Barvills Solar Farm Environmental Statement Non-Technical Summary 13 March 2015 Produced for Prepared by St John s House Queen Street, Manchester M2 5JB
Contents Contents... 2 1 Introduction... 3 1.1 Development Location... 3 1.2 Environmental Impact Assessment... 4 1.3 Consultation... 4 1.4 Alternatives... 4 1.5 Existing Environment... 4 1.6 The Proposed Development... 4 1.7 Construction... 5 2 Environmental Impacts and Mitigation... 6 2.1 Introduction... 6 2.2 Transport Statement... 6 2.3 Landscape and Visual Effects... 7 2.4 Archaeology and Cultural Heritage... 7 2.5 Ecology and Nature Conservation... 7 2.6 Flood Risk Assessment... 7 2.7 Cumulative Environmental Effects... 8 3 Additional Information... 9 2
1 Introduction 1.1 Development Location 1.1.1 Barvills Solar Limited c/o BE Renewables Limited is seeking planning permission for a solar farm at Barvills, located in East Tilbury, Essex (Plate 1-1) in accordance with the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA). The Planning Authority for the proposed development is Thurrock Council. Plate 1-1: Location of Proposed Development 1.1.2 The proposed development is located on 6.76 hectares of land to the south of East Tilbury. 1.1.3 Plate 1-2 shows the red line boundary of the proposed development site. Plate 1-2: Barvills Solar Farm Location Plan 3
1.2 Environmental Impact Assessment 1.2.1 The proposed development has been subject to a formal process of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011 (The Regulations). This Environmental Statement (ES) reports the findings of the detailed EIA. 1.3 Consultation 1.3.1 Consultation has taken place for the proposed development to obtain feedback upon the proposals from statutory environmental and non-statutory consultees to the planning process as well as the public through a consultation event. 1.3.2 A consultation event where members of the public were invited to share their views was held on Monday the 17th of July 2014 at Linford Methodist Church. 1.3.3 In July 2014, a formal Scoping Opinion was received from the Planning Authority (Thurrock Council) for an earlier proposed development which included a second site. 1.3.4 Following feedback from consultation carried out as part of the previous application, the extent of the scheme was reduced, and this revised scheme is that which has been assessed as part of the current planning application. 1.3.5 It has been assumed that that Scoping Opinion is valid to the extent it applies to this revised development. 1.4 Alternatives 1.4.1 The selection of a suitable site for the proposed development was principally dictated by the availability of a land parcel of sufficient size in single ownership within Thurrock Council and in proximity to a substation or power connection. 1.4.2 The consideration of alternative site layouts within the proposed sites were primarily influenced by the need to maximise the solar radiation reaching each panel, the need to ensure the existing drainage network on the site was unaltered and the requirement to provide an offset from a gas pipeline that crosses the site. 1.5 Existing Environment 1.5.1 The proposed development lies on land that is presently used for grazing. To the north of the site lies agricultural land and an operational quarry. To the east lies the Mucking Flats and Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest. To the south lies Tilbury Coalhouse Fort and the Coalhouse Battery. 1.6 The Proposed Development 1.6.1 The proposed development involves the installation of solar panels which are mounted upon steel and aluminium structures. The panels will lie at an angle of between 20 and 25 degrees and will be arranged in racks which will be south facing. The panels are static and do not follow the path of the site during the day. 1.6.2 The rows of panels, known as arrays are spaced approximately 4m apart and 10m from any existing vegetation on the site boundaries to avoid any overshadowing. Installation of the panels in this manner allows access around the perimeter of the site as well as continued grazing of the land by sheep. 4
Plate 1-3: Barvills Solar Farm Site Layout 1.6.3 An internal road comprising crushed stone will be installed as part of the proposed development which will allow access for maintenance. 1.7 Construction 1.7.1 Construction of the proposed development is scheduled to begin in 2015 lasting approximately four months. Mitigation of construction related impacts would be addressed through the adoption and implementation of a fully compliant Construction Environmental Management Plan. 5
