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Steve Rogers – Head of Planning & Building Standards Services
Kirkbank, English Street, Dumfries, DG1 2HS
Telephone (01387) 260199 - Direct Dial Fax (01387) 260188
Planning Applications Committee Report
CONSULTATION REGARDING AN APPLICATION MADE UNDER SECTION 42
PLANNING ACT 2008 FOR PROPOSED BIOMASS POWER STATION
AT ROOSECOTE, BARROW IN FURNESS
Application Type: Consultation
Applicant: Centrica RPS Ltd
Ref. No.: 12/C/4/0007
Recommendation - Raise No Objections
Ward - Not Applicable
Hierarchy Type (if applicable) - Not Applicable
Case Officer - Grant Douglas
1
BACKGROUND
1.1 Under the Scheme of Delegation, this consultation requires to be considered by the
Planning Applications Committee in that the proposed development of a biomass power
station is outwith the local authority boundary of Dumfries & Galloway.
1.2 The proposal relates to a site near Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, England which
seeks permission from the "Infrastructure Planning Commission" for a biomass power
station generating a net power output of 80MW (90MW gross).
1.3 Centrica RPS Ltd (the applicant) has applied for a "Development Consent Order"
(DCO), under the terms of Section 37 of the Planning Act 2008, the equivalent English law
to the Town & Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, as amended by the Planning Etc.
(Scotland) Act 2006, which under normal circumstances applies to development within
Dumfries & Galloway. Despite the separation of border and legislative framework,
Dumfries & Galloway Council, as a neighbouring authority, have been consulted on the
proposed application.
1.4 The site, known as Roosecote due to proximity with the Bay of Roosecote Sands, is
located approximately 600 metres south-east of Barrow-in-Furness. This is approximately
90 miles from the closest area of Dumfries & Galloway. The application site covers 8 Ha
of land adjacent to an existing gas fired power facility and seeks permission for a biomass
power station, with a generation capacity of 80MW.
1.5 The proposed development would involve the construction of the following physical
features:
•a
•a
boiler house 70m high;
stack 90m high;
• a fuel storage shed some 29m high and up to 120m x 55m in plan;
• four fuel storage silos for wood pellets each some 25m in diameter and some 35m tall;
• biomass screening building;
• road delivery unloading facility;
• a new railway line connecting to the existing rail infrastructure and a rail unloading facility;
and
• conveyors.
1.6 The development would also involve further off site works at Barrow Port and / or
Ramsden Dock, near the site. This works would require construction of three fuel storage
silos some 25m in diameter and some 29m tall, facilities for receiving recycled/waste
wood, quayside ship berthing and unloading facilities including unloading / material
handling cranes and conveyors and new rail loading facilities.
1.7 The biomass plant would utilise some of the existing infrastructure connected with the
existing gas fired power plant (including the water treatment plant, pump house and
cooling water system).
1.8 Approximately 430,000 to 600,000 tonnes of biomass fuel (comprising a mix of virgin
wood chip and pellets, with a proportion of recycled / waste wood chips), would be burnt
per annum to generate electricity at the facility. The options for fuel delivery are by sea to
Barrow Port (and then by train to the power station), and by train directly from the rail
network. Centrica RPS Limited is also currently investigating the option of delivery of a
limited amount of recycled / waste wood by road if this becomes available in the local area.
1.9 In support of the applications an Environmental Statement has been submitted.
2
CONSULTATIONS
2.1 None required.
3
REPRESENTATIONS
3.1 None received.
[NB – representations on consultations such as this should be addressed to the decisionmaking body and not Dumfries & Galloway Council as statutory consultee in any event.]
4
REPORT
4.1 As the subject site lies outside of Dumfries & Galloway, and indeed outside of
Scotland, the key consideration in this case are the transboundary impacts that such
development may lead to. It should be noted that the site lies approximately 90 miles from
the Council's nearest boundary, and outside of Scotland, therefore any such impacts
would be limited.
4.2 The ES itself provides assessment on a number of environmental, social and
economic factors. The key issues in relation to this authority are set out below:
Air Quality and Odour
4.3 The ES provides an assessment of the potential causes of any impact to air quality
from the development. These causes range from traffic emissions and construction dust to
emissions from the stack itself. In all cases, the predicted impact, either individually or
cumulatively, has been shown to be imperceptible at receptors outwith the site boundary.
The furthest predicted receptor provided for within the ES lies in Kendall, some distance
north of the site. In this case, the predicted impact and magnitude of change are both
negligible. Dumfries & Galloway is located a considerable distance north of the site and
overall this distance, being in excess of 100 miles, as measured to the closest large
settlement of Gretna, would rule out the potential for any negative impact occurring.
