Wind Tubines

The UK is subject to extremely challenging energy targets, which commit the country to producing 15% of all energy consumed in transport, heat and power generation from renewable sources by 2020, from a baseline of 2.25% in 2008.

The Government’s Renewable Energy Strategy (RES), published in July 2009, anticipates that on-shore wind generation will be required to provide a significant proportion of the new deployment to meet targets. This will represent a seven-fold increase in wind energy capacity.

The planning process to bring forward wind turbine development is potentially time consuming and costly to developers. The Landmark Practice specialises in preparation of Environmental Statements to inform applications for wind turbine developments.

We offer extensive experience of planning for wind turbines, and a one hundred percent success rate for the planning applications that we have managed to date. The Practice provides in-house capability in the following key disciplines:

• EIA Project Management
• Environmental Planning
• Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment
• Ecological Services

More information here

The University of Exeter has recently embarked on a programme of expanding and upgrading their student accommodation facilities. The Landmark Practice, and architects Willmore Iles, have been commissioned to provide detailed design as part of a design and build contract with Cowlin Construction.

Outdated buildings at Lafrowda

The project comprises development on 3 separate sites within the University Campus; Birks, Duryard and Lafrowda, covering a total area of around 6.5 ha. Over a period of 3 years, 19 new buildings will be constructed, together with associated landscape and open spaces, to provide in excess of 2,000 student rooms.

Key design constraints, which informed the design process, included the steeply sloping site at Birks; the proximity to a Grade II listed building on the Duryard Campus, and neighbouring residential properties. In addition, The University of Exeter is renowned for its beautiful campuses, and is a registered botanic garden and arboretum, providing 153 hectares of green space, home to some 11,000 trees. The University also houses the national collection of Azara, a South American evergreen plant, and also the wild conifer collection in association with the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. All three sites lie within areas which had been previously developed and most of the buildings and the landscapes which immediately surround them are now out dated and will benefit from comprehensive redevelopment.

Within the framework of these constraints and opportunities, and following close collaboration and consultation with the architect, other members of the design team, The University of Exeter, and Exeter City Council Planners, Landscape Strategies were developed for each site. These informed the Landscape Masterplans which combined the following principles:

Paving detail at Birks

• Creation of safe, welcoming and attractive environments for students, visitors and staff
• Creation of a series of different character areas throughout each campus, to provide students and staff alike with stimulating, seasonally dynamic and vibrant environments in which to study and work.
• Appropriate responses to existing trees and other vegetation providing significant character to the overall campus. This included maintaining and enhancing existing tree cover wherever possible.
• Provision of appropriate settings to the buildings in terms of layout, form, style and complementary materials

Lafrowda masterplan detail

• Creation of landscapes where pedestrian amenity is given greater emphasis than vehicle movement and parking.
• Reducing, as far as reasonable, any adverse visual impacts to surrounding residents, and to the wider landscape, by retaining boundary trees and vegetation and providing additional screen planting.
• Establishing a landscape which is practical, durable and cost effective to maintain.
• Enhancing connectivity with other areas of the campus, particularly through walking and cycling.
• Providing inclusive access to Disability Discrimination Act accommodation and key facilities wherever possible, within the limitations of the steeply sloping sites.

Detailed design at Birks

• Taking advantage of the mild climate to plant some more exotic species to continue the botanical tradition and strengthen the distinctive Southwest character of the landscape. Opportunities were taken to introduce new tree planting to strengthen the relationship of the proposed development buildings with their immediate parkland settings.
• Increasing wherever possible the biodiversity of the site and strengthening wildlife corridors.

• At Lafrowda, where possible, existing well established and high quality shrubs (which are located next to buildings to be demolished) will be selectively transplanted to a temporary holding area within the University grounds for transplanting at a later date into the planting layout of the proposed development.

Before/After photomontage

For the developments at Birks and Duryard, a brief Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) was carried out, with the object of demonstrating to the LPA that full landscape and visual assessments to Landscape Institute guidelines were not required. To inform the LVIA, a photo-montage of the Birks proposals was constructed. During the planning determination period, the planners met on site and conducted a ‘balloon test’ which verified that our montage accurately predicted the proposed height and location of the buildings.

Planning permission has recently been granted for each site and construction is due to start on the Birks Campus this autumn.

Wadi Dana, The Jordan Rift Valley

The Landmark Practice has been appointed to lead a year long pilot study of the impact of climate change on sensitive habitats in the Jordan Rift Valley. Working with internationally renowned climate change expert, Professor Sandy Harrison of Bristol University, Landmark will manage the project on behalf of the Jordanian Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature.

Jordan is vulnerable to climate change, with anticipated temperature increases of 1 – 2 °C, increased evaporation, reduced recharge of aquifers and shrinkage of grassland predicted to cause desertification of semi arid habitats. The objective of the pilot study is to inform strategic planning for conservation and management so that strategies for adaptation and mitigation of biodiversity loss can be designed and implemented.

