Additional Information
Faw Side Community Wind Farm - Access Track Design Changes
Since the submission of the Faw Side Community Wind Farm S36 application and the accompanying EIAR and supporting documents in May 2019, we have been undertaking consultation with various consultees.
As a result of this and the Regulation 19 request, we have collated the clarification and Additional Information provided to the consultees, which we have now formally submitted under Regulation 20 of the EIA Regulations.
The design changes and their justification are summarised briefly below
- Selection of one Site Access Entrance off the A7 trunk road, therefore only one watercourse crossing point is required and accurate drawings for Transport Scotland could be produced;
- Modification of the access track design onsite and associated turning heads/crane hardstand alterations in order to further minimise peat slide risk;
- Modification to proposed access track construction typologies to minimise peat extraction and site-specific mitigation to protect sensitive habitats and GWDTEs.
These changes to our access track deign will help to reduce the total amount of peat extraction onsite, reducing the carbon footprint of the development further.
It is anticipated that within 6 months, the wind farm will payback the carbon emissions created during its construction.
Additional Information
The Additional Information submission consists of the following key elements, plus other general updates:
• LVIA (Section 6) Additional Information as requested by Scottish Borders Council, consisting of a replacement visualisation for VP 24 – Rubbers Law which uses new photography, a new visualisation taken from the A7 at Teviothead;
• Fully updated Section 7: Ornithology Assessment which now covers the 2-year survey period;
• Bat Addendum for Section 8: Ecology which covers the additional area of survey which required an extra season of survey;
• Updated Section 9: Cultural Heritage Assessment to address comments raised by Historic Environment Scotland and the Scottish Borders Council Archaeology Officer;
• Revised Peat Slide Risk Assessment;
• Revised Peat Management Plan;
• Revised Private Water Supplies Risk Assessment;
• Revised Watercourse Crossings Assessment;
Other additional information and clarification as requested by consultees which includes the production of an outline Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) and an outline Habitat Management Plan (HMP).
All of the further information we have submitted can be found here
on our website, at the bottom of the Planning Documentation page.
Additional Information - Community Benefits
As part of the Additional Information submission, Community Windpower has confirmed its offer of Community Benefit Funding of £350,000 per annum to be shared amongst the local host communities. Each area would need its own Trust Fund, which would subsequently manage and administer the funding for its area. The funding would be made available following commissioning of the wind farm.
