FEATURE SPONSOR
PLANNING ISSUES STRATHY WOOD APPLICATION
COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND HABITAT RESTORATION PLAN
An S.36 planning application has been submitted for a 26-turbine wind farm at Strathy Wood in Sutherland. The proposed E.ON Climate and Renewables scheme has potential to deliver up to 78MW of power.
The proximity of Strathy North, where 33 turbines are under construction, and Strathy South, where 47 turbines are proposed, meant that the cumulative impacts of such a large set of wind turbine developments was a particular challenge for the assessment.
COMPREHENSIVE ADVISORY SERVICE Atmos Consulting’s comprehensive advisory service has covered a complete range of environmental issues from fauna surveys to cultural heritage, landscape and visual impact analysis, all leading to optimisation of the site design.
A key issue is the population of birds using the adjacent internationally designated area of bog and peatland. The company has undertaken surveys and collated data to underpin the detailed assessments in the application.
EXPERTISE
The development of the area will not be the first change for this part of the Flow Country, as the site was largely covered by non-native conifers. Wind developers are now leading the funding of re-establishment of peatland habitats under afforestation. Peat habitat management is an area in which Atmos has particular expertise, with a team led by Dr Geeta Puri, who joined Atmos from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). As a SEPA Principal Specialist Scientist, she contributed to a number of best practice and guidance documents surrounding the use of peatlands.
HUGE POTENTIAL
Atmos Consulting Principal Project Manager Roger McMichael said: “The schemes around Strathy offer huge potential to boost renewable energy output. The project has particular challenges around the ecological and ornithological sensitivities but we believe that following productive consultation with SNH and SEPA we have collected sufficient information to inform the design of the wind farm and that the assessments are acceptable when tested against the relevant rigorous planning law.
“The project will also enable the delivery of significant habitat restoration and enhancement across much of the site, where former forestry practices had caused severe degradation of the peatland. We bring to the table the specialist ecological skills that enable developers to satisfy government agencies that advise decision makers on the natural environment.”
Atmos Consulting
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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