THE PLANNING & COMPULSORY PURCHASE ACT 2004 PROPOSAL: NEW SOLAR ARRAYS 1, MW AND ASSOCIATED WORKS.

. SITE: CLIENT: LAND AT SANDPOOL FARM, POOLE KEYNES, GLOUCESTERSHIRE. WILTSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST AND BATH AND WEST COMMUNITY ENERGY LTD.

DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT

Prepared by Simon Chambers, BSc (Hons) MA MRTPI Director LPC (Trull) Ltd Our Reference: SWLC.LPC.3163

January 2013

DESIGN & ACCESS STATEMENT Context Assessment This Design and Access Statement forms part of the planning application for new Solar Arrays on land at Sandpool Farm. The extent of the site and surrounding field boundaries in question is shown by the annotated aerial photographic extract inserted below. There is sufficient space to deploy the panels, adequate exposure to un-shaded land, good existing access links, an available grid connection and a secluded location away from overlooking residential properties. Collectively these criteria have underpinned the selection process used to determine the suitability of this site as being appropriate for development. The site is located at OS Grid reference SU40695 194020 on land forming part of Sandpool Farm located near Somerford Keynes Cotswold Water Park on the Wiltshire/Gloucestershire border. It is currently being used for grazing. The closest settlements are the hamlet of Somerford Keynes to the north (approximately 1.0km away) and the village of Ashton Keynes which is approximately 3km to the west. The closest principal settlement is Cirencester, which lies some 8.0km due north. There are no A roads within 3km of the site and the closest B road is the B4696 Ashton Road which runs approximately 2km to the east linking with the more immediate minor and unclassified roads nearby. 1

LPC3163 - Design & Access Statement Sandpool Farm, Poole Keynes, Glos January 2013

The site does not fall within any specific nationally designated areas. It is open pasture land. The site is enclosed to the north by a shelter belt comprising native and evergreen coniferous trees. There is a dense hedgerow separating the site from Minety Lane to the east. This is a dense band reduced in thickness along the southern boundary but still precluding inter-visibility. There is a public right of way screened outside the site along the southern boundary although a permissive route existing inside hedgerows. To the west the application site is part of a larger open area separated by a post and wire fence from the site itself. The proposal The proposal is for the The

development of a 1 MW Solar Photovoltaic Array. development will comprise up to 4186 solar photovoltaic panels arranged in rows approximately 6.6m apart. A single small building to house the transformers and switchgear is proposed to be positioned up against the eastern boundary, and thus behind and below the hedgerows. The solar panels will be fixed to a metal T framework and will be mounted in rows. The development will cover approximately 6780m of the overall site 2.1ha, and will be connected via underground electrical cables to the Grid. The site will be prepared in accordance with modern standards to provide a stable and level area with suitable drainage, environmental protection measures and stockproof boundary fencing. The development of the site is expected to take 2 months. The total delivery requirement is estimated at 20 HGV truckloads. Transport to deploy the panels will be staggered allowing one delivery at a time, based on speed of erection so storage requirements during construction will be minimal. 2

LPC3163 - Design & Access Statement Sandpool Farm, Poole Keynes, Glos January 2013

Once operational the site will generate renewable electricity during daylight hours with maximum output being obtained when weather conditions are favourable. The site will function with minimal intervention from human operators. Maintenance requirements are expected to consist of bi-monthly cleaning of the panels to remove any dust/dirt particles which may settle on the panels. Electrical maintenance requirements will comprise periodic inspections and routine replacements as determined by the electrical suppliers recommendations, plus any emergency maintenance that may be required in the unlikely event of an electrical component failure. On the whole the site will function unmanned for the vast majority of the time. The site itself will have a lifetime of approximately 25 years although it could be longer. At the end of this operational lifetime the solar arrays will be dismantled and all panels, frames and electrical infrastructure will be removed from site. A remediation process will be invoked at this time which will include suitable landscaping to restore the ground and to maintain any biodiversity features which have been developed over the life of the solar development. Social Context The Solar array development proposed will not result in the loss of any existing buildings or structures. The solar panels and associated mounting frames will be approximately 2.5m in height. The visual zone of influence has been assessed separately as part of this application to show the locations from which the development may be visible. This is included in the accompanying overall Landscape Visual Assessment and remedial planting strategy and demonstrates the sites effective seclusion. The site is located on poor quality grassland having historically been an inert landfill site. It is though occasionally grazed by cattle. The visual impact of a development is a very subjective issue and it is difficult to predict local perceptions, however, the solar arrays should not be a prominent landmark compared with the surrounding land topography and boundary vegetation.
LPC3163 - Design & Access Statement Sandpool Farm, Poole Keynes, Glos January 2013