2 Environmental Impacts and Mitigation 2.1 Introduction 2.1.1 The scope of the EIA has been based on three main topics. Landscape and Visual Effects Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Ecology and Nature Conservation 2.1.2 A Transport Statement was prepared to address any construction traffic issues. A Flood Risk Assessment was also undertaken to assess the proposed development s impact on the flood plain. 2.2 Transport Statement 2.2.1 Up to two Heavy Goods Vehicles per day will deliver construction materials to the site during the peak of the construction process. To minimise potential impacts upon the highway delivery vehicles will be restricted to the hours of 10am to 2:30pm on Monday to Friday and 8am to 1pm on Saturday. 2.2.2 Access to the site during the operation of the solar farm will be very modest. Light goods vehicles will need to access the site on a very infrequent basis at approximately one visit every six months. 2.2.3 The EIA has demonstrated that suitable access is available to the site and there will be no detriment to the operation of the highway network as a result of the proposed development. Plate 1-3: Environmental Constraints Plan 6
2.3 Landscape and Visual Effects 2.3.1 The assessment of the effects on landscape character has identified that the proposed development would not result in significant environmental effects. 2.3.2 The assessment of potential effects on visual amenity concluded that visual impacts would be no greater than slight adverse at residential properties. The proposed development would therefore not represent a significant visual effect. 2.4 Archaeology and Cultural Heritage 2.4.1 The EIA has identified the presence of known heritage assets within the development boundary, including post-medieval field boundaries and post-medieval building remains. 2.4.2 Potential for archaeological remains on the western part of the proposed development site has been reduced by quarrying and subsequent landfill which took place in the late 19 th and early 20 th century. There is however still potential for assets of all time periods to be present within the undisturbed area of land within the site boundary given their known presence in the wider study area. A watching brief during construction will serve to ensure that any features encountered are duly recorded. 2.4.3 Existing screening and topography will avoid significant effects on the setting of two Scheduled Monuments to the south of the development area and a Conservation Area to the north. 2.4.4 The proposed development would not significantly affect the setting of any built cultural heritage asset and the historic landscape character. 2.5 Ecology and Nature Conservation 2.5.1 The site of the proposed solar farm has the potential for the presence of protected species including bats, terrestrial invertebrates, migrating birds and nesting birds. 2.5.2 Avoidance of impacts related to ecology has been an integral part of the planning and design process for the proposed development. This has included: The creation of an offset from any existing vegetation, reducing the risk of impact to established boundary vegetation during the construction process; The use of low reflective panels to reduce the likelihood of the panels being mistaken for water bodies by migrating birds. 2.5.3 The implementation of good construction practices, outlined in a Construction Environmental Management Plan will serve to reduce the potential for impacting upon any protected species. The inclusion of additional planting within existing hedges will provide opportunities for habitat creation. 2.6 Flood Risk Assessment 2.6.1 The site lies entirely within Flood Zone 1 (low risk) and there are no main rivers close to it. 2.6.2 There will be no significant increase in discharge or runoff of surface water as a result of the development and solar panels will be installed at a height to avoid damage in the event of a flood. 7
2.7 Cumulative Environmental Effects 2.7.1 No cumulative environmental effects greater than those identified within the individual chapters (slight adverse) have been identified as part of the assessment of cumulative environmental effects. 8
3 Additional Information 3.1.1 A copy of the Environmental Statement has been deposited at the offices of Thurrock Planning Authority and will be available for inspection, free of charge, during normal opening hours. The application will also be available for inspection on the website of Thurrock Council. 3.1.2 Hard copies of this Non-Technical Summary are available as a separate stand alone document and copies of the whole ES are available in hard copy for a fee of 100. 3.1.3 Expressions of support, representations, or opinions should be sent to the Planning Authority via the Planning and Growth section of their website (https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/have-your-say-on-planning-applications/makecomment-or-objection). 9