The project will use computer-based models to predict ecosystem change. Simulations will be used to identify changes in major vegetation types and ecosystem adaptations, including in the distribution of dominant and indicator species. The pilot project will help to identify priorities for training local agencies in strategic planning, and practical measures to monitor and implement methods to manage changes in vegetation, carbon and water cycling.

Project manager and Principal Landscape Architect Chris McDermott commented

‘We’re delighted to be involved in work which adds to Landmark’s skills in addressing climate change in a positive way. This builds upon our land use planning and green infrastructure work and our experience in bringing forward renewable energy developments. This project will give us practical experience of the tools needed to contribute to the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP), to inform planning for climate change at a strategic and development management level.’

It was a challenging project due to the steepness of the site, the density of development and numerous protected trees, combined with the need to cater for students with a wide range of disabilities.

Luckily The Landmark Practice’s landscape architects like a challenge.

Intelligent tactile surfacing to aid partially sighted students

Working closely with the client and the design team, and with some hard work and ingenuity, we were able to provide deliverable designs of which we are very proud.

Please click here for more information about this project

Wildflower Meadow at Aardman Animations

The ‘instant wildflower meadow’ which was laid for Aardman Animation’s new headquarters is looking superb.

What once was a macadam factory and then a contractor’s compound is now a wildlife haven in the heart of Bristol.

The Landmark Practice has used soil-less wildflower turf on numerous projects and it has always been spectacularly successful.

Landmark has used this technique in the past to quickly create habitat for a newt translocation project.  The use of this technique in this instance met with Natural England approval.

This is the third wind energy scheme to be granted planning approval in Bristol and The Landmark Practice has managed the environmental planning issues for all three:

• Bristol Port Company’s three iconic wind turbines, granted consent in December 2006, now in operation and clearly visible from the M5 motorway
• Planning consent for two 3 mega watt turbines for Bristol City Council, on a disused oil depot on the shores of the Severn Estuary, granted consent in January 2009
• Planning consent for four 3 mega watt turbines for Wessex Water, granted in March 2009, to be built at the sewage works beside the M49

Collectively, these nine wind turbines will generate the same output of a moderately sized wind farm, and will make a significant contribution to the South West Region’s renewable energy targets. At a local scale, they will generate well over 50% of the former Avon’s entire 2010 renewable target.

Dr Mark Wright, Chairman of the BCC North Area Planning Committee, commented:

“Avonmouth is an area with excellent wind resource and also significant power demand. It makes obvious sense to put these two together in the most obvious way by installing wind power turbines. The approved plans in this regard are welcome and I look forward to future sets of plans being brought forward.”

When assessing the viability of the latest Avonmouth wind power project, Wessex Water and The Landmark Practice faced twin challenges:

• Proximity to a large urban population
• Proximity to the internationally important bird protection area of the Severn Estuary.

The Landmark Practice’s detailed environmental assessment of potential impacts proved that the wind turbines could be accommodated without damage to nature conservation interests. Careful attention was paid to the precise siting of the turbines to ensure that the effect on wildlife is mitigated. Public consultation identified considerable public support for wind turbines in the Bristol area.

Bernice Roberts, Principal Environmental Planner at The Landmark Practice commented that:

“Opposition to wind turbines usually stems from fear of the unknown, or of change. To allay such fears, it is essential that the environmental assessments we carry out to inform these schemes are thorough, accurate and robust. This helps the planning authority to reach a properly informed and confident decision.”

Bristol City Council’s North Area Planning Committee granted unanimous approval to the Wessex Water wind power project on 26 March.

Download Press Release

The article includes a ‘question and answer’ section and gives the following introduction to The Landmark Practice:

“Nick Roberts launched The Landmark Practice in 1985, initially as a trading arm of Avon Wildlife rust, to offer landscape design based on ecological principles.  The business flourished in response to market demand to meet increasingly stringent planning law on environmental conservation. Today, a team of landscape architects, environmental planners, ecologists and graphic designers work to deliver realistic, cost-effective and innovative measures to mitigate adverse impacts of development. It covers all aspects of environmental planning, design and management. from baseline landscape and ecological evaluation to project design and long-term monitoring of developed sites. The company guarantees quality by ensuring that a principal consultant, supported by this highly qualified team, manages all projects. The Landmark Practice actively supports environmental causes and promotes education by working with universities and CPD trainers to provide specialist skills in environmental planning and ecology. In 2007, it was awarded the first RTPI Environmental Planning and Protection Award for its work in the sector.”

For more information about the RTPI Environmental Planning and Protection Award, click here.

To read the article in full, please select the link below

Vista Article (Pdf file, 287 kb)