The solar panels will not generate any noise during operation. An inverter will be required to convert the direct currently (DC) produced by the panels to alternating current (AC), allowing generated electricity to be exported to the distribution grid. All switching and control gear will be housed in a single building, subtly coloured to be satisfactorily accommodated on site. DESIGN OF THE SCHEME Use Existing land uses both on-site and in the near vicinity is of low intensity agricultural. It is not expected that the proposed development will have any detrimental effect on the continuation of farming in the area generally or in part on the site. This solar photovoltaic project is considered to be consistent with current policy regarding land use and the integration of renewable technologies. The use also sits full square with both national and local planning policies. A full review of the relevant planning policies is presented separately in the attached Planning Statement, confirming the uses acceptability in principle. Amount and Scale On completion the development proposal will consists of 4186 solar photovoltaic panels each measuring 1640mm by 992mm. The development will be constructed in a single phase expected to take 2 months in order to become operational. The red line planning boundary contains an area of approximately 2.1ha. The frames with panels installed will be 2.5m tall and will be positioned so as to produce as much renewable energy from the site as possible. These systems are laid out in horizontal east-west rows. The site will be fenced with standard post and wire stock proof fencing, augmenting the hedged boundaries.

LPC3163 - Design & Access Statement Sandpool Farm, Poole Keynes, Glos January 2013

The solar arrays will have an operational life span of 25 years (although 30 years is believed to be possible at least), after which the site will be decommissioned and all trace of the panels removed, it will though be largely invisible from the surrounding area regardless of its operational use. A single small prefabricated building will be provided to house the associated control systems. The building measures 3.75m by 4.45m and is 2.5m high with a very shallow pitched roof. The way the development is distributed on site is fixed by the design criteria for the solar arrays. In simple terms this involves maximising insulation and minimising any potential shading between the arrays while facing south. Every effort has been made to ensure that the layout that has been adopted is the most suitable in terms of the minimising any potential adverse environmental impacts. The proposed development requires an area of 2.1ha in total, contained within existing field boundaries, and associated with new planting. Within this area the solar panels themselves have a surface area of 6780 m 2. This equates to around only 32% of the actual application site identified. The solar arrays are located on a much larger land holding. It is therefore

proposed to use the area between the panels for continued purposes, providing opportunities grazing and habitat diversity, although sheep will replace the existing cattle. The area devoted to the actual solar panels amounts to a small percentage of the landholding as a whole. The proposed solar panels are also low to the ground, being around 2.5m high at the maximum point at the top edge of the panel. The low profile of the scheme allows effective visual screening to be achieved by retaining hedgerows and new field margin planting. It is considered therefore that the scale of the proposal is in keeping with the wider rural context and being low to the ground and easily screened will not detrimentally impact on the character of the landscape. 5

LPC3163 - Design & Access Statement Sandpool Farm, Poole Keynes, Glos January 2013

Location and Layout The location of the proposed solar array has been governed by a number of factors. Foremost of these is the need to find a suitable location with a clear view south towards the sun. Clearly a slope on the northern side of a hill would not be suitable due to the shadowing effects it would cause. The availability of a connection to the national grid to allow the electricity generated to be exported is also of prime importance. Without a connection and capacity at the substation, a proposed site cannot be progressed any further. The position of the site in relation to its surroundings is also a factor, to ensure the scheme would not have significant impact on views or neighbouring residential properties, which could not be mitigated by screening and landscaping. Other site specific issues which have been considered include landscape designations, surrounding trees and buildings (which create shadows), ecology, archaeology, flooding and drainage and access for construction. Leasing the site from a landowner is also a key factor, although in this instance a joint venture is being pursued. The ecological impacts have been assessed in detail by the Ecological Appraisal enclosed and its recommendations and programme of works form part of the application to be conditionally controlled as necessary. The exclusion of the northern area of land used by Great Crested Newts has specifically determined the shape and extent of the application site, as two distinct areas. These factors are taken in balance and the intended scheme compared against them to determine if adverse impacts exist, and if they can be suitably mitigated. These factors and the shape of the selected site dictated the layout of the solar panels, which run east west in rows across the field, mounted on frames to face south at 30 degrees from the horizontal.

