Erection of ground mounted pholovoltaic energy (pv) system of up to 4.42 mw on 14.22 ha of agricultural land and associated works including two sub-station buildings, security fencing and transformer structures.
Local Member: Councillor Aled Ll. Evans
Minutes:
Installation of ground mounted photovoltaic energy (pv)
system of up to 4.42 MW on 14.22 ha of agricultural land and associated works
including two sub-station buildings, security fencing and transformer
structures.
(a) The Development Control
Manager elaborated on the background of the application and noted that the site
was in open countryside on undulating land located between the higher ground of
central Llŷn and Cardigan Bay and the site’s
field along with other fields in the area were surrounded by ‘cloddiau’ and hedgerows.
It was noted that it was
considered that the principle of the proposal was acceptable in terms of
policies C1, C27 and C28 of the GUDP and that it coincided with Strategic
Policy 9 relating to the provision of energy from renewable sources.
Attention was drawn to the
objections received from the owner of a nearby farmhouse which mainly related
to the impact on the landscape and views from the property. In accepting that it is possible that parts
of the site will be visible from the property, due to the landform, current
vegetation and the distance between the property and the site, more than 360m,
it is not believed that the development would be obtrusive for the occupants of
the farmhouse or that its impact on the landscape would be harmful enough to
justify refusing the application.
Attention was drawn to the
solar panel location plan which was circulated to the members at the meeting
along with additional observations that had been received noting that the Tree
Officer had noted that an ancient grey willow tree growing on the site and it
was recommended that a condition should be included stipulating that the tree
must be protected during the development process.
The development
complied with the GUDP for the reasons noted in the report.
(a)
Taking
advantage of the right to speak, an objector noted the following main points:-
·
That their
family farm was located near the application site, and whilst they supported
solar developments, they were of the opinion that they should be installed on
building roofs, rather than on land;
·
The
Community Council was not aware of their concerns;
·
The
members should visit the site;
·
Field 2
was located on a hill and looked down on their farm;
·
Planting
trees was not an appropriate response in terms of screening;
·
Their
concern in terms of the scale and size of the development that would equate to
15 football pitches;
·
The land
would be industrial rather than agricultural if the application was
approved;
·
There
would be an impact on the amenities of the farm due to glint in addition to the
increased risk of accidents.
(b) Taking advantage of the right to
speak, the applicant’s agent noted the following main points:-
·
That the
report was an extensive assessment of the application and he concurred with the
conclusions;
·
The
development would not cause significant visual impact;
·
The land
where it was intended to locate the development had been classed as grade 4 and
5, therefore the land lost would not be valuable agricultural land;
·
The
proposal was not contrary to any policy;
·
He
respected the opinion of the objector, however, the relevant matters had been
considered in the assessment;
·
Some parts
of the development would be visible from other locations, but an attempt had
been made to select the fields that would have least impact and it was intended
to add to the mature screen of trees and hedges along the western boundary of
the development;
·
A letter
of support was received from the representatives of Hafan
y Môr and should the application be approved, they
would hold discussions with the family in relation to meeting its green energy
requirements.
It was proposed and seconded to approve the
application.
(ch) The following observations were noted in favour
of the recommendation:
·
That the
application met the requirements and it was of crucial importance to maintain
industry in the countryside and to reach a compromise in terms of protecting
the landscape and securing economic prosperity;
·
That
visual impact was subjective;
·
That the
way in which renewable energy developments were being funded would change at
the end of the month, unless development
had already received planning permission;
·
Although
they could sympathise with the objector, they supported the proposal as the
application site was located near an electricity sub-station;
·
That there
was a local prospective buyer for the energy generated;
·
Renewable
energy developments were important given our over-reliance on oil and gas;
·
That
numerous international studies had shown that there was no impact on
tourism.
(d) The
following observations were noted contrary to the recommendation:
·
It was
explained that the application had been submitted by Gwynedd Council (Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau
Special Area of Conservation).
·
It was
noted that the development would not be seen much from the highway, but this
had also been noted when the application for Parciau
Farm, Griffiths Crossing, Caernarfon was being determined, which was visible
from the highway.
·
The
development could not create local employment;
·
The impact
on the nearby farmhouse was unacceptable;
·
Did not
agree with green energy and the way it was funded;
·
The development would cause a visual impact;
·
That no
impact assessment of this kind of energy on the landscape, as done with wind turbines,
had been undertaken and there was a danger of setting a precedent for future
applications without knowing the impact;
·
The size
of the plan and its impact on the landscape
(dd) In response to
the above observations, the officers noted:-
·
An assessment
of this proposal in terms of the effect on protected species, trees and local
amenities is a relevant consideration, and worthy consideration was given to
this element in determining the application.
·
Unlike
on-shore wind energy, no Supplementary Planning Guidance had been submitted for
solar energy, however; the Gillespies company had
recently been appointed to assess the sensitivity and capacity of the landscape
in accommodating specific types of development;
·
There was
robust evidence of the capacity for such developments and the GUDP supports
solar developments that are smaller than 5 MW;
·
With
regard to such applications in future, there was a need to reach a decision on
this application by considering the current evidence and such considerations relating
to the cumulative impact of these type of developments would be done when other
applications were submitted;
·
There was
an attempt to mitigate the visual impact.
RESOLVED to approve the application.
Conditions:
1. Five years
2. To complete the development in
accordance with the plans
3. The panels must be located as
shown in the plans, or as agreed in writing with the Local Planning
Authority.
4. Agree on the materials/colour
of the frames and anti-glare covers
5. To agree on the colour of the
fence and camera poles
6. Agree and complete a
landscaping plan and a landscape management plan
7. Agree on and implement a
Surface Water Management Plan and a Construction Environmental Management Plan.
8. Agree on and implement a
Biodiversity Management Plan and a Biosafety Risk Assessment.
9. Agree on and implement a
Traffic Flow Management Plan for the works
10. Agree on and implement an
Archaeological Works Programme
11. Any electricity cables from the
development to link to the electricity connection should be installed
underground, and this should be agreed beforehand with the Local Planning
Authority.
12. Within 25 years of completing
the development or if the solar panels approved in this application remain
unused for the purposes of generating electricity for 12 months, they must be
permanently removed from the land and the site should be restored to its
original condition
13. Welsh Water standard conditions
14. Agree on the external materials
of all buildings
15. Highways conditions.
16. The details of the site's
lighting system, including the type, exact location, luminosity level and the
method of protection from pollution or light overflow must be submitted to the
Local Planning Authority for written approval and to be fully operational
before the permitted development is completed and before the site is
operational.
17. Safeguard the ancient grey willow tree on the site.
Supporting documents: