Rooley Moor Wind Farm PROJECT TITLE Chapter 13: Socio ... · proposal’s development, use and...

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Rooley Moor Wind Farm

Chapter 13: Socio-Economic Assessment

CPL

Rooley Moor Wind Farm Environmental Statement

Contents

13. Socio-economic Assessment ................................................................................................................................................................... 13-1

13.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 13-1

13.2 Relevant Legislation and Policy ................................................................................................................................................................. 13-1

13.3 Study Area ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 13-1

13.4 Methodology .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13-2

13.5 Socio-economic baseline ........................................................................................................................................................................... 13-5

13.6 Predicted Economic Impacts ................................................................................................................................................................... 13-11

13.7 Predicted Socio-economic Impacts .......................................................................................................................................................... 13-14

13.8 Wider Impacts .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 13-21

13.9 Mitigation .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 13-22

13.10 Cumulative Impacts ............................................................................................................................................................................... 13-24

13.11 Offsetting, Enhancement and Monitoring ............................................................................................................................................... 13-24

13.12 Conclusion and Statement of Significant Impacts .................................................................................................................................. 13-25

13.13 References ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13-26

CPL PAGE 13-1


13 Socio-Economic Assessment

13.1 Introduction

13.1. This chapter provides an assessment of the potential social and economic impacts, both beneficial

and adverse associated with the construction, operation and decommissioning phases of the

Development. In particular, it assesses impacts on local communities and the economy due to the

construction and operation of the Development.

13.2. The economic impacts cover issues in terms of businesses, direct and indirect employment and

direct and indirect spending that may arise as a consequence of the Development. Community

impacts refer to the consequences of the Development on human populations, relating to how

people live, work, play, relate to one another, organise to meet their needs and generally operate

as members of society. In this assessment these are assessed with regards to recreational

amenities, tourism and availability of local services.

13.3. The Proposed Development will also offer a range of wider socio-economic benefits associated

with the provision of renewable energy as set out within section 5.1 of Chapter 5: Planning Policy

Context.

13.2 Relevant Legislation and Policy

13.4. This section builds on Chapter 5: Planning Policy Context by reviewing local and national policy

relating to socio-economic development. There is no legislation of direct relevance to this

assessment.

13.3 Study Area

13.3.1 Location of the Development

13.5. The Development is located near Whitworth, within the administrative boundaries of Rochdale

Borough Council in the Greater Manchester area and Rossendale Borough Council in Lancashire,

approximately 25km north of Manchester. The Development includes 12 turbines and will generate

a total of 39.6MW.

13.3.2 Catchment Area

13.6. A catchment area of the Development has been identified for the socio-economic baseline

analysis. This area corresponds to a 10km catchment from the centre of the Development site and

it approximately represents the local economy that will be affected by the Development. A 10km

catchment has been chosen as it contains the town of Rochdale without including the North of

Manchester. This is presented in Figure 13.1.

CPL PAGE 13-2


Figure 13.1 Catchment area for socio-economic baseline

13.4 Methodology

13.4.1 Introduction

13.7. The methodology of this assessment is based on a desk based analysis, comprising the collection

and review of a wide range of data and information from published material as well as through

consultation with key stakeholders. In order to predict the likely impact of a development, it is

important to have a clear understanding of the socio-economic conditions of the area. This can be

used as a baseline against which the significance of predicted changes can be assessed. In

addition, social impacts of similar developments have been reviewed in order to give a good

indication of the likely effect of the Development.

13.8. The assessment has been based on experience from other projects, analysis of the baseline

situation and analysis of consultation outcomes.

13.9. Following a review of the baseline socio-economics of the site, the following social and economic

indicators have been considered within this assessment:

Employment - the assessment will examine the level of construction activity and job creation and

the potential linkages with the wider local economy. This will include an assessment of potential

multiplier effects within the local economy.

Economic Activity - the degree to which local businesses could benefit from involvement with the

proposal’s development, use and eventual decommissioning will be examined. Business revenue

will be created as a result of the construction and operation of the Development including contracts

awarded to local business through the supply chain and spending by temporary and permanent

employees in the area.

CPL PAGE 13-3


Community - potential community effects will also be considered with respect to availability of local

services.

Tourism and Recreation - potential for impacts on the tourism industry and also on areas of

recreation (including Public Rights of Way (PRoW)) during construction, operation and

decommissioning. Potential tourism and recreation impacts arising during the construction and

operation phases relate to:

o disruption to the normal use of resources within the site or on the proposed access routes

(addressed separately here for tourism / recreation amenities and access / rights of way);

o a reduction in the enjoyment gained from using these tourism and recreation resources

potentially resulting in a reluctance by individuals to visit the feature arising from, for

example, a negative perception of construction activities as a feature in the landscape or

from construction noise and traffic; and/or

o a reluctance by individuals to visit the feature or area arising from an adverse perception of

the wind turbines as a feature in the landscape.

13.10. As there is currently no established best practice EIA methodology for the assessment of socio-

economic impacts, professional judgement has been used when assessing the impacts of the

Development. The general principles of the most relevant guidance “Guidelines and Principles for

Social Impact Assessment” (Ref. 13-1)) have, however, been followed in this assessment, although

this has been tailored specifically for the assessment of impacts from wind farm development in the

context of the Borough of Rochdale. Reference has also been made to attitude surveys as the

best available indicators of the public’s perception of wind farms.

13.4.2 Consultation

13.11. This assessment has taken due regard to the Scoping Report and the formal Scoping Opinion.

The consultees highlighted a number of concerns with regards to socio-economic assessment as

summarised below, alongside the Applicant’s response to these concerns:

Table 13.1 Consultee Responses

Consultee Comment CPL Response

Approach lacks detail on positive and negative impacts

The positive and negative socio economic impacts are presented in this chapter.

Construction phase impacts should be included Construction phase impacts have been considered as part of the socio economic assessment.

Local economic Impact Report should be produced using LM3 analysis to explore spend.

This has been provided as part of the Socio economic assessment.

Specific approach to tendering for skills and materials should be provided

Information on this approach is not known at this stage of the development and therefore detail has not been provided.

ES should consider training and skill development opportunities. This should extend into schools activity and links with Post 16 training and local Training Compacts

Information on this approach is not known at this stage of the development and therefore detail has not been provided

Explore potential for promoting the site as a destination in its own right for recreational and educational users.

The opportunity for increased access to recreational users has been considered in Chapter 14: Land Use and within this chapter.

Wider opportunities to encourage tourism, recreation, understanding of cultural heritage and natural environment should be assessed, including impacts on tourism in Rossendale and Rochdale. Could include development of a visitor centre at the

Impacts on tourism in Rochdale and Rossendale have been considered in this chapter. The development of a tourist centre and wider opportunities to encourage tourism, recreation, understanding of cultural heritage and natural environment is not appropriate at this stage in the

CPL PAGE 13-4


Consultee Comment CPL Response

Adrenaline Gateway. development and has not been included.

