Planning Updates

EIA Submission - 29 July 2011

We have now submitted our 1000-page Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which contain the findings of several years of in-depth studies, to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).
 
The EIA will also be available on North Kesteven District Councils website in the coming weeks. As this document runs to around 1,000 pages of A3, it has been summarised into a useful Non-Technical Summary that can be downloaded here on this page.
 
 DECC will now request comment from North Kesteven District Council on the application, which they have four months to respond to. The council will in turn seek the views of local people to ensure their views are properly represented.
 
 If you wish to provide your own comments on the application you may do so in writing to:
 
 North Kesteven District Council, District Council Offices, Kesteven Street, Sleaford, Lincs, NG34 7EF
 
 or
 
The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change c/o John Swift, Onshore Renewables Consents Unit, 3 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2AW , phone: 0300 068 5685, email: john.swift@decc.gsi.gov.uk.
 
Remember to state reference: Ref : 09/1067/S36 Heckington Fen Wind Park

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Layout Refinement - 07 June 2011

Due to the on-going nature of the environmental assessments, the layout is continually refined to take into account the issues identified.  Further conclusions reached with regard to the noise and cultural heritage assessments, have resulted in a further reduction in the number of turbines from 23 to 22.

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Preparing to submit further information in support of our planning application - 05 May 2011

Following the completion of a series of environmental assessments, Ecotricity are now preparing to submit further information in support of the application made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 to build wind turbines on land at Heckington Fen. In response to issues identified through the assessment process the number of turbines now being proposed has reduced from 28 to 23.

Prior to submitting the further information we will be holding three public exhibitions about the proposal at:

• Heckington Village Hall Monday, 6 June from 3.30pm to 8.30pm

• Swineshead Village Hall Tuesday, 7th June from 3.30pm to 8.30pm

• South Kyme’s Coronation Hall Wednesday, 8th June from 2.30pm to 7.30pm

Members of the team will be there to discuss the proposal and the Environmental Impact Assessment with local residents, answer any questions you may have and would be pleased to hear your views. If you are unable to make it please do not hesitate to get in contact directly if you require any information regarding the proposal. We are aware that wind energy can be a complex subject and at times it can be useful to get a direct answer from the developer involved.

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Progressing our Environmental Impact Assessments - 28 September 2010

During the summer, we met with representatives from Defence Estates who run the military’s radar systems. We thought that the meeting went really well and were encouraged by the outcome. It was clear that the Defence Estates representatives recognised the potential of this site to assist in the fight against climate change.

We are now looking to progress the other elements of our Environmental Impact Assessment such as cultural heritage and noise, as well as developing the mitigation strategy required by DE to overcome their concerns. We will use the information from these studies to finalise the site layout and when we have this, we will carry out further discussions with the community and their elected representatives.

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More detailed survey work - 22 April 2010

Over the past three months, since the submission of our Section 36 application, we have been carrying out further detailed environmental survey work. This has confirmed our initial conclusion that this is a good site for wind energy generation.

We have also appointed radar specialists and we’re confident that they will be able to develop a mitigation solution that will overcome the concerns held by the MoD.

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Application submitted - 16 December 2009

We’ve now submitted our application to construct and operate a wind park at Heckington Fen. As it would have a capacity above 50MW, it has to be sent to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. The suggested site layout has 28 turbines, with the preferred model being a Enercon E -70 which is 100 metres to tip.

These are specifically designed to be visually appealing and have no gearbox so they are ultra-quiet too. What’s more they are really efficient, producing as much as 2.3MW of green electricity each, which means the whole site could generate an impressive 64MW. That’s enough to power the equivalent of a whopping 49,900 homes - more than the 38,870 there are in the entire North Kesteven District – and all from just the natural power of the wind already passing over the site.

Initial surveys and analysis of the site have identified no major issues, so we really feel really positive about its potential. Further Environmental Asssessment work will be carried out in due course and when completed, this will form the basis of an Environmental Statement to support the application. And as we’ve said before, consultation with the local community and their elected representatives will be carried out as this work progresses.

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How to find out more information - 12 August 2009

As the capacity of this wind park is above 50MW, this is a proposal which would be determined by central government under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. At this time we hope to be able to submit an application by the end of this year.

In due course we will be holding a local exhibition where residents will be able to take a look in more detail at what we have in mind and ask us any questions they may have, and give us their opinions. We will also be submitting a planning application for a wind monitoring mast. This is used to provide us with a more accurate picture of the wind resource at the site.

If you would like any further information about the project please do not hesitate in contacting us at:
heckington-fen@ecotricity.co.uk