David Ross
Highland Correspondent
A crackdown has been launched against developers who make wind turbines
look smaller than their real size in planning applications.
Companies applying for permission to build wind farms are to be given new
planning guidelines amid fears some councils are being tricked into giving
them the go-ahead.
Revised Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) guidelines update eight-year-old
rules on how photomontages and drawings should be presented to help local
authorities and other planning authorities assess the impact of the projects.
It specifies the inclusion of larger images that are easier for the public
and decision-makers to use. It requires the production of images with an
equivalent focal length of 75mm, increased from 50mm, and recommends new
digital methods to make it easier for the public to view images online.
Viewpoints out to 12.5 miles should be illustrated, and there should be
“zone of theoretical visibility” maps to show where a wind farm would be seen.
A method to verify that images have been presented correctly is also included.
Brendan Turvey, policy and advice manager for renewables at SNH, said: “The
new guidance will deliver a significant improvement in the way wind farms
are represented.”
He said it would ensure images were easier to use and give a clearer
impression of how the wind farm would sit in the landscape.
He added: “It will also make it easier to illustrate cumulative effects. No
visualisation can ever represent exactly what the wind farm will look like,
due to different weather conditions, lighting, and turbine movement. But we
think this is as good as we can recommend using current methods and
technology.”
Visualisations are used by developers to support planning applications and
help councils and the public to consider potential landscape and visual
effects. These include maps, photomontages and wireline drawings.
The new guidance is supported by the Scottish Government, Landscape
Institute, Scottish Renewables, and Heads of Planning Scotland. It will be
phased in over six months, reflecting the fact that many developers have
already taken photos for applications about to be submitted. Those
producing visualisations will also be given detailed training by SNH.
It now recommends that viewpoints out to 20km should be illustrated using
the new method.
Alongside the publication of the new guidance, SNH will shortly commission
further research on wind farm visualisations. This will test whether the
new methodology has improved the quality and accessibility of
visualisations, with a view to informing its further refinement in future.
Brendan Turvey, policy and advice manager for renewables at SNH, said: “The
new guidance will deliver a significant improvement in the way wind farms
are represented. It builds on our experience of assessing wind farms across
Scotland. It will ensure images are easier to use and give a clearer
impression of how the wind farm would sit in the landscape. It will also
make it easier to illustrate cumulative effects.
“No visualisation can ever represent exactly what the wind farm will look
like, due to different weather conditions, lighting and turbine movement.
But we think this is as good as we can recommend using current methods and
technology.
“The challenge was to design a tool that meets everyone’s needs but wasn’t
too complex. The guidance is part of our efforts to improve the assessment
of wind farm applications and help get the right developments in the right
places.”
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