, which is located

approximately 1km of Winterton and approximately 6km of north Scunthorpe.

This document is a Non-Technical Summary of the Environmental Statement (ES),

which accompanies the planning application for Ironstone Quarry Wind Energy Project.

The ES reports on the findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which

considers the likely environmental effects of the proposed development resulting from its

construction, operation and future removal. Where possible any foreseeable adverse

impacts on the environment are avoided, but where this is unrealistic, ways to minimise

adverse impacts are proposed where possible.

Copies of all the planning application documents, including the ES, are available to

review on the North Lincolnshire Council website and during normal opening hours at

the following Council Office address:

North Lincolnshire Council Church Square House 30-40 High Street Scunthorpe DN15 6NL

A copy of the ES may be purchased in printed form for £100 or in digital form on a CD

for £10, by writing to the applicant at the following address:

Waste Recycling Group Limited Ground Floor West 900 Pavilion Drive Northampton Business Park Northampton NN4 7RG

If you wish to comment on the ES, you can write to the planning office within a time

period to be specified by North Lincolnshire Council.

Background and Site Selection

Currently, around 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity is generated at WRG’s operational

and closed landfill sites across the UK, using the methane-rich landfill gas. WRG also

operates two Energy from Waste plants; one of which exports energy in the form of

electricity, the other exporting energy in the form of steam.

WRG is now looking at other ways of generating renewable energy on its land holdings.

WRG has undertaken a review of 142 sites in its ownership across the UK to determine

their suitability to generate wind energy. They considered aspects such as:

• indicative wind speeds at each site;

• how close the site was to residential properties, roads and railways;

• how close the site was to the main electricity grid;

• how easy it would be to bring turbines to site and construct them;

• the potential to interfere with air traffic control radars and military low flying zones/

training areas; and

• the proximity to international and national designated sites for nature conservation,

heritage and landscape.

Following an initial review of sites against these criteria, further assessments were made

to assess the sites in more detail. Following these detailed studies, eleven sites were

selected to be taken forward. The proposed development at Ironstone Quarry was one

of the sites recommended to be taken forward based on:

• good wind resource;

• ability to position turbines at safe distances from housing and major infrastructure;

• lack of nature conservation designations on site;

• good access to site; and

• proximity to a potential grid connection point.

Site Location and Description

The site of the proposed development is located approximately 1km northwest of

Winterton and approximately 6km north of Scunthorpe. The location of the site is shown

in Figure 1 below.

The total area of the proposed development (the area within the planning application red

line boundary) is approximately 9 hectares (23 acres). This is approximately 11% of the

existing landfill site, which extends to approximately 84 hectares (208 acres).

The site is owned by the applicant. It is a former Ironstone working and now contains an

operational landfill site, as well as areas of restored landfill.

Figure 1

The Proposed Development

The Ironstone Quarry Wind Energy Project would consist of the following:

• four wind turbine generators, to a maximum height of 127m (measured to the tip of

the blade at the top of its rotation), to be built on areas within the former quarry site;

• construction of turbine foundations, a stable base for the turbines to stand on;

• temporary areas of stone surfacing adjacent to each turbine; for cranes and other

construction vehicles to stand on to install the turbine, part of which would be left in

place for future maintenance;

• construction of a small building to house the wind farm’s electrical equipment;

• installation of underground cables to connect the wind turbines to the substation,

including power, communications and monitoring cables;

• construction of new tracks, and upgrading of existing tracks on the quarry site to allow

delivery of the cranes and turbine components and to allow access to the turbines

once they are operational;

• widening of the existing site entrance onto Coleby Road, including some tree and

shrub clearance to allow large construction vehicles onto the site;

• creation of a temporary new entrance from Top Road to obtain access to Turbine 4,

which would require temporary removal of a small amount of hedgerow; and

• a temporary construction compound for contractors cabins, welfare facilities,

materials storage and vehicle parking.

Site layout

The layout design of the wind farm has taken into account:

• the limitation that, for engineering and safety reasons, no turbines could be located on

landfilled waste;

• separation distance between turbines and residential properties, so that turbines

would be positioned no closer than 600m to any occupied buildings; and

• adequate separation between turbines so that they all benefit from a clear airflow.

Alternative layout options are limited due to the nature of the site and the physical

constraints that it presents, but some changes have been made in response to

environmental factors that have arisen during the course of preparing the planning

submission. For example, the location of a turbine was changed to avoid interrupting

with a telecommunications signal and also to move it away from mature trees which

could be used for navigation by bats.

The precise final locations of turbines and the design of the foundations on which they

are built will depend on the ground conditions that are encountered. Therefore it may be

necessary to ‘micro-site’ elements of the proposed development infrastructure (i.e.

change the location of turbines and hardstanding slightly) after ground investigations

have been undertaken. The turbines will not be moved by more than 20m in any

direction as part of this ‘micro-siting’ process. The proposed layout of the wind farm is

shown on Figure 2.

