Round 3 SEA Offshore Windfarm Buffers Study
Client: Hartley Anderson, Department of Energy and Climate Change
White Consultants was commissioned by Hartley Anderson to undertake a seascape study to inform future offshore wind farm leasing, for which the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is undertaking a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The consultant team included Arup and the Centre for Environmental and Spatial Analysis (CESA).
The objectives of the seascape study as defined in the brief were to:
- Guide appropriate seascape buffer zones for Round 3 (and subsequent rounds) of offshore wind farm leasing. The focus of the study is for fixed wind turbines in waters of 60m or less. The objective of the project is to provide a reasoned (evidence backed) advice on seascape buffer zones needed to reduce the potential visual impact of offshore wind farms to the point where an adverse effect would not be significant.
- A range of turbine sizes were investigated ranging from 3.6MW to 10MW. The size of potential arrays was also taken into account for single and cumulative effects.
Factors researched included:
- International experience
- Marine visibility modifiers such as haze, drizzle and rain
- The effect on designations
- The influence of height at the coast
- Cumulative effects
Case Study:
OES seascape study initial draft
