Developers welcome wind farm study

WIND farm developers at Moorsyde, near Shoresdean, have welcomed a pioneering new study that will help planning authorities make informed decisions about the cumulative impact on the landscape of multiple windfarm developments in Northumberland.

Up to now, a number of broad 'areas of least constraint' for windfarm development or 'W' areas were identified in the draft Regional Spatial Strategy and a plethora of wind farm applications have since been submitted to the planning authorities. This raised concerns, particularly about the increasing visual impact that they would have on the landscape.

Matt Kelly, development manager at Your Energy, which is planning to build 14 turbines, each 110 metres tall, at Moorsyde, said: "It's confirmed this region is acceptable for wind farm development and we hope the results of this study will help Berwick Borough Council determine our project favourably."

The North East Assembly, in liaison with local planning authorities, commissioned consultants to develop and apply a methodology for assessing landscape capacity to absorb wind development in the identified 'W' areas. The Knowesgate and Harwood Forest 'W' areas were selected as pilot areas for the study, as there is already significant developer interest in the area for wind farm development.

Alex Watson, chairman of the North East Assembly said: "The Windfarm Development and Landscape Capacity Study is an important piece of work. This is the first study of its kind in England and it will feed into the continuing debate on the location of windfarms in the Northumberland countryside.

"This cutting edge study assesses the ability of landscapes to support wind development and it also helps to ensure that the Region plays a positive part in contributing to tackling global climate change without resulting in unacceptable environmental impacts."

There has been strong support for the study from local authorities and it is intended to roll out similar studies in other areas of the region that are also experiencing strong developer interest.

Gordon Halliday, divisional director Consumer Protection, Planning and Waste Management, Northumberland County Council said: "With the substantial developer interest in wind farm development in Northumberland gathering pace, the findings of this study have the potential to inform the difficult decisions that the DTI and local planning authorities will need to make on which locations might be acceptable."

The North East Assembly will be organising an event for district council members, the private sector and communities to discuss the findings of the study.

The study identified a number of scenarios based on differing levels of potential, ranging from 70MW to 240MW. The preferred scenario identifies the consultant's preferred scale and pattern of development in the Harwood Forest/ Knowesgate area. This indicates that on the basis of landscape capacity, cumulative impact and the identification of three preferred development areas, the study area could accommodate around 100MW of wind energy development.

e-mail: iansmith@tweeddalepress.co.uk