§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what size onshore wind farm buffer zones are in relation to(a) roads, railways and canals and (b) airports. [84557]
§ Mr. WilsonThe information is as follows:
(a) There are no specific buffer zones for onshore wind farms in relation to roads, railways or canals. Each application is assessed on its merits.
Applicants are advised to consult, at an early stage, the Department of Transport for trunk roads and the local highway authority for all other publicly maintained highways.
The Strategic Rail Authority should be consulted in relation to construction works near railway lines.
Each planning application near a canal follows the usual planning procedures and would be decided on the merits of the development, with the British Waterways Board available to provide advice to planning authorities. For applications near rivers, applicants will need to take account of the Water Resources Act 1991 and the Land Drainage bylaws 1981.
(b) Developments within a specified radius of major airports and aerodromes are subject to mandatory consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority or the Ministry of Defence under the Town and Country Planning (Safeguarded Aerodromes, Technical Sites and Military Explosives Storage Areas) Direction 2001. The radius around an airport, within which mandatory 848W consultation is necessary, is detailed for that airport in their particular safeguarding map. The safeguarding map is issued to each local planning authority within the area affected as specified by the legend on the map.
For a proposed development within a radius of 2 km of an aerodrome, which is not safeguarded, the airport management should be consulted by the applicant about the development.