Ecology
4.4 The ES also considers potential ecological impacts. Whilst there are a number of
sensitive sites surrounding the application site the impacts of any development, and
therefore any potential mitigation would be confined to those areas. The ES states that
there would be no significant impacts on statutory designated sites of conservation outwith
15km of the site. This authority is significantly outwith this range, therefore no detrimental
impacts on ecology or ornithology are considered likely in relation to Dumfries & Galloway
landward area.
Water Quality & Flood Risk
4.5 In relation to water quality, the ES concludes that the effects during construction,
operation and decommissioning of the proposed biomass power station would be neutral.
The site lies in close proximity to designated coastal areas such as Morecombe Bay and
Duddon Estuary, therefore mitigation in the form of surface water management, would be
required on site. With the construction and operational phases designed to safeguard
coastal areas and watercourses immediately adjacent to the site, it is clear that the
potential of any impact occurring in areas which are significantly distant from the site would
be negligible. The distance of the site from Dumfries & Galloway would also rule out the
potential of any flood risk or impacts related to flooding.
Landscape & Visual Impact
4.6 As outlined within the Cumbria Landscape Character Assessment, the predominant
landscape at the site itself is characterised by coastal flats, drumlins and rolling lowland.
As one travels north, the landscape becomes more complex with valleys, ridges and
upland fringe. Further north, into the Lake District National Park, the landscape and
topography is even more varied with high peaks and low water filled valleys. Due to this
complex topography, and the sheer distances involved, it would not be possible to view the
site, or indeed the proposed biomass plant, from within Dumfries & Galloway.
4.7 The site incorporates a 90 metre high stack in an area of coastal landscape. In general
terms, the zone of theoretical visibility for the site would be 10 km.
4.8 An assessment of the sites impact upon the Lake District National Park has been
provided within the submitted ES. The Lake District NP lies north of the Roosecote Site
but south of Dumfries & Galloway. Again, due to the distance from the site, the predicted
visual impact as viewed from the NP is assessed as being of negligible significance.
Dumfries & Galloway lies further away from the site again therefore any impact, through
the structure itself or through lighting of the plant or stack, would be reduced further, if not
removed altogether.
Social & Economic Effects
4.9 If development permission is forthcoming from the IPC, construction is scheduled to
begin in the third quarter of 2013 and continue for some 26 months. Following a 6 month
period of commissioning and testing, the biomass power station would then become fully
operational in the second quarter of 2016.
4.10 It is anticipated that up to 500 construction jobs would be created at the peak of the
construction period with up to 50 full time jobs in the operational phase. Whilst it would be
expected that the vast majority of full time jobs would come from the local area, there may
however be some benefit to businesses within the wider area (including Dumfries &
Galloway) during the construction phase. The same is also true during the
decommissioning phase, where some of the skill sets local to Dumfries & Galloway and
past development (such as Steven’s Croft or Chapelcross) may provide some economic
opportunities for the region.
Noise & Vibration
4.11 Again, the large distance from Dumfries & Galloway would mean that noise or
vibration levels, even at peak times, would have no impact upon the region. The ES
confirms this to be the case providing that no significant increases in noise levels, over and
above existing base line levels, are predicted at receptors close to the site. The ES also
confirms that the current levels associated with the existing gas station have not generated
any complaints from those sensitive receptors identified.
Aviation & Telecommunication
4.12 The ES confirms that all aviation stakeholders have been consulted and have no
objections to the development. Similarly, telecommunication link operators have also
confirmed that the proposed development would pose no impact to reception in the
surrounding locus.
4.13 Further sections within the ES include Archaeology, Traffic & Transport and Cultural
Heritage, but these impacts are clearly limited to either the site itself or the immediate
surroundings. Similar to the individual considerations set out above, the large distance of
the site to this region would negate any possible impact in relation to Dumfries & Galloway.
Conclusion
4.14 The sites are a considerable distance from Dumfries & Galloway and it has been
demonstrated that there are unlikely to be any impacts resulting from the development.
The site is located in an existing area characterised by large infrastructure development,
but is over 90 miles from the boundary of this authority. Any impacts, considered either
individually or cumulatively, would be extremely insignificant or negligible. Despite the
limited relevance to this authority, it is considered that the submitted ES is competent and
the methodologies employed, in all sections, are appropriate in respect of the provision of
information required under Schedule 4 of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental
Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, and the equivalent English legislation. It
is considered that the submission is of an appropriate professional standard,
comprehensive in its assessment and fulfils the requirements of the Environmental Impact
Assessment Regulations. It has been demonstrated that impacts upon landscape, visual
amenity, residential amenity, cultural heritage, transport, access and ecology would all be
within acceptable limits. Accordingly it is recommended that no objections are raised to
the proposed development.
5
RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Raise No Objections
Relevant Drawing Numbers:
Environmental Statement