WELSH WATER SOLAR SITES

For most sites, developments required detailed planning permission, and our remit included complexities such as variation of conditions, non-material amendments and certificates of lawful development. Although Permitted Development Rights apply to roof-mounted solar in Wales for sites under 50 kW and 1 MW in England, they needed additional permission for site designs and locations such as Snowdonia National Park.

For the ground-mounted sites, part of our role was to apply for Screening Opinions for some of the sites over the 0.5ha Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) threshold and subsequently apply for Scoping and EIA Planning Application. Our role as Planning Consultants also saw us appearing at the Planning Committee and providing support for the discharge of planning conditions. The most challenging site was at Llanelli, a Major Development supported by a formal Environmental Impact Assessment.

One of the most common challenges for any development can be the potential impact on protected habitats and animals, and the Welsh Water project was no different. With many ground-mounted arrays located in disused and overgrown locations within active waterworks, the project required a range of ecology surveys to assess the potential impact. Phase 1 habitat surveys set the baseline and informed the requirement of a range of additional assessments for species such as badger, otter, water vole, dormouse and bats. We used a range of specialist equipment, including nest tubes and reptile refugia for surveys in Newport and camera traps and monitors for bird surveys in Carmarthenshire.

Our role was also to provide mitigation proposals to the Local Authority to improve habitats and provide increased opportunities for protected species following the solar installation.

Any renewable energy project can significantly impact the surrounding environment and be a considerable hurdle to gaining planning consent. With some of the Welsh Water sites being located within locally and nationally designated landscape areas, Cogeo supported the planning application with comprehensive landscape and visual impact assessments for these sites. Using a combination of desk-based and field techniques, our team produced Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTVs), wireframes, photomontages and GIS mapping for sites. The process involved working closely with Planning Officers and statutory consultees to assess impacts and provide the context of the actual impacts of the proposals.

As a water utility, many of the sites within the portfolio are in riverside locations. These locations made flooding a potential risk to development, and several sites required Flood Consequences Assessments (FCA) to address Planning Authority concerns. Other specialist assessments included in the portfolio were glint and glare studies, noise surveys, traffic management plans and heritage impact assessments. These surveys were vital in securing planning consents and meeting the requirements of various LPAs and statutory consultees.