Chapter to be cross referenced to other chapters that deal with land management and access

This chapter cross references Chapter 14: Land Use and Chapter 12: Access, Traffic and Transport as appropriate.

Section on the Community Fund should be explicit including amount payable per MW, area eligible and rationale, how community needs will be identified, interface with other potential sources of funding and management of the fund.

Details of the Community Fund cannot be provided at this stage in the development.

Community Benefits should be addressed as a separate chapter.

Details of the Community Fund cannot be provided at this stage in the development.

Potential for negative impacts on farmers from restrictions on grazing should be cross referenced to benefits in land management chapter

The impact on grazing is considered in Chapter 14: Land Use.

Practical arrangements for grazing regimes and diversification should be explored

The impact on grazing is considered in Chapter 14: Land Use.

Include measures as to how the developer will work with the land ownership and management interests beyond the site to secure long term, sustainable and integrated land management, focusing on benefits to all users and pressures from anti-social or unauthorised vehicular use

The impacts on land use are considered in Chapter 14: Land Use.

Assessment should focus on impacts on the local economy and not solely rely on regional scale analysis

This chapter assesses impacts on the local economy.

13.4.3 Significance Criteria

13.12. The magnitude of a socio-economic effect can be difficult to define and while this is preferably

defined in quantitative terms (e.g. additional workforce); this is not always possible and a qualitative

assessment based on professional judgement is needed and used. As all socio-economic

receptors (e.g. households, workforce and tourists) are considered here to have the same level of

sensitivity, the identification of effect significance is based solely on the magnitude of the effect.

The terms major, moderate, minor and negligible have been adopted to describe effect significance

as described in Table 13.2. This is used as a guide for evaluating the significance of a change that

results from the Development. Effects can be either neutral (no change), beneficial or adverse.

However it should be noted that for the purposes of the impact assessment, a worse-case scenario

is always presented. For example, the introduction of turbines into a landscape will be considered

an adverse effect, when in reality only a proportion of the receptors will consider this to be the

case, with other being completely neutral to their introduction and others still considering them to

be a positive addition to the landscape and their enjoyment of it.

13.13. In addition, the assessment considers the temporal nature of the effect. Here the effect is

considered to be either temporary, which is defined as lasting for up to one year’s duration or

permanent, which is defined as lasting for the duration of the operational period.

CPL PAGE 13-5


Table 13.2 Significance of Effects

Significance of impact (beneficial or adverse)

Criteria/Definition Description

Major

Results in major

change, causing a

major socio-economic

loss or gain in the

study area

A project is considered to have a

substantial change on e.g. local

resources, businesses, employment

and the local and visiting population

affecting more than 100 people or

leading to a substantial change in

employment opportunities. Project

activities affect a large number of

people in the study area.

Moderate

Results in a moderate

change, causing a

partial socio-economic

loss or gain in the

study area

A project is considered to have a

moderate change on e.g. local

resources, businesses, employment

and the local and visiting population

(e.g. affects less than 100 people or

leads to a moderate change in

employment opportunities). Project

activities affect a moderate number of

people in the study area.

Minor

Results in a small

change causing a

minor socio-economic

effect

A project is considered to have a small

change on e.g. local resources,

businesses, employment, and the local

and visiting population (e.g. affects

less than 20 people or leads to a few

changes in employment opportunities).

Project activities affect a small number

of people in the study area.

Negligible

Results in no change

causing a negligible

socio-economic effect

A project would have no discernible

effect e.g. local resources, businesses,

employment, and the local and visiting

population (e.g. affects less than 10

people; and / or effects would be

temporary (i.e. experienced for less

than one year).

13.14. Impacts that are major or moderate in magnitude are considered to be significant under the terms

of the EIA Regulations.

13.5 Socio-economic Baseline

13.15. The Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) that fall within the 10km radius from the approximate

centre of the Development have been identified. LSOAs are the lowest statistical geographical

level and therefore provide the highest level of accuracy when aggregating data in a small

catchment area. There is a total of 194 LSOAs in the defined catchment area.

13.16. Several socio-economic characteristics have been taken into consideration in the socio-economic

baseline. These include: population, age structure, economic activity indicators, sectoral split,

level of qualifications of the population and Gross Value Added (GVA). These have been

obtained from Census 2011 data (Ref. 13-2) and the Office of National Statistics (ONS) (Ref. 13-

3). The results are presented below.

CPL PAGE 13-6


13.5.1 Population

13.17. There are approximately 310,000 people in the catchment area, with the majority of the

population located in Rochdale. Since 2001, the area has experienced a 5.8% increase in

population according to both Census 2001 (Ref. 13-4) and 2011 data, slightly below the overall

7.1% growth in population in England and Wales.

13.5.2 Age structure

13.18. The age structure of the population within the catchment area is very similar to the average age

structure in England and the North West, with a slightly lower proportion of residents over the age

of 60, approximately 2% less than England and Wales, and a slightly higher proportion of

residents under the age of 24 (+1.5%). This indicates that the population in the area is slightly

younger compared to the average for England and Wales.

13.5.3 Economic activity

13.19. In terms of economic activity, the catchment area scores slightly worse than the whole of England

and Wales and the North West. Table 13.3 shows that unemployment is higher in the catchment

area while the rate of economically active population is also slightly lower.

Table 13.3 Economic activity indicators

Economic activity indicators

(Census 2011)

Eco

nom

ical

ly A

ctiv

e;

Em

ploy

ee; P

art-

Tim

e

Eco

nom

ical

ly A

ctiv

e;

Em

ploy

ee; F

ull-T

ime

Eco

nom

ical

ly A

ctiv

e; S

elf-

Em

ploy

ed

Eco

nom

ical

ly A

ctiv

e;

Une

mpl

oyed

Eco

nom

ical

ly A

ctiv

e; F

ull-

Tim

e S

tude

nt

Eco

nom

ical

ly In

activ

e; R

etire

d

Eco

nom

ical

ly In

activ

e;

Stu

dent

(In

clud

ing

Ful

l-Tim

e

Stu

dent

s)

Eco

nom

ical

ly In

activ

e;

Look

ing

Afte

r H

ome

or F

amily

Eco

nom

ical

ly In

activ

e; L

ong-

Ter

m S

ick

or D

isab

led

Catchment area 13.5% 37.3% 8.8% 5.2% 2.7% 13.9% 5.0% 4.8% 6.1%

England and Wales 13.7% 38.5% 9.7% 4.4% 3.4% 13.8% 5.8% 4.3% 4.2%

North West 13.9% 37.5% 8.2% 4.7% 3.5% 14.8% 5.6% 3.9% 5.6%

13.5.4 Sectoral Split

13.20. The top five employment sectors for the catchment area correspond to wholesale and retail trade;

repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles (18%), human health and social work activities (15%),

manufacturing (12%), education (10%) and public administration (6%). These sectors employ a

slightly higher proportion of the residents in employment in the catchment area than on average in

England and Wales as well as the North West. Sectors such as professional, scientific and

technical activities (5%) and financial and insurance activities (3%) employ a slightly lower

proportion of the population in employment in the catchment area compared to England and Wales.

