At the May 2013 Community Network meeting a discussion on renewable energy projects and
planning strategy in Cornwall was introduced by Ellie Inglis-Woolcock
and Carol Reader of Planning and Regeneration for Cornwall Council.
They highlighted the Local Plan (download the draft Local Plan 8MB) which has just finished its public consultation. They also referred to an informal planning guide which many members were unaware of. It is technical evidence supporting the renewable energy statements in the local plan - Technical Paper E4 (a) An Assessment of the Landscape Sensitivity to Onshore Wind and Large Scale Solar Photovoltaic Development in Cornwall. It gives a guide as to how planners judge the impact of wind turbines and solar farms on the environment and is based on the Landscape Character Areas defined in 2008. Grampound with Creed is in two Landscape Character Areas (LCAs) - CA13 Fal Ria, Truro and Falmouth which contain Grampound Town, Creed and areas around the tributaries of the Fal, and CA40 Gerrans, Veryan and Mevagissey Bays which is most of the east of Creed ward. Cornwall Council have published a map of LCAs. The Technical Paper on landscape sensitivity for renewable energies needs to be read with these LCAs in mind and the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) but there are none in Grampound with Creed Parish.
For easy reference I've labelled the areas below on an excerpt from Cornwall Council's Interactive mapping service. The green lines mark the boundaries of the LCAs and the ones covering Grampound with Creed (CA13 and CA40) are labelled.
CA13 (i.e. Grampound Town, Creed and areas around the tributaries of the Fal)
Wind Turbines: Moderate (Moderate-high within AONB) Landscape Sensitivity.
"The landscape strategy is for a landscape with occasional single turbines or small to medium sized clusters of turbines, comprising turbines that may be up to and including medium scale outside the AONB with no turbines in the intimate wooded creeks, along undeveloped estuary edges or on the undeveloped coastal edge and its immediate hinterland. Within the AONB a landscape without wind energy development (except for occasional very small scale single turbines linked to existing buildings eg farm buildings)."
Solar PV: Moderate (Moderate-high within AONB) Landscape Sensitivity.
"The landscape strategy is for a landscape with occasional very small or small solar PV developments with no solar PV development on upper slopes, along undeveloped estuary edges or on the undeveloped coastal edge and its immediate hinterland. Within the AONB a landscape without solar PV development (except for very occasional very small scale well sited developments)."
CA 40 (i.e. most of the east of Creed ward).
Wind Turbines: Moderate (Moderate-high within AONB) Landscape Sensitivity.
"The landscape strategy is for a landscape with occasional small clusters of turbines, or single turbines, comprising turbines up to the lower end of the 'large' scale, and with no turbines along the coastal edge or its immediate hinterland. Elsewhere within the AONB development limited to occasional very small scale single turbines linked to existing buildings (eg farm buildings)."
Solar PV: Moderate (Moderate-high within AONB) Landscape Sensitivity.
"The landscape strategy is for a landscape with occasional very small, small or medium solar PV developments, and with no PV development along the coastal edge or its immediate hinterland. Elsewhere within the AONB development limited to very occasional very small scale PV development."
There was disappointment at the meeting that a strategy is still not in place despite many years of work and that farmland and visual character may be lost in the absence of a strategy. There were technical and legal issues highlighted. However, the adoption informally and preferably formal adoption with public consultation of these technical documents was encouraged.
They highlighted the Local Plan (download the draft Local Plan 8MB) which has just finished its public consultation. They also referred to an informal planning guide which many members were unaware of. It is technical evidence supporting the renewable energy statements in the local plan - Technical Paper E4 (a) An Assessment of the Landscape Sensitivity to Onshore Wind and Large Scale Solar Photovoltaic Development in Cornwall. It gives a guide as to how planners judge the impact of wind turbines and solar farms on the environment and is based on the Landscape Character Areas defined in 2008. Grampound with Creed is in two Landscape Character Areas (LCAs) - CA13 Fal Ria, Truro and Falmouth which contain Grampound Town, Creed and areas around the tributaries of the Fal, and CA40 Gerrans, Veryan and Mevagissey Bays which is most of the east of Creed ward. Cornwall Council have published a map of LCAs. The Technical Paper on landscape sensitivity for renewable energies needs to be read with these LCAs in mind and the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) but there are none in Grampound with Creed Parish.
For easy reference I've labelled the areas below on an excerpt from Cornwall Council's Interactive mapping service. The green lines mark the boundaries of the LCAs and the ones covering Grampound with Creed (CA13 and CA40) are labelled.
CA13 (i.e. Grampound Town, Creed and areas around the tributaries of the Fal)
Wind Turbines: Moderate (Moderate-high within AONB) Landscape Sensitivity.
"The landscape strategy is for a landscape with occasional single turbines or small to medium sized clusters of turbines, comprising turbines that may be up to and including medium scale outside the AONB with no turbines in the intimate wooded creeks, along undeveloped estuary edges or on the undeveloped coastal edge and its immediate hinterland. Within the AONB a landscape without wind energy development (except for occasional very small scale single turbines linked to existing buildings eg farm buildings)."
Solar PV: Moderate (Moderate-high within AONB) Landscape Sensitivity.
"The landscape strategy is for a landscape with occasional very small or small solar PV developments with no solar PV development on upper slopes, along undeveloped estuary edges or on the undeveloped coastal edge and its immediate hinterland. Within the AONB a landscape without solar PV development (except for very occasional very small scale well sited developments)."
CA 40 (i.e. most of the east of Creed ward).
Wind Turbines: Moderate (Moderate-high within AONB) Landscape Sensitivity.
"The landscape strategy is for a landscape with occasional small clusters of turbines, or single turbines, comprising turbines up to the lower end of the 'large' scale, and with no turbines along the coastal edge or its immediate hinterland. Elsewhere within the AONB development limited to occasional very small scale single turbines linked to existing buildings (eg farm buildings)."
Solar PV: Moderate (Moderate-high within AONB) Landscape Sensitivity.
"The landscape strategy is for a landscape with occasional very small, small or medium solar PV developments, and with no PV development along the coastal edge or its immediate hinterland. Elsewhere within the AONB development limited to very occasional very small scale PV development."
There was disappointment at the meeting that a strategy is still not in place despite many years of work and that farmland and visual character may be lost in the absence of a strategy. There were technical and legal issues highlighted. However, the adoption informally and preferably formal adoption with public consultation of these technical documents was encouraged.
