Landscape visual impact assessment for Clauchrie wind farm

Challenge

SLR’s Place team recently undertook the LVIA for Clauchrie Wind Farm, which was submitted to the Scottish Government in December 2019. Clauchrie would comprise 18 turbines up to 200 m tip height with a combined rated output in the region of 100 MW.

Solution

The site is located predominantly within South Ayrshire and lies to the north-east of the operational Mark Hill Wind Farm, within an area of expansively scaled plateau, which extends south into Dumfries and Galloway and includes several other large-scale operational wind farms.

The key issues for the LVIA included the number and height of the 200m tip height turbines, their location within the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park Buffer Area, with turbines located at approximately 6km from the Merrick Wild Land Area, and the potential for cumulative effects arising in combination with existing, adjacent windfarm developments.

As part of the LVIA, further technical assessments were undertaken including a Residential Visual Amenity Assessment; an assessment of effects of aviation lighting on the Dark Skies Park; and an assessment of the effects on the Merrick Wild Land Area.

Given these sensitivities, Clauchrie Wind Farm has incorporated a number of embedded mitigation measures, in order to reduce the effects on landscape and visual receptors.

Impact

Its siting and design seeks to consolidate the generally successful association of larger turbines within an established windfarm landscape.