13.5.5 Level of Qualifications

13.21. The level of qualifications in the catchment area compared to the national average is presented in

Figure 13.2. This shows that the average level of qualification in the study area is to some extent

lower in comparison with England and Wales. The largest differences are found in the proportion of

residents with no qualifications, which is 3.5% larger in the catchment area, as well as in the

CPL PAGE 13-7


proportion of residents with Level 4 qualification (university degree), which is 4.7% lower in the

catchment area.

Figure 13.2 Level of Qualifications – Residents aged 16 and over (Census 2011)

13.5.6 Local Gross Value Added

13.22. Statistics for local GVA show once again that the study area scores slightly worse than England in

terms of its socio-economic characteristics. While GVA per head for England is £21,349 (2011 at

current basic prices), GVA per head in the North West is £17,754 and £16,472 in Lancashire

County Council, where the borough of Rossendale is located.

13.5.7 Tourism and Recreation in the Catchment Area

13.23. In assessing the tourist, visitor and recreational facilities within the tourism study area, it is those

which appear most frequently within tourist or visitor websites, brochures, guidebooks, and other

media that are taken to represent the principal tourism resources in the area. This is a standard

approach taken as a proxy for tourists or other visitors assessing the potential attraction of an area.

13.24. According to the Rossendale Tourism Study published in 2010 (Ref. 13-5), current attractions and

events in the catchment area are heavily influenced by the Borough’s industrial heritage and

natural assets. The same applies to the Borough of Rochdale, in the south of the catchment area.

Heritage attractions include a number of museums and heritage centres, such as Helmshore Mills

Textile Museum. The East Lancashire Railway attracts the largest number of visitors (circa 105,000

per annum). In the See Gallery and Bamboo Theatre there are cultural venues of national and

international renown.

13.25. Tourist attractions near Whitworth, one of the closest towns to the Development, are mainly related

to natural assets and outdoor sports. Important attractions include Cowm Reservoir, Whitworth

Water Ski Centre, Lee Quarry Mountain Bike Trail, Pennine Bridleway and Healey Dell Nature

Reserve. Cowm Reservoir regularly hosts competitions for water sports, while the Pennine

Bridleway is a popular route amongst horse riders. Healy Dell Natural Reserve, located at the

southern end of Whitworth, on the Whitworth - Rochdale border, has a wide range of flora and

fauna, its own Fairy Chapel and a rich industrial past.

13.26. Rossendale has more public footpaths within its boundary than any other borough in the country.

The 47 mile long Rossendale Way crosses over the summit of Brown Wardle Hill. Mountain bike

magazines class the South Pennines as having some of the best riding in the country.

26.1%

14.1%

16.4%

3.7%

12.1%

22.5%

5.1%

22.7%

13.3%

15.3%

3.6%

12.3%

27.2%

5.7%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

No Qualifications Highest Level ofQualification;

Level 1Qualifications

Highest Level ofQualification;



Apprenticeship





and Above


OtherQualifications

Catchmentarea

Englandand Wales

CPL PAGE 13-8


13.27. Brown Wardle is also popular with hang gliders and paragliders and the Pennine Bridleway

(including the 42 mile long Mary Townley Loop) attracts many horse riders.

13.28. Table 13.4 describes the criteria used in assessing the sensitivity of tourism and recreational

facilities to the Development.

Table 13.4 Sensitivity of Resource

Sensitivity of Receptor Description

High

Where the receptor or resource (visitors to activities, resources, attractions or

businesses) is defined as being of International or National status and

generates high visitor numbers.

Medium Where the receptor or resource is defined as being of regional status and

generates medium visitor numbers.

Low Where the receptor or resource is defined as being of local status and

generates low visitor numbers.

13.29. The receptors falling within the 10km catchment area are shown in Figure 13.1. Table 13.5

describes each of the facilities and its sensitivity to impact from the Development.

Table 13.5 Tourism and recreational facilities and their sensitivity to wind farm development

Site Description Sensitivity

Helmshore Mills Textile

Museum

Open afternoons April to September. The museum

demonstrates nationally important textile machinery in

the mill, and tells the stories of wool, cotton and the

Industrial Revolution.

Low.

East Lancashire Railway

Runs every weekend throughout the year and every

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday April to September.

Features a restored railway with running steam

locomotives including vintage vehicles from the early

1900s. Carries more than 100,000 passengers per year

on the 12 mile route from Heywood to Rawenstall.

Medium.

Horse + Bamboo Theatre

Performing arts and theatre centre located at The Boo,

and with many shows touring locally and

regionally. Shows use masks, puppets, music and

story-telling, as well as film and animation.

Low.

Cowm Reservoir

The Whitworth Waterski Centre is located at Cown

reservoir and offers water activities and accommodation

7 days a week from April to October and week-ends

through the off season.

The 1.5 mile surfaced path round the reservoir is also

popular with locals. Facilities include picnic area, toilets,

car parking and a sculpture trail.

Medium.

Cown Leisure

150 Acre disused stone quarry featuring natural terrain

for Trials Bikes, Road Legal 4 x 4's, Pit Bikes, Enduro

Bikes, Remote Controlled Cars and Cyclo Trials Bikes.

Opening Hours: 9:30am - Dusk every weekend and

Bank Holiday.

Low.

CPL PAGE 13-9



Lee Quarry Mountain

Bike Trail

Over 8km of technical mountain bike trails in Lee

Quarry, Bacup. The trail is open all year round.

Low.

Pennine Bridleway

The Pennine Bridleway is a 330km National Trail

running through the Pennine hills from Derbyshire to

Cumbria. It has been specially designed for horse

riders, and is also great for mountain bikers and

walkers.

The Trail includes 2 large loops. The first is the Mary

Towneley Loop in the South Pennines; this is 47 miles

long and makes a great weekend’s walk or ride. The

2nd Loop is the 10 mile Settle Loop in the Yorkshire

Dales. This makes an excellent days walk or horse ride

and can be extended by using the bridleway network to

take in the village of Malham too.

High.

Healey Dell Nature

Reserve

A disused 1800s railway line is now a nature trail with

magnificent views from a 100-foot high viaduct.

The visitor centre and tea room is open Friday to

Sunday and all Bank Holidays and has a permanent

exhibition on the industrial heritage of the reserve and

details of guided walks and trails. The disused railway line

through the centre of Healey Dell is part of the National

Cycle Network, Regional Network Route 92 which joins

National Route 66.

Healey Dell is on the Rochdale Way and the Pennine

Bridleway passes the northern end.

Low.

Healey Dell and Syke

Angling

Healey Dell Fishery is a water of approximately 1 acre

and is owned by the Rochdale Walton Angling

Society. Syke’s main water is approximately 1 acre and

also has a small pond. The Society has approximately

150 members and day ticket anglers are welcome.

Low.

Trows Lane Angling Rochdale and District Angling Society has 6 waters at

Trow’s Lane strictly for use by Society members.

