Environmental Impact Assessments: Windfarms
Early consultation and agreement with statutory consultees allows archaeological and heritage issues to be fully understood at the outset thus allowing the submission of planning applications with minimal heritage issues. We are experts at managing risk.
In the past five years AOC has undertaken over 30 cultural heritage assessments for windfarm developments ranging in size from four turbines to more than 140 turbines and located across Britain from Kent to Shetland. We have represented clients in eight public inquiries, seven of which had a successful outcome.
We have an excellent reputation for developing and delivering ground-breaking mitigation strategies, particualrly for windfarm developers. For example, as part of AOC’s successful representation of our client at the recent Baillie Hill Wind Farm Public Inquiry in Caithness, LiDAR scanning was proposed to afford preservation by record of an archaeological landscape. In addition to offering a revolutionary method for mitigating indirect impact to the setting of monuments AOC suggested mitigation through compensation by suggesting that access to and interpretation of the impacted monuments could be increased.
Similarly, the archaeological mitigation requirements for the recently consented Barlockhart Moor and Flimby Wind Farms followed those proposed by AOC allowing the client to rapidly progress with the development stage.
Our track-record in windfarm heritage issues is shown by our recent sold-out Day seminar in Glasgow which was attended by planners, agents and developers.