LPC3163 - Design & Access Statement Sandpool Farm, Poole Keynes, Glos January 2013

The location of the site is such that the development will be situated on relatively flat land, at a reasonable distance from any residential properties. Public vantage points are already well screened from the site by existing trees and hedgerows, and the boundary planting of the solar arrays will be supplemented and enhanced where necessary to maintain this enclosure. We consider that the location and layout of the scheme is such that it will not have an adverse impact on the character of the surrounding countryside. Even when it can be seen, then the low level regularly spaced rows of the solar panels would not be harmful to the wider nature of the other land uses in the area. Once it becomes operational, crime is not expected to be a particular problem at the site and CCTV cameras are not expected to be provided. The site lies on private land although the WWT has provided a permissive path along the southern boundary of the site. It is not possible to discount crime altogether and for insurance purposes a new stock fence will be installed around the perimeter of the site, augmenting the hedgerows. This is less than 2m in height so obviously planning permission is not required. Appearance Each of the solar panels is 992mm wide by 1640mm high, and are mounted on frames at a 30 angle. Each of these frames will stretch across the site but are different in lengths. Because of the angled mounting of the panels they are around 2.5 metres at the highest point from the ground. The frames will be approximately 6.6m apart. The panels are constructed with a protective aluminium frame, which provides structural rigidity. The front face of the panel is made from a sheet of glass covered with a non-reflective coating. This ensures that the maximum amount of light is absorbed by the photovoltaic cells, improving efficiency and reducing glare to a minimum. The panels are arranged in rows running across the field, forming a regular pattern, although this will be largely hidden from view by the surrounding
LPC3163 - Design & Access Statement Sandpool Farm, Poole Keynes, Glos January 2013

landscaping and screening.

Furthermore, and as illustrated, the panels are

spaced widely apart, effectively greening the appearance of the site as the panels would become a comparatively small part of the overall site area. Whilst the intention of the development is to minimise views of the scheme and ensure that it blends into the surrounding landscape, the regular rows of solar panels are not necessarily unattractive, and are becoming more common place. The proposed solar arrays are considered to have limited impact on the appearance of the wider countryside and landscape in the area. The switch house building will be constructed from reinforced fibre grass with a green finish. Access Road access to the site is likely to be gained from the B4696 depending of course whether vehicles are coming from the north or south, and will largely mirror the route used by quarrying traffic in this area over the years. Ultimately though access to the site will be off the Spine Road West using an existing track, the route of which is sown as part of the application package. Only around 20 delivery vehicles (standard articulated lorries) will be needed to transport the panels to site as each vehicle would be able to carry around 560 panels in total over the 2 months. It is not expected to be a requirement for any additional tracks for the panels and the grid connection is close at hand. Accordingly, there will be minimal transport impacts associated with the project. It is anticipated that the construction phase of the scheme could take around 2 months with fencing and frames being installed first and then the panels being delivered to the site at a rate of around one lorry load per day during the panel installation phase. The switch house building is prefabricated with a steel frame and will be easily assembled on site. Construction workers and ongoing maintenance at the site will be carried out using standard cars or light vans unless a major failure occurs with a larger
LPC3163 - Design & Access Statement Sandpool Farm, Poole Keynes, Glos January 2013

piece. Traffic to the site following the completion of the construction will be very low and on an intermittent basis, and will not impact on the character and tranquillity of the area. Landscaping Details of the landscape strategy proposed to mitigate the potential impact of the proposed development are provided in the enclosed Landscape Visual Impact Assessment prepared by DLA Ltd, including retention and planting. It is therefore suggested that these matters are conditionally controlled including both planting details and management practices, particularly to allow existing hedgerows to obtain greater heights before being trimmed, if considered necessary. Conclusions The Design and Access issues of the proposed new solar array development have been assessed above. It is considered that due to the benign appearance of the scheme and the natural screening afforded to the site, that the development proposals will not have an unacceptable adverse effect on the visual or amenity value of the wider countryside. The solar array proposals are compliant with planning policy and will not have an adverse effect on the landscape character or residential amenity of the area. The site has been carefully selected and is naturally screened, which coupled with its low profile and physical height of the solar panels, results in only limited views of the site being possible. The panels will blend into the overall field patterns, colours and textures. There are also positive benefits arising from this renewable energy project, as it will raise the profile of renewable energy in the local community, and may encourage greater take up of solar power on domestic properties as the benefits are seen and understood.

LPC3163 - Design & Access Statement Sandpool Farm, Poole Keynes, Glos January 2013

Overall, we are of the view that the proposals comply with planning policy and are appropriate in terms of design and access and represent a necessary step toward meeting the UKs legally binding climate change and renewable energy obligations. It is therefore considered that the application be supported and planning permission be granted.

LPC3163 - Design & Access Statement Sandpool Farm, Poole Keynes, Glos January 2013

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