Figure 2

Consultation

Prior to undertaking the Environmental Impact Assessment, a ‘Scoping’ exercise was

undertaken. Scoping is the process of identifying which of the environmental issues are

potentially significant, and which issues are not. This exercise was formally presented to

the Planning department at North Lincolnshire Council, who in turn discussed the project

with other statutory bodies such as the Environment Agency, English Heritage and the

local parish councils to find out their views on the issues to be assessed. The result of

this process was a document called the ‘scoping opinion’ which formally identifies what

the ES should contain.

In terms of public consultation, WRG has written to more than 60 organisations and

individuals to advise them of its proposal and offer a briefing. These have included the

parish councils, local businesses and residents. The company has held liaison meetings

with local stakeholders and residents and has also attended local Parish Council

meetings. All of the queries raised at the Parish Council meetings were noted by the

WRG representatives attending and formal responses have been supplied.

In addition, WRG has organised two public exhibitions. The first was held on 28th

September 2010 at the West Halton Village Hall and the second was held at Winterton

Rangers Football Club on 20th January 2011. At both events, members of the public

were invited to view the development proposals and make comments. The exhibitions

were advertised in advance and a press release with venue and opening times was

circulated to local and regional newspapers. A letter with exhibition details was

distributed to local residents and to local councilors and other stakeholders.

Summary of the key issues

Based on consultation with the Local Authority and the wider public, the following key

issues have been addressed in the ES:

• Planning Policy • Noise and Vibration

• Traffic and Transportation • Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

• Landscape and Visual Impact • Geology, Hydrology and Hydrogeology

• Ecology and Nature Conservation • Surface Waters and Flood Risk

• Aviation • Shadow Flicker

• Radio Communications

The cumulative effects of the proposed development and other nearby developments

have also been considered. The following sections of this document summarise the

findings of the environmental assessments that have been undertaken:

Traffic and Transportation

The construction process for the proposed development would have a negligible impact

on the local highway network. There would be a requirement for some temporary traffic

management and for the temporary removal of some street furniture along the preferred

access route to the site. These would be agreed in advance and completed in such a

way as to minimise disruption for local residents.

Delivery of wind turbine components would involve some abnormal loads which may

require a police escort. Again, arrangements would be agreed with the local police and

highway authorities in advance and all safety and routing issues would be incorporated

in a construction management plan.

Landscape and Visual Impact

The proposed development would be located within a landscape where tall vertical

structures, including wind turbines, are already present. Long views are available across

extensive areas of flat, low-lying land such as the Ancholme Valley and the Humber

Estuary. Existing built development is very visible in the local area for this reason.

The introduction of large, man-made turbines would lead to a clear effect on landscape

character and visual amenity in the immediate vicinity of the development site. The

proposed turbines would be prominent new features within the landscape and within

views from nearby properties. The proposed Ironstone Quarry Wind Energy Project

would not significantly affect any Registered Park or Garden, Conservation Area or Area

of Outstanding Natural Beauty

There would be some effects upon the landscape features of the site but they would not

be significant. Little change to the vegetation cover of the site would take place when

compared to either the current situation, or to the restored site that will exist when the

landfill closes.

There would be some localised significant effects upon landscape character due to the

size and scale of the turbines which would be visually prominent when compared to

existing features.

Significant visual effects would be experienced from properties at the edges of the

villages closest to the site where clear views would be available of the turbines at

relatively short range. An estimated 186 properties would be affected to varying

degrees. Similar effects would also be experienced from parts of the public rights of way

network close to the site.

At greater distances from the site, visual effects would not be significant.

There would be some localised cumulative landscape and visual effects as a result of

being able to see both the development proposed and the operational site at Bagmoor.

Ecology and Nature Conservation

The proposed wind energy project would not have significant impacts on the ecology

and nature conservation of the area. The habitats recorded on the site are all

considered to be commonplace. All of the habitats have previously been subjected to

modification and many areas are the result of restoration of the site following completion

of areas of the landfill.

The hedgerows on site are all considered to be recent in origin and whilst some are

species rich, none are considered to be ‘important’ as defined by the Hedgerows Act

1997.

There would no significant impacts on breeding birds. For birds over flying the site,

collision risk modelling for 12 target bird species observed in surveys revealed that none

would experience significant risks.

Significant impacts on the integrity of the Humber Special Protection Area (SPA) are

considered to be unlikely, with important birds found in the SPA rarely occurring on the

proposed development site.

It is recommended that gull management on the landfill site is improved in order to

reduce the gull population on site and the risk of them being struck by the turbines.

Aviation

The Ministry of Defence does not object to the development but has requested that

turbines be fitted with lighting to assist pilots of low flying aircraft at night. Lighting is

now available which is visible to pilots but has minimal visual impact from ground level

due to its very low brightness.