Low.

Rossendale Way

66km circular walk passing through Haslingden,

Whitworth, Stubbins and Healey. The walk also goes

through Healey Dell Nature Reserve.

Medium.

Brown Wardle Paragliding training courses running Tuesday to

Sunday from the training base at Brown Wardle Hill.

Low.

Greenbooth and Naden

Reservoirs Circular walk round edge of reservoirs.

Low.

Springmill Reservoir Low.

CPL PAGE 13-10



Watergrove Reservoir

Open all day every day. The first route 'The Watergrove

Trail', around the reservoir follows the perimeter of the

reservoir and goes past the sailing club. The second

route 'Hades Trail', going up to the ruins of Higher Slack

Brook Farm. The Long Causeway, an old packhorse

route to Ramsden branches off at the northerly point of

this route. Site facilities include toilets, picnic area and

free car parking.

The West Pennine Sailboard Club is a windsurfing club

based at Watergrove reservoir providing facilities for

members and non-members throughout the year.

Low.

Cowpe Reservoir

Cowpe Reservoir is a 16.5 acre trout water offering fly

fishing to club members and the general public through

day tickets. There is also a circular walk around the

escarpment above Cowpe Reservoir.

Low.

Hollingsworth Lake

The Water Activity Centre on Lake Bank provides

instruction in windsurfing, dinghy sailing and other

water-based sports, and arranges training for groups in

mountain biking and climbing. The Lake is also a base

for a sailing club and a rowing club. The wider Country

Park has plenty of walking routes, from easy strolls

around the lake shore to sturdier treks in the

surrounding hills. The Country Park is open every day

of the year and the Visitor Centre on Saturday, Sunday,

and Monday during the winter. The lake is well served

by a selection of cafes, pubs, and restaurants, as well

as B&Bs and a caravan and camping site for overnight

stays.

Medium.

Tandle Hill Country Park

Consists of approximately 110 acres, a combination of

beech woodland and open grassland. The park

contains a countryside centre, picnic areas, children's

play area and numerous trails and paths into the

surrounding area.

Low.

Mandale Park Features recently renovated BMX track and playground. Low.

Springfield Park

The Borough's largest park with landscaped and

wooded slopes down to the Roch Valley. Attractions

include the lake, children's play area and, on summer

weekends, a miniature steam railway. Sports include

football, cricket, tennis and athletics track, a permanent

orienteering course and an 18 hole golf course

(Marland Golf Course).

Low.

Broadfield Park

Venue for various outdoor events, the park has been

extensively refurbished and contains a Victorian-style

bandtstand, bowling greens, and a play area for

children.

Low.

Falinge Park

Park with children's play area, facilities, a brand new

Victorian style bandstand, conservatories plus formal

'Sun Gardens' and bowling greens.

Low.

CPL PAGE 13-11



Jubilee Park Park with elegant bandstand and scented rose beds.

Band concerts are performed during the summer.

Low.

Lobden Golf Club 9 hole moorland course open to non-members.

Low.

Rochdale Golf Club 18 hole golf course and clubhouse offering golf and

venue facilities to members and non-members.

Low.

Marland Golf Course Public 18 hole parkland course located in Springfield

Park. Also home to Springfield Golf Club.

Low.

Bacup Golf Club 9 hole course open to non-members. Low.

Rossendale Golf Club 18 hole golf course and clubhouse open to non-

members for golf and venue hire.

Low.

Walmersley Golf Club 18 hole moorland golf course open to non-members. Low.

Lowes Park Golf Club 9 hole moorland course open to non-members. Low.

SkiRossendale Dry ski slope offering ski and snowboard lessons and

tubing Tuesday to Sunday.

Low.

13.30. In terms of the economic contribution of tourism to the local economy in Rossendale, tourism

employs 7.1% of the workforce, similar to the regional average of 7.2% (Rossendale Tourism Study

2010 (Ref. 13-5)). The area lacks a strong accommodation offer which is reflected in the average

visitor spend, which is lower than the average for the region.

13.31. The borough of Rochdale has good access to the South Pennines and Manchester city centre,

attractive countryside and a rich heritage. Currently the borough attracts mainly day visitors, with

the greatest percentage visiting the Hollingworth Lake area. The current visitor economy in the

borough includes both facilities and attractions within the urban area and outside the urban area in

more rural locations such as Hollingworth Lake and the South Pennines Moors (Ref. 13-6),

Rochdale Core Strategy).

13.32. Visitors to Rochdale have grown from 6 million per year in 2003 to 8 million per year in 2008 and by

2009 had received 11% more visitors than in 2005. Tourism expenditure increased between 2005

and 2007, fell slightly in 2008, but by 2009 was 11% higher than the 2005 baseline. In 2008 tourism

expenditure in the borough of Rochdale totalled £376 million. The growth of tourism between 2005

and 2009 was accompanied by a 6.5% rise in tourism supported employment in Rochdale Borough

(Ref. 13-7).

13.33. The borough of Rossendale attracted 2.17 million visitors in 2008, generating a total of 2.34 million

visitor days. There is an underlying trend of a small annual incremental rise in the length of the

average stay – due especially to growth in the non-serviced accommodation sector.

13.6 Predicted Economic Impacts

13.6.1 Introduction

13.34. The lifecycle of a wind farm involves four main stages: development, construction, operation and

maintenance and decommissioning. The present economic impact assessment focuses on the

construction and operation phases, which will approximately last for one year and 25 years

respectively. During these phases, employment and GVA will be generated directly at the site,

which will in turn create opportunities for local businesses to provide services to the people

CPL PAGE 13-12


employed in the wind farm and to those providing those services. The methodology to measure the

total economic activity that will originate from the wind farm is outlined below.

13.6.2 Methodology

13.35. The process of estimating total employment and GVA arising from the construction and operation

of Rooley Moor wind farm is undertaken in two steps:

Estimation of direct and indirect employment and GVA

Estimation of induced employment and GVA

Reference to actual case studies of wind farms built in the local area

13.36. Direct impacts refer to employment and GVA directly generated from the construction or operation

of the wind farm, which only includes people working at the wind farm directly. Supply chain or

indirect impacts consist of expenditures generated down the supply chain as a result of the

expenditure of the income that is directly generated by the development. This typically includes

expenditures in suppliers.

13.37. Direct and supply chain impacts have been calculated using benchmarking data from a report

published by Renewable UK in 2012 called “Onshore Wind, Direct and Wider Economic Impacts”

(Ref. 13-8). The data in the report has been analysed to obtain the average number of jobs per

MW and the average GVA per MW at different geographical levels that is obtained directly from

wind farms in the UK. The results of the analysis are presented in Table 13.6.

