The Site

The site is not subject to any national environmental designations (e.g. sites of special scientific interest), historic designations (e.g. scheduled ancient monuments), or national landscape designations (e.g. areas of outstanding natural beauty), furthermore it is located near to Junction 15 of the M1 motorway, and so benefits from good connections to the strategic transport network for turbine delivery.  

The area where the turbines are to be located is away from large numbers of houses, and the area around the site already experiences a significant level of visual and noise intrusion caused by the M1. Notwithstanding this, the site provides sufficient scope to locate the proposed turbines with ample separation distances to housing, thereby minimising the potential for negative impact on residential amenity.

In addition to these broad points, identifying the site of the proposed wind farm takes into consideration a wide range of environmental and technical criteria listed below.

Environmental

• landscape and visual impact
• ecology
• noise
• cultural heritage
• hydrology (water studies)
• aviation interests - Ministry of Defence, Civil Aviation Authority, and airport operators
• electromagnetic interference (TV signals, and telecommunications links)
• traffic management
• cumulative impact (effect of more than one wind energy development)
• local benefits

Technical

• wind speed
• grid connection
• site access
• existing land use
• land availability
• wind turbine type

Survey Work

The studies undertaken by us to date suggest that the above criteria will be met at the M1 Wind Farm site, and so subject to the results of the remaining studies currently under way or due to start, and the results of consultation with various stakeholders, a planning application for the wind farm will be submitted in 2011.

Animals and wind energy schemes co-exist amicably