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Wind Energy Developments

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Scottish Planning Policy 6: Renewable Energy requires all local authorities to identify broad areas of search for wind farms over 20MW. Part 1 - Wind Energy Guidance for Developers has been updated to include the broad areas of search for wind farms over 20MW in Aberdeenshire. This update can be viewed below.

Wind Energy Developments

On 25th August 2005 the Infrastructure Services Committee approved the use of supplementary planning guidance on Policy Inf\7: Renewable Energy Facilities - wind energy

The guidelines are split into two separate documents. Both sets of guidelines have been developed as part of Aberdeenshire Council’s Renewable Energy Strategy which was agreed in December 2004.

The guidelines will provide more clarity to future applicants and developers, as well as speed up the planning process for determining all wind energy developments, from single mounted turbines on buildings to onshore wind farms.

Part 1, ‘Use of Wind Energy in Aberdeenshire – Guidance for Applicants’, provides information and assistance for landowners wishing to erect wind turbines for private use. It will also inform developers who are considering commercial wind farm developments.

The Council’s process for assessing potential wind farm developments is outlined in Part 2, ‘Use of Wind Energy in Aberdeenshire – Guidance for Assessing Wind Energy Developments’.

Broad areas of search for wind energy developments

SPP6 requires all local authorities to identify broad areas of search for wind farms over 20MW.  The SPP originally envisaged the next development plans to provide the spatial framework for wind farms over 20MW.  However, a Parliamentary Question was raised in 2007 requesting the Scottish Government to draw up a locational strategy and guidance for onshore wind energy developments.  This resulted in the Scottish Government writing to all councils requesting each local planning authority to prepare a locational strategy for onshore wind farms in the form of supplementary planning guidance (SPG).

The council already has SPG for wind energy developments, but it does not include any maps showing the preferred areas of search for wind farms.  Instead, it relies on the Tiered policy approach adopted in the development plan.

Two keyfigures accomapny this update. Macaulay Enterprise Ltd's Land capability map for wind farms in Aberdeenshire (2006), which identifies areas with low sensitivity to wind farms of any scale. The second figure identifies the broad areas of search for wind farms over 20MW in Aberdeenshire. Both figures highlight only those areas that are relatively free from planning and environmental constraints. However, issues such as electromagnetic interference, cumulative impact and bird/bat strikes could still prevent development in these areas unless the wind turbines are appropriately scaled and sited.

The broad areas of search were agreed by the Infrastructures Services Committee on 29 January 2009. The current local plan is under review and will be updated to reflect the requirements of SPP6 in 2009. As a result, the broad areas of search for wind farms over 20MW will be subject to change during the development of the local development plan. Broad areas of search for wind farms over 20MW that are adjacent to internationally or nationally important designations may be reduced in size or removed altogether during the review process where it is identified that proposals could have an adverse impact on these protected sites.

Copies are also available for inspection at:

Planning & Environmental Services
Aberdeenshire Council
Woodhill House
Westburn Road
Aberdeen
AB16 5GB

Tel: 01224 664221