Table 13.6 Benchmarking data - Direct and supply chain impacts in 2011 across the UK

Benchmarking data

from Renewable UK

Construction Operation

GVA per MW (£

million) Jobs per MW

GVA per MW (£

million) Jobs per MW

Local 0.02 0.25 0.01 0.07

Regional 0.06 1.10 0.01 0.17

National 0.1 1.69 0.02 0.24

13.38. Direct and indirect impacts do not include however a third type of economic impacts called induced

impacts. Induced impacts refer to employment and GVA arising from the re-expenditure of income

generated as a result of direct and indirect impacts. Induced impacts are calculated here using

Type II and Type I multipliers from the Scottish government statistics agency, who have undertaken

extensive and reliable research on the economic impact of different industries. Type I multipliers

are factors used to convert direct into direct and indirect economic impacts, while Type II multipliers

also include induced impacts. The difference between the two factors has been used to convert the

direct and supply chain impacts obtained from benchmarking data into total impacts including

induced economic impacts. These are shown in Table 13.7.

CPL PAGE 13-13


Table 13.7 Multipliers to obtain total economic impacts from direct and indirect impacts

Multipliers – induced impacts1 GVA Employment

Construction - specialised 1.3 1.3

Electricity production and distribution 1.3 2.2

13.6.3 Results

13.39. Total employment and GVA generated directly from the construction and operation of the wind farm

is shown in Table 13.8. This has been estimated based on benchmarking data by MW presented in

Table 13.6 and applying it to 39.6MW, the expected generating capacity of the wind farm. For the

construction phase, results are given as a total instead of on a per year basis.

Table 13.8 Direct and supply chain impacts

Direct Impacts – Rooley Moor

Wind Farm

Construction (total) Operation (per year)

GVA (£ million) Jobs GVA (£ million) Jobs

Local 0.61 10 0.31 3

Regional 2.56 43 0.50 7

National 3.93 67 0.78 10

13.40. The results are shown in Table 13.9. These results include direct, indirect and induced impacts and

show that the employment and income generated by Rooley Moor Wind farm could be 6 jobs and

around £0.4 million per year at a local level during its operation phase. Even though the numbers

may seem small, they are significant in the context of a low densely populated area. During the

short phase of construction, the estimated number of jobs and GVA generated could be more than

twice the annual employment and GVA generated in the operation phase.

Table 13.9 Direct, indirect and induced economic impacts

Direct, indirect and induced

economic impacts

Construction Operation

GVA (£ million) Jobs GVA (£ million) Jobs

Local 0.8 13 0.41 6

Regional 3.4 56 0.66 15

National 5.3 86 1.04 21

13.41. The economic impacts estimated are approximations and are based on a conservative one size

fits all approach. They should therefore be used with caution. The size and geographical

1 These multipliers have been obtained by subtracting Type II minus Type I multipliers (2009) obtained from the Scottish

government and adding 1. This factor is then multiplied by the direct and indirect impacts to obtain total economic

impacts.

CPL PAGE 13-14


distribution of the impacts could vary depending on multiple factors such as the possibility to

obtain supplies locally or the disposable income of employees. However, the comparison of these

estimations with other case studies reveals that both the direct and the total employment and

GVA calculated are reasonable compared to the economic impacts calculated for other wind

farms.

13.6.4 Case Studies

13.42. It is therefore much better to refer to actual case studies of contract work undertaken on wind

farms in the local vicinity of the Development

Table 13.10: Case studies and projection for the Development

Name of Wind farm Number of

Turbines

Percentage of

contract kept in

local Area

Value of contract

kept in local Area

(£)

Hameldon Hill (West Yorkshire and

Lancashire)

3 44% 1,690,000

Hampole (Lincolnshire and

Yorkshire)

4 68% 963,000

Todmorden (West Yorkshire and

Lancashire)

5 52% 1,535,000

Crook Hill (West Yorkshire and

Lancashire)(Projected)

11 55% 3,100,000

Proposed Rooley Moor 12 55% 3,440,000

All figures provided by the contract who worked is working on these projects except the Rooley

Moor figures. The Rooley Moor figures are based on predictions using the case studies as a

baseline.

13.43. Thus it can be seen that actual case studies demonstrate that the figure of spend for that is kept in

the local area for construction is far higher than the general statistics imply and demonstrate what

can be achieved if developers work with their contractors to ensure high levels of local spend. It is

therefore considered that the figures for the Development as set out in Table 13.10 are accurate

for construction.

13.44. There is no statistics for jobs on the case studies currently due to the logistical exercise of

determining exactly where each employee lived. However, discussions with the contractor who

supplied these statistics indicated that at least 30% of the work force was employed locally. Figures

for operation will have to rely on the figures at Table 13.10 as it has not been possible to obtain

data for case studies.

13.7 Predicted Socio-economic Impacts

13.45. Further socio-economic impacts are evaluated in a qualitative manner in this section. In particular,

the following categories have been considered: employment opportunities, economic activity,

availability of services and quality of life.

13.46. The methodology described in section 13.4 has been followed. This methodology tries to establish

the direction and magnitude of the potential socio-economic impacts of the Development during the

construction and operation phases. As there is currently no established best practice EIA

methodology for the assessment of socio-economic impacts, professional judgement has been

used when assessing the impacts for the Development.

13.47. In relation to tourism and recreational facilities, those identified to be of medium or high sensitivity

to wind farm development have been further assessed. The proximity of the facility to the

CPL PAGE 13-15


Development Area and the visibility of the Development from the facility have been considered,

therefore establishing which require further assessment.

13.7.1 Potential Impacts – Construction Phase

Employment

13.48. Various construction activities will take place onsite, including civil engineering, turbine installation,

electrical and commissioning studies. A detailed construction workforce schedule i.e. employee

numbers throughout the construction programme and likely shift patterns would not be known until

the contract for building the wind farm has been granted, however the temporary workforce is

anticipated to be around 70 people (based on project experience of a similar nature), with

approximately 30% of these construction jobs being sourced locally (see paragraph 13.44 above).

The potential direct and indirect employment associated with construction of the Development is

provided in Table 13.9. In accordance with the socio-economic assessment criteria outlined in

Table 13.2, this is considered to be a beneficial but minor impact when compared to employment

rates in the Rochdale and Rossendale area.

Economic Activity

13.49. The construction of the wind farm will lead to significant new investment into the Rochdale and

Rossendale area, and the wider economy. Published information on installed costs for UK wind

farms can be found in a report prepared on behalf of the RenewableUK and Department of Energy

and Climate Change (Onshore Wind Direct & Wider Economic Impacts, BiGGAR 2012 (Ref. 13-9)

(the BiGGAR report).

13.50. The nature of wind farm projects means that engineering / technical components of the build are

unlikely to be delivered from the local area or region; however, construction, engineering and

technical contractors can be sourced locally. Expenditure in the local economy therefore varies

from project to project as a function of various factors, including project size, duration and

availability of local suppliers. The applicant estimates for Rooley Moor Wind Farm a local spend of

approximately £3.44 million in the local area during construction. The types of local businesses

that might benefit from this could include fencing contractors, local civil engineering contractors,

timber and aggregate suppliers, hoteliers, caterers and haulage companies.

