Wind - EIAs and ecology

Certain types of development, including wind farms, require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as a prerequisite to gain planning consent. An EIA aims to evaluate the potential impacts of a development on the natural environment. The onus is on the developer to present an Environmental Statement, a publically available consultation document.

This document sets out the potentially significant environmental impacts of the development and measures to mitigate these impacts. The content of this, together with any comments, are taken into consideration by the deciding body in granting planning consent. More detailed information about EIAs and wind energy developments is provided in this section.

  • Government Documents
  • Other Documents
  • Other Resources
  • Organisations
  • Resource Classification
External Web Link
Amended circular on environmental impact assessment: A consultation paper
Ref:
0342-GovC
Author:
DCLG, January 2006
Type:
External Web Link
Link:
www.communities.gov.uk/archived/publicat...
 
This Circular gives guidance on the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment)(England and Wales) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999 No 293) as amended by the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment)(Amendment) Regulations 2006. Amendments are being made to Circular 02/99: Environmental Impact Assessment on screening guidance, recent case law and the incorporation of public participation requirements into EIA legislation. Text is being amended where necessary and old references updated. There is a simultaneous consultation on good practice guidance aimed at developers. Please note the consultation period for this document has ended. v show details
External PDF File
Bird risk behaviours and fatalities at the Altamont Pass wind resource area
Ref:
0053-GovC
Author:
Thelander, C. Smallwood, K. & Rugge, L., 2003, February 2009
Type:
External PDF File
Link:
www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/33829.pdf
 
Comprehensive report about the notorious Altamount Pass Wind Resource Area in California. Goes beyond counting fatalities by looking at interactions between various bird species and the wind turbines suggesting that, with further research, mitigation measures to significantly reduce bird fatalities in the areas will be possible, focussing on turbine size, layout, swept area and blade speed as well as the impact of turbines on increasing predators who prey on the various bird species suffering in the area.v show details
External Web Link
Council directive on the conservation of wild birds
Ref:
0292-GovC
Author:
EU, February 1979
Type:
External Web Link
Link:
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/e...
 
This report contains details of the directive and amending acts with a mission to provide long-term protection and conservation of all bird species naturally living in the wild within the European territory of the member states. (79/409/EEC)v show details
External Web Link
Council directive on the conservation of wild birds
Ref:
0091-GovC
Author:
EU, January 1979
Type:
External Web Link
Link:
www.jncc.gov.uk/page-1373
 
Adopted by the European Community in response to the Bern Convention; providing a framework for the conservation, management of, and human interactions with, wild birds in Europe. (2009/147/EC)v show details
External Web Link
Council directive: Habitats directive
Ref:
0095-GovC
Author:
EU, January 1992
Type:
External Web Link
Link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexU...
 
Adopted by the European Community in response to the Bern Convention. (92/43/EEC)v show details
External Web Link
Environmental impact assessment: A guide to good practice and procedures (consultation paper)
Ref:
0343-GovC
Author:
Department of Communities and Local Government, January 2006
Type:
External Web Link
Link:
www.communities.gov.uk/archived/publicat...
 
Amendments are being made to Circular 02/99: Environmental Impact Assessment on screening guidance, recent case law and the incorporation of public participation requirements into EIA legislation. Text is being amended where necessary and old references updated. There is a simultaneous consultation on this good practice guidance aimed at developers. Please note the consultation period for this document has ended.v show details
External Web Link
Environmental impact assessment: A guide to procedures
Ref:
0345-GovC
Author:
Department of the Environment, March 2009
Type:
External Web Link
Link:
www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuildi...
 
A good-practice guide to projects requiring environmental assessment under the UK Town and Country Planning legislation. The first part of the book covers scoping and the definition of requirements for baseline studies, prediction of impacts and formulation of mitigation measures. The second part describes the preparation of an environmental statement. Valuable manual for local authorities, developers and consultants. ISBN 0 11 753 207.v show details
External PDF File
Planning for renewable energy: A companion guide to PPS22
Ref:
0314-GovC
Author:
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, January 2004
Type:
External PDF File
Link:
www.communities.gov.uk/documents/plannin...
 
This guide discusses the planning and development of renewable energy schemes across England. This is a 'must-read' for anyone dealing with any aspect of renewable energy planning applications. For information specific to health and safety, see Technical Annex part 8 Wind (from paragraph 49, p171).v show details
External Web Link
Planning policy statement 9: Biodiversity and geological conservation
Ref:
0469-GovC
Author:
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, August 2005
Type:
External Web Link
Link:
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/plan...
 
Planning policy statement 9 (PPS9) sets out the planning policies on the protection of biodiversity and geological conservation through the planning system. For the associated documents, see the same linkv show details
External Web Link
Special protection areas (SPAs)
Ref:
0133-GovC
Author:
Joint Nature Conservation Committee, March 2009
Type:
External Web Link
Link:
www.jncc.gov.uk/page-162
 
Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are strictly protected sites classified in accordance with article 4 of the EC Birds Directive, which came into force in April 1979. These web pages detail the classification of SPAs and offer links to lists of SPAs across the UK. See also the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC).v show details
External PDF File
Cumulative effects of wind turbines (vol 3)
Ref:
0298-GovN
Author:
Landscape Design Associates, January 2000
Type:
External PDF File
Link:
www.berr.gov.uk/files/file17849.pdf
 
This report examines the developing consensus on the assessment of cumulative wind farm effects upon birds. The paper recommends that planners, wind farm developers, consultees and other stakeholders should look at chapters 4 & 5 for details on particular species and circumstances where cumulative effects upon birds might be expected to arise. (BERR ref. URN 00/1747).v show details
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