- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 July 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 18 August 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out on the impact of wind farm developments on residents in close proximity and how this informs health and safety regulations.
Answer
Regulation of health and safety at work and risks arising to members of the public from work activity is reserved to the UK Parliament. The primary piece of legislation is the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (as amended 2006) and the Utilities Act 2000 also relate to safety of generating stations including wind farms.
In December 2010, the GB-wide regulator, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) submitted a report to its Board in December 2010 Health and safety in the new energy economy: Meeting the challenge.
The report is published on HSE’s Emerging Energy Technologies Programme (EET) website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/eet/new-energy-economy.pdf. It identifies the potential risks to workers and members of the public from renewable energy technologies such as onshore wind turbines and goes on to explain what further activities will be undertaken to ensure health and safety is achieved in the emerging energy technologies.
The UK Government has published several pieces of research on wind farm noise on its website at http://www.decc.gov.uk. These include research by consultants Hayes McKenzie and the University of Salford. The Scottish Government’s recent online planning advice on wind turbines at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/planning/National-Planning-Policy/themes/renewables/Onshore gives the most recent position on noise assessment.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 20 July 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-00611 by Keith Brown on 21 June 2011, what estimates have been made of increased traffic flows on the A77 when the new Loch Ryan ferry terminal and Stena Line vessels become operational, broken down by (a) HGV and (b) other traffic.
Answer
A Transport Assessment prepared by RPS Group to support the Harbour Empowerment Order considered test scenarios in respect of current operating conditions and of a larger vessel operating at full capacity. The Transport Assessment indicated that one third of the HGV traffic travels north on the A77 and the remaining two thirds travels via the A75. Relocating the terminal to Old House Point will result in an additional third of the HGV traffic passing through Cairnryan. The Transport Assessment indicates that this would result in an additional
7 to 15 HGVs passing through Cairnryan when a ferry docks.
The distribution of cars between the A77 northbound and the A75 is split equally. The Transport Assessment therefore demonstrates that the village of Cairnryan will not be subject to any increase in car traffic. (The car traffic heading north will no longer pass through the village but the car traffic heading to the A75 will do so).
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 July 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to give VisitScotland increased input to the planning process for onshore wind farms.
Answer
We have no plans at present to make VisitScotland a statutory consultee in the planning system. It is however, open to any person or body to make representations to a planning authority on a planning application or the preparation of a development plan.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 18 July 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will give the renewables sector in developing the infrastructure of (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind farms.
Answer
The National Renewables Infrastructure Plan (N-RIP) produced by Scottish Enterprise (SE) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) takes a strategic approach to the development of manufacturing and port infrastructure to support the development of the offshore industry in Scotland. Stage 2 of N-RIP highlighted that investment of £223m in key port and land-side infrastructure could support an offshore wind industry manufacturing 750 complete offshore wind units per year. This could create in the region of 5,180 manufacturing jobs and an annual economic impact of £295m per year.
SE has also established the £70 million National Renewables Infrastructure Fund to support the development of port and near-port manufacturing locations for offshore wind turbines and related developments, with the overall aim of stimulating an offshore wind supply chain in Scotland. HIE has provided and is currently considering funding support for N-RIP sites in its area. Funding will be available based on funding need and the likely impact of the investment on the development of a Scottish based manufacturing supply chain for the offshore wind sector. SE and HIE are assessing any applications from sites based on their merits.
The Scottish Government does not provide direct funding to the renewables industry for the infrastructure of onshore wind farms.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 July 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it gives to local authorities regarding the balance between encouraging the development of small-scale wind farms and protecting the interests of communities.
Answer
Scotland’s national planning policy for onshore wind is set out in National Planning Framework 2 and Scottish Planning Policy. Planning authorities are encouraged to support all scales of onshore wind where the technology can operate efficiently and environmental and cumulative impacts can be satisfactorily addressed. Recently launched online renewables planning advice identifies the planning considerations associated with protecting the interests of communities and helps to convey a proportionate approach to encouraging wind farm proposals.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 18 July 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-00551 by Fergus Ewing on 16 June 2011, what progress it has made with the GP Wind project and what outputs have been achieved.
Answer
The GP Wind project is on course to produce its planned outputs – i.e. the creation of a best practice guide and 'how to' tool kit, and a set of recommendations around dealing with wind farms applications in the context of communities and the environment - by end July 2012. A round of regional stakeholders’ workshops early in 2011 in each of the 8 countries participating in GP WIND were attended by 211 stakeholders. Following these events, agreement was reached on case study methodology, and a decision made on the subject of the 16 thematic studies which, going forward, will drive the development of a “how to” toolkit and best practice guidance. Drafts of all 16 thematic studies have now been completed are currently undergoing peer review.
More information can be obtained at: http://www.project-gpwind.eu/.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 June 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 14 July 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-00551 by Fergus Ewing on 16 June 2011, what projection has been made of how many (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind farms will be built in South Ayrshire; what the average number of turbines will be, and where they will be located.
Answer
Only data on wind farms determined by Scottish Ministers (those greater than 50MW) is held centrally. Of these, within South Ayrshire, three large-scale developments (Hadyard Hill, 52 turbines, Arecleoch, 60 turbines and Mark Hill, 28 turbines) are operational, one is under consideration (Killgallioch, 132 turbines) and three proposals have been scoped (Glen App and Loch Ree, Chirmorie and Lambdoughty).
The market and the planning system will drive the locational profile of wind farm deployment so it is not possible to project how many onshore and offshore wind farms or turbines will be built in any particular area.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2011
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 30 June 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the future ownership of freshwater salmon fishing rights in Scotland held by the Crown Estate.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 30 June 2011
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 21 June 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the road improvement schemes on the A77 south of Ayr and their completion costs since 1999.
Answer
The schemes on the A77 south of Ayr completed since 1999 together with their costs are shown in the following table:
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Scheme
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Completed
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Cost
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Turnberry Climbing Lane
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2004
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£1.9 million
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*Glen App
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2008
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£22.1 million
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*Haggstone Climbing Lane
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2008
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Parkend to Bennane
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2011
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£8.2 million
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Note: *Both schemes were combined into one design and build contract.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 21 June 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact of the new ferry terminals at Cairnryan will be on (a) road traffic on the A77 and (b) economic development in south west Scotland.
Answer
In advance of the Stena Ferry Terminal relocating from its existing location within Stranraer to Old House Point, a transport assessment was prepared on behalf of Stena Ltd. This assessment, subsequently audited and agreed by Transport Scotland on behalf of Scottish ministers, identified that the proposed redistribution of ferry traffic via the A751(T) is unlikely to present any capacity issues at the existing A751(T) priority junctions with the A75(T) and A77(T) respectively.
Stena Line is investing around £200 million in the new port on Loch Ryan and vessels to serve the route. This will safeguard some 500 jobs (420 in the Stranraer area with the remainder in Belfast) in the operation of the port and create approximately 900 new jobs during the construction period, of which 100 will be local.