13.51. The additional profits generated in businesses as a result of the project plus the additional salaries

that are paid to the employees of these businesses can be expressed in project terms as the Gross

Value Added (GVA). GVA has been calculated using data from the BiGGAR report, which shows

the average GVA per employee in wind farms in the UK for the construction phase is £57,981.

This is considerably higher than the GVA per resident head in Lancashire i.e. £16,472 (see

paragraph 13.22).

13.52. Based on the socio-economic assessment criteria in Table 13.2, the overall impact on the local and

wider economy is expected to be moderate, beneficial and therefore significant but only

temporarily.

Availability of Local Services

13.53. During construction it is not considered that the numbers of personnel required will place any strain

on local services (GPs, schools etc). There is good room availability within the Lancashire region

at a variety of levels of quality which should be sufficient to suit requirements. At this time it is not

known what the principal contractor’s accommodation requirements will be2, however, it is

assumed that this will not impact on availability for tourists.

2 Websites such as http://www.bedsforbuilders.co.uk have been established to ensure contractors are able to find the

required level of accommodation.

http://www.bedsforbuilders.co.uk/

CPL PAGE 13-16


13.54. The impact of the Development on the demand for local services and therefore the availability of

these for existing users is expected to be negligible.

Tourism and Recreation

13.55. Potential tourism and recreation impacts arising during the construction phase relate to:

disruption to the normal use of resources within the site or on the proposed access routes

(addressed separately here for tourism / recreation amenities and access / rights of way); and also

a reduction in the enjoyment gained from using these tourism and recreation resources potentially

resulting in a reluctance by individuals to visit the feature arising from, for example, a negative

perception of construction activities as a feature in the landscape or from construction noise and

traffic.

Section x above identified the following resources as potentially impacted by the construction of the

Development.

Pennine Bridleway

13.56. The Pennine Bridleway is a 330km National Trail running through the Pennine hills from Derbyshire

to Cumbria. It has been specially designed for horse riders, and is also great for mountain bikers

and walkers.

13.57. The Trail includes 2 large loops. The Mary Towneley Loop in the South Pennines crosses the

Development Area, entering the Development Area at Knack’s Lane and following the Rooley Moor

Road to the Top of Leach where it leaves the Development Area headed west. Tracks associated

with the Development cross the Bridleway at four points along the route and Bridleway itself

provides the construction access from the Bottom of Rooley Moor to approximately Top of Pike.

Whilst effects are temporary without mitigation this would be a major and adverse effect and

therefore a significant impact.

Rossendale Way

13.58. The Rossendale Way is a 66km circular walk passing through Haslingden, Whitworth, Stubbins

and Healey. The walk also goes through Healey Dell Nature Reserve and shares a portion of its

route across the Development Area with the Pennine Bridleway as shown on Figure 13.1. Tracks

associated with the Development cross the Rossendale Way at four points along the route. The

construction of these tracks would disrupt the normal use of this route. Without mitigation this

would be a major and adverse effect and therefore a significant impact.

13.7.2 Potential Impacts - Operational Phase

Employment

13.59. Wind farms typically result in only a few opportunities for long-term employment, as projects of the

size of the Development are largely unmanned. One to two part time maintenance engineers will

be required, as will a small number of staff to occasionally service the wind turbines. It is, however,

likely that major maintenance events will occur from time to time when additional staff and

contractors will be required for short periods only. It is anticipated that this would equate to one

FTE job.

13.60. Again there is the potential for indirect and induced employment to occur due to the Development,

as shown in Table 13.9. Based on the socio-economic assessment criteria outlined in Table 13.2,

this is considered to be a permanent, beneficial, negligible, impact. The main economic benefits to

the local community through the lifetime of the project are not through long-term employment, but

instead through the introduction of community funds (see paragraph 13.82).

CPL PAGE 13-17


Economic Activity

13.61. There are various sources of information which give details of the impact and boost to the local

economy from operational wind farms. The most recent research is available in the BiGGAR report

(Ref. 13-9). Onshore wind brings substantial new economic benefits and job opportunities to the

country as a whole and at a local level. The BiGGAR economics report shows that in 2011 onshore

wind was worth £548 million to the UK economy. Whilst this project is small in the context of these

numbers, it will nonetheless contribute to investment and opportunities for the local supply chain,

albeit, as highlighted, at low levels. Supplies of maintenance products, such as oil and paint, will be

needed during the operation of the Project. During maintenance work, it is likely that plant hire will

be required and it is expected that this will be sourced locally.

13.62. Expenditure in the local community continues throughout the operational phase of the project. The

GVA for the operational phase is shown in Table 13.9.

13.63. The Development is also expected to provide an annual payment in business rates based on

requirements for non-domestic properties. This payment will be made to RMBC and RBC which in

turn could have an indirect benefit on ability of RMBC and RBC to provide services to the local

community. That said, this will be minor, beneficial and permanent impact but is not expected to

have a significant impact on the area

13.64. Based on the socio-economic assessment criteria in Table 13.2, the impact on the wider supply

chain is expected to be permanent, beneficial and minor.


13.65. The limited number of personnel on site during operation means there is not expected to be any

noticeable change in the demand for local services. It is therefore anticipated that there will be no

impacts on the on the availability of these for existing users.


13.66. A number of public surveys focused on the public perceptions of wind farms as well as studies

researching the impact of wind farms on tourism have been undertaken in the UK since wind farms

were first developed in the early 1990s. A study by BWEA (now RenewableUK) (Ref. 13-10) into

public attitudes found that there were over 60 separate public surveys conducted over a 15 year

period. The study concluded that, on average, there was a 70-80% level of support for wind farm

development, both in principle and also in practice among residents living near to developed wind

farms.

13.7.3 Literature Review

13.67. A review of recent relevant studies on public perception of wind farms and the impacts of wind

farms on tourism is presented in Table 13.11. A common conclusion of the surveys undertaken is

that once wind farms are built and operational, the predicted adverse effects that people

considered may occur either did not materialise or the wind farm was not necessarily considered to

be unacceptable to the majority of the public.

Table 13.11 Literature review - public perceptions and tourism impacts of wind farms

Study Key Findings

Research by Ipsos MORI (2012)

(Ref. 13-11)

66% of the 1009 16 to 64 year olds surveyed in favour of wind power

with the majority of individuals (59%) seeing the use of wind power as

a good way to reduce carbon emissions and to reduce dependence

of the UK on energy sources from overseas

CPL PAGE 13-18


Study Key Findings

‘Wind Power in the UK’ (2005),

Sustainable Development

Commission (Ref. 13-12)

Wind farm benefits are shared by the whole of the UK, but the

communities that are local to the development are most directly

benefited;

Public attitudes to wind farms are generally beneficial and are

evolving as more are constructed and as the realisation of the need

for renewable energy sources increases; and

Local community involvement at all stages in the development is key

to the success of a wind farm.

Survey by YouGov on behalf of

Scottish Renewables (2010)

(Ref. 13-13)

77% (41%-strongly agree, 36% agree) agree that ‘wind farms are

necessary so that we can produce renewable energy to help us meet

current and future energy needs in Scotland’.