Robin Hood Airport has expressed some concerns about the cumulative impacts of wind

developments generally in the region. The solution, if the project is granted planning

permission, may be that the applicant contributes to improving the radar systems in the

area. No objection is expected in respect of Air Traffic Control.

Radio-communications

Whilst there are a number of ways that the development could affect radio

communications it has been established that in each case there are solutions available.

Noise and Vibration

Noise and vibration levels have been considered and assessed in detail for the

construction and operation phases of the proposed development. Relevant and

appropriate noise and vibration guidance and standards have been used to determine

the impact.

During construction there would be a variety of noise sources in use at different stages

and their associated activities would vary from day to day. The assessment indicated

that impacts would be a negligible.

For the operational phase the results of the assessment show that noise levels would

not exceed limits stipulated in the guidance recommended by the government and that

therefore noise from the wind energy project would have no significant impact.

Vibrations experienced during the construction and operation of the wind energy project

would be negligible.

Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

The proposed turbine locations are located within a former quarry and as such the site

can be considered to be archaeologically sterile. Once built the operational

development would have no greater than minor impacts on the settings of cultural

heritage features.

Geology, Hydrology and Hydrogeology

The development would be constructed almost entirely within a landfill site that is

operated by a reputable waste management operator with an accredited Environmental

Management System. Construction would take place according to best practice, and

would take into account the general mitigation measures included within the

Environment Agency’s Pollution Prevention Guidelines.

Surface Waters and Flood Risk

The risk of flooding from all sources is considered to be low. Given the scale of

development and its location within an established landfill site which provides for

management of both surface and groundwater, the proposed development would not

increase the risk of flooding to surrounding areas.

Shadow Flicker

Shadow flicker is an effect that is experienced when the rotating turbine blades cast

shadows into an occupied room of a property. In the UK shadow flicker from wind

turbines has very rarely caused any problems and because of this there has been no

need to develop guidelines to determine acceptable degrees of exposure. The

assessment has however found that periods of exposure would be very low even in a

worst case scenario, where shadows are cast all of the time. Actual exposure would be

considerably less than the worst case due to the strong likelihood of conditions that

would prevent shadows (i.e. the presence of cloud cover)

It is concluded that no significant shadow flicker effects would arise from development of

the proposed Ironstone Quarry Wind Energy Project.

Socio-Economics

There are potential beneficial socio-economic effects arising from the proposed

Ironstone Quarry Wind Energy Project relating to the employment opportunities during

the construction phase of the development (both direct and indirect). The applicant has

a sustainable procurement policy which encourages use of local suppliers.

During the operational phase of the wind energy project (circa 25 years) whilst there is

some potential for local economic benefit as a result of direct or indirect employment, the

scale of the development is such that this would be of little consequence.

There are unlikely to be any significant adverse impacts on the local tourism industry,

which is not a mainstay of the local economy and already co-exists within a working

landscape containing tall pylons and commercial scale wind turbines. Research

undertaken on the effects of wind farms on tourism have not indicated adverse effects to

occur. It is predicted that there would no adverse effects on the operation of any local

industry or business.

Wind farms have an excellent safety record, and whilst there are rare instances of

events that could have an impact upon safety, these are actively mitigated against in the

design of modern turbines and would be addressed in operational procedures at the site

Grid Connection

The likely environmental effects of a possible grid connection route from the proposed

development site to a potential connection point to the national grid at South Ferriby

substation have been appraised. It was concluded that no significant effects would be

likely to result from this connection.

Cumulative Effects

This assessment has found that there are no significant cumulative interactions between

the various environmental effects identified in the ES.

With regard to other wind farms, there would only be cumulative landscape and visual

effects in a localised area. These would occur as a consequence of interactions with the

operational turbines at Bagmoor and those at Saxby Wold, if consented.

Conclusions

The proposed Ironstone Quarry Wind Energy Project lies outside of any international

and national designations for landscape and there are no statutory ecological or cultural

heritage designations in the immediate vicinity of the site. The proposed site is close to

the strategic road network and is located in an area that has previously been quarried

and landfilled, which maximises the use of brownfield land. In addition, the presence of

the wind turbines will not prevent the land surrounding them from continuing to be used

for other activities including waste management and agriculture.

The development would result in some significant adverse landscape and visual impacts

that would be experienced in the immediate local area surrounding the site, including

from around 186 residential properties.

The benefits of the proposed development also need to be considered, the most

important being the delivery of low carbon, renewable energy. The development would

help to achieve targets set out in national planning policy which firmly outline the need to

offset climate change, deliver emissions cuts and promote renewable energy. To

illustrate the amount of energy that would be produced, the project would generate

renewable electricity equivalent to the annual electricity needs of approximately 5475

homes. This is equivalent to all of the households in the local electoral ward, which

includes the settlements of Winterton, Burton upon Stather, Winteringham, Alkborough,

Whitton and Flixborough, plus an additional 1042 homes. In contrast, significant visual

impacts would only be experienced by around 186 residential properties – this is less

than 5% of the 4433 households in the ward.