Wind Turbine Micrositing
Micrositing is the siting of wind turbines in small incremental distances and is used at two main stages of wind farm development:
–firstly, during the design stage to ensure that turbine layout is satisfactory from key viewpoints and achieves the design objectives. It can also be used to maximise the screening benefits of landform or landcover from key viewpoints.
–secondly, during the construction phase of a project, where previously unexpected conditions are encountered on site. This may happen, for example, where a turbine needs to be located away from an area of peat that is deeper than predicted.
Developers should seek to minimise the need for micrositing during the construction phase by conducting thorough site investigation during the design process.Micrositing is usually covered by a planning condition which limits this to 50-100m from the consented turbine location.Micrositing during construction can have a significant effect on the appearance of a wind farm, especially those set out in regular patterns such as grids or evenly-spaced lines. Any significant changes in layout should be assessed to ensure that the overall design objectives for the site are not compromised. Decision-makers should also consider the extent of micrositing that it is appropriate to allow when consenting development.
Where there is a clear need to maintain turbine layout in accordance with submitted plans,the permissible micrositing distances may need to be strictly limited. This is particularly important for sites of limited numbers of turbines, where there is a strongly formal layout or where micrositing may result in changing the altitude of turbines and therefore affect the wind farm’s relationship with surrounding topography.
Planning permissions should therefore contain a condition limiting the distance that turbines can be microsited without a requirement for further permission. It is important that micrositing conditions are tailored to the nature and scale of the proposed development, and to the possible effects on layout and the overall visual coherence of the scheme.
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