Only 23% agree or strongly agree that ‘wind farms are, or would be,

ugly and a blot on the landscape’, compared with 52% disagree or

strongly disagree with it.

59% agree or strongly agree that ‘wind farms are necessary so that

we can produce renewable energy, what they look like is

unimportant’, compared with 23% who disagree or strongly disagree.

The Economic Impacts of Wind

Farms on Scottish Tourism,

Glasgow Caledonian University,

Moffat Centre, and Cogentsi,

(2008) (Ref. 13-14)

Three-quarters of tourists felt wind farms had a beneficial or neutral

impact on the landscape. Overseas visitors seem to be more

accepting about wind farms than domestic tourists.

Importantly, respondents that had seen a wind farm were less hostile

than those who had not. The vast majority (93-99%) of tourists that

had seen a wind farm in the local area suggested that the experience

would not have any effect on their decision to return to that area, or to

Scotland as a whole.

Research by the University of

the West of England in North

Devon (2004) (Ref. 13-15)

The study demonstrated that the overwhelming majority of tourists

would be unaffected by such developments and indeed that such

developments were regarded by a narrow majority of respondents as

having a positive effect.

13.68. As summarised in the literature review, according to research studies on the public perceptions of

wind farms, there is generally a positive opinion of wind farms overall in the UK, both in terms of

residents and tourists. For this reason and due to the distance of most identified tourism and

recreation amenities, which are the tourism spots attracting the largest number of visitors, it is likely

that the Development will have overall a negligible impact on tourism in the catchment area.

13.69. With respect to the Development, impacts on the use of the tourism and recreational facilities may

be linked to landscape and visual impact (Chapter 6: Landscape and Visual Impact

Assessmnet), noise (Chapter 10: Noise) and traffic and transport (Chapter 12: Access, Traffic

and Transport). A summary of the risk of impacts on the enjoyment of tourism and recreation

amenities as a result of the Development’s operation with respect to these is as follows:

The operational noise assessment has demonstrated that the ETSU-R-97 criterion limits (including

daytime amenity) can be satisfied at all properties across all wind speeds. The operational noise

levels are acceptable in terms of the guidance recommended by planning policy for the

assessment of wind farm noise and therefore are considered not significant in EIA terms. Being at

a greater distance than the residential properties considered, and based on the socio-economic

impact assessment criteria in Table 13.2, it is considered that there would be no impact in terms of

noise on the identified tourism and recreation facilities described in Table 13.4;

Vehicle movements during the operational phase are expected to be minimal (see Chapter 12:

Access, Transport and Traffic). No impact is therefore anticipated with respect to tourism and

recreation amenities due to operational traffic impacts being insignificant.

CPL PAGE 13-19


A review of the Zone of Theoretical Visibility mapping indicates that there will be visibility of the

wind farm at the following medium and high sensitivity visitor locations:

o East Lancashire Railway

o Pennine Bridleway and Rossendale Way

o Cowm Reservoir

o Hollingsworth Lake

There will also be some visibility for recreational viewers using footpaths on and in the vicinity of

the site. These views are likely to be transitory and will be experienced as people move through

the landscape. In socio economic terms, although the wind turbines may be seen, on the basis of

the survey evidence presented above it is reasonable to conclude that there will be no significant

adverse impact on the use and enjoyment of amenities, and thereby no resulting reluctance by

individuals to visit the feature or area. As a result the socio-economic impact is considered to be

negligible.

13.70. Impacts on the tourism in the area are therefore predicted to be negligible.

13.71. The routes of the right of way in relation to the proposed turbine locations were considered during

the optimisation of the site layout, with the turbines being located so as not to oversail these routes,

in accordance with available guidance (Ref.13-16). No impact on the use of these is therefore

anticipated due to health and safety issues arising from proximity to the turbines.

13.72. Two turbines (T5 and T6) are slightly within the British Horse Society’s (BHS) recommended

buffers of a minimum of 200m of the Pennine Bridleway (Ref. 13-17) (although it must be noted

that these hold limited weight as planning criteria). The separations distances to these turbines at

174m and 186m respectively, are well in excess of the 50m oversail and The Highways Agency

setback from the highway boundary recommendation of height plus 50 metres for commercial

turbines. BHS guidance acknowledges the 200m separation “may not be appropriate in all

situations. Every site should be considered independently because there are likely to be many

interdependent factors involved.”

13.73. The proposed access track will use the Pennine Bridleway from the Bottom of Rooley Moor to

approximately the Top of Pike and cross footpaths and bridleways in six locations but will not

obstruct its use. During operation of the Development, no major disruption to the footpath is

expected, as, on a day to day basis, minimal maintenance and thereby associated vehicles is

anticipated (see Chapter 4: Development Description). Major maintenance is likely to occur only

occasionally. Any temporary disruption due to vehicles accessing turbines at such times will be

over a much shorter period (days rather than weeks) than during construction. There is however a

potential for minor health and safety impacts at these times and mitigation is proposed in Section

13.9.

13.74. While the wind turbines may be visible when using the PROW onsite and in the area, the impact of

this on an individual’s enjoyment of and continued use of Rooley Moor for leisure activities is very

much personal and subjective. Again, although the wind turbines may be seen, on the basis of the

survey evidence presented above it is reasonable to conclude that there will be no significant

adverse impact on the enjoyment of the PRoW.

13.75. A summary of the results are presented in Table 13.12 and Table 13.13. The tables show the

expected potential impact as well as whether there is a need for socio-economic mitigation.

Overall, the assessment shows that there is a need for mitigation measures and additionally there

is an opportunity to maximise the positive impacts of the Development by using local resources

where possible.

13.76. Table 13.12 presents the potential impacts for the construction phase.

CPL PAGE 13-20


Table 13.12 Social Impacts - Construction Phase

Aspect/activity Potential impact Assessment of

potential impact

Need for socio –

economic mitigation

Employment

Direct and indirect

temporary employment

Increased

employment with the

potential for indirect

jobs associated with

services to those

employed during the

construction period

(e.g. service

industry)

Temporary,

beneficial, minor

No – beneficial impact,

however, opportunity to

maximise by commitment

to use local resources

where practicable

Economic Activity

Economic Investment

Expenditure in the

local area, regionally

and nationally with

associated GVA.

Temporary,

beneficial, moderate



maximise by commitment


where practicable

Availability of Services

Influx of workers Strain on local

services

Temporary, neutral,

negligible

No – however commitment


where practicable


Footpaths, bridleways and

bike tracks

Disruption to access

due to health and

safety during

construction activities

Temporary, adverse,

major Yes

13.77. Table 13.13 presents the potential impacts for the operation phase.

Table 13.13 Social Impacts - Operation phase


potential impact Need for mitigation

Employment

Direct and indirect permanent

employment

Creation of

employment

opportunities

Permanent,

beneficial, minor



maximise by commitment to

use local resources where

practicable

Economic Activity

Economic Investment

Applicant and

employee spend in

the local area,

regionally and

nationally,

associated GVA and

also business rates

Permanent,

beneficial, minor



maximise by commitment to

use local resources where

practicable where

practicable

CPL PAGE 13-21



potential impact Need for mitigation


Influx of workers Strain on local

services No impact

No – however commitment

to use local resources where

practicable


Footpaths, bridleways and

bike tracks Changes to routes

Permanent,

adverse, major Yes

Tourist and visitor attractions Negative perception

of wind farms

Permanent,

adverse, minor No

13.8 Wider Impacts

13.78. Apart from employment and GVA impacts, wider socio-economic impacts may be realised as a

result of the Development. These could be for instance an increase in local skills through local

employment or the promotion of new local businesses. This can be especially relevant in the

context of an area that lags behind the regional average in terms of its socio-economic

performance.

13.79. The economic impacts estimated in section 13.6 can be actively maximised if the wind farm

developer is committed to:

Encourage local employment and provides training for local employees

Encourages local sourcing of goods

Works with the local community and schools to increase awareness on renewable energy

13.80. All these actions will not only increase the employment and GVA estimated but will also ensure that

there is a positive impact on the community in the long term.

13.8.1 Community Fund

13.81. In the UK, wind farm developers usually create a community fund associated to the wind farm in

order to benefit the local community. This is not included in any regulation regarding wind farms

and it is an entirely voluntary decision. The developers of Rooley Moor Wind Farm are currently

exploring a number of Community Benefit options, such as a fund to provide financial support to

local groups/projects, energy efficiency schemes and environmental educational programmes.

They are liaising with local groups in order to determine the best alternative for providing such fund.

13.82. Community funds can be managed by different agents or organisations, such as a local trust, local

community projects or the local council, amongst other options. Its size is generally based on an

agreed amount per MW, although it may take the form of a lump sum. These funds can be used for

a variety of purposes including:

Investment3 in business support and skills linked to the wind farm supply chain

3 Investments could be done both as a donation and as a loan scheme.

CPL PAGE 13-22


Investment in local leisure facilities

Investment in the local road network

Support businesses in investing in green technologies and energy efficiency improvement

strategies

Investment in encouraging tourism

13.83. As a result, this fund will bring additional benefits to the region that should be taken into account in

conjunction with the benefits presented in section 5.

13.9 Mitigation

13.84. Table 13.11 and Table 13.12 indicate that no significant adverse socio-economic impacts are

anticipated for the construction, operation and decommissioning phases of the Development save

in relation to the health and safety of the public when using PROW during the construction and

decommissioning phases where mitigation measures are required. This section outlines these

mitigation measures and also the measures proposed to offset the remaining adverse potential

impacts.

13.9.1 Construction

13.85. The mitigation required for the construction phase with respect to the use of onsite PROW has

been developed to protect the health and safety of recreational users while keeping any disruption

to PROW to the minimum.

13.86. The main Pennine Bridleway will be segregated from users and construction traffic. Users will also

be able to use alternative bridleways that take them away from the main Pennine Bridleway for the

construction period if they wish to take these alternative routes. At all times when users of the

PROWs are in the construction site they will have priority over construction traffic (see paragraph

13.92) below.

13.87. The construction compound, laydown area, substation and substation compound and turbine

foundations when being actively worked will be fenced, as will any open excavations where

required. All plant, equipment and welfare units will be shuttered up, locked and parked within the

construction compound when not in use.

13.88. Appropriate signage/information boards will be used at entry points (i.e. at points where the rights

of way enter the application boundary) to inform visitors of the construction activities. Signage will

request that visitors do not stray from the defined rights of way and will also show the location of

the construction activities and the access tracks.

13.89. The location of the crossing points will be fully signed in accordance with “Safety at Street Works

and Road Works A code of practice ISBN 0 11 551958” (Ref. 13-18) and Chapter 8 of the “Traffic

Signs Manual and Guidance for Safer Temporary Traffic Management” (Ref. 13-19). All

approaches to the crossing points will be signed to warn path users and construction vehicles of

the approaching hazard.

13.90. Careful attention will be paid to the surfacing of the access track as it crosses the right of way and

the condition of the footpath at this point.

13.91. All construction staff will be required to undertake an induction to alert them to the potential for

recreational users and to the environmental, health and safety measures that need to be taken. All

delivery drivers and plant operators will be briefed during tool box talks (i.e. a presentation to the

workforce) as to the location of crossing points and the safety procedure to be adopted for them.

13.92. All operatives and delivery drivers will be informed to advise site management of any deterioration

of crossing point safety. All drivers will be required to keep within an onsite speed limit of 15mph

and to reduce this speed further when passing recreational users using crossing points. The speed

limit will be rigorously enforced.

CPL PAGE 13-23


13.93. A Health and Safety risk assessment will be undertaken. If this identifies that additional mitigation is

required to ensure the safety of the public, then further measures will be considered, which may

include the use of banksmen, for example when plant is operating during the construction of new

tracks or at the site entrance. The role of the banksmen will be to ensure that anyone exercising

their right to use the rights of way is able to do so in safety away from any active or dangerous

works. Alternatively, it may be preferable to close the PRoW for longer periods (for example up to

6 months), should discussions with RMBC Rights of Way team indicate that this is necessary.

Should this be the case then a contribution towards maintenance/improvements to the local PRoW

network affected by the Development may be considered appropriate mitigation and a Rights of

Way Improvement Plan would be developed. Again this would be agreed with the Rights of Way

team.

13.94. Proposed mitigation measures to address adverse impacts during the construction phase also

include the continued engagement with the community to listen to, and respond to, their concerns

as the Development develops. An ongoing communication strategy will be implemented by the

applicant to ensure that the local community and interested stakeholders are engaged with respect

to any issues of concern and provided information regarding the proposed mitigation. The

construction programme and details will also be communicated to the local community in order to

reduce any inconvenience or disturbance.

13.9.2 Operation

13.95. The access track will cross footpaths and bridleways at six locations in addition to sharing the

Pennine Bridleway to access the turbines and, therefore, permanent signage will be added to

facilitate the use of the right of way. Drainage will be designed to ensure that runoff is away from

the footpath and any deterioration in the surface of the footpath due to the wind farm activities will

be rectified. Again all staff will be required to undertake an induction to alert them to the potential

for recreational users. All operatives and delivery drivers will be informed to advise site

management of any deterioration of crossing point safety. All drivers will be required to keep within

an onsite speed limit of 15mph and to reduce this speed further when passing recreational users

using the crossing points. The speed limit will be rigorously enforced.

13.96. Continued engagement with the local community will be undertaken by the applicant to keep the

public and stakeholders informed as to activities relating to the operational phase.

13.9.3 Decommissioning

13.97. Health and safety will again be of paramount importance and a range of measures will be

employed in a similar manner to those described in paragraphs 13.84-93 for the construction phase

and in accordance with a risk assessment which will be prepared prior to the start of this phase.

13.98. Consultations with local residents and stakeholders will be undertaken prior to the

decommissioning phase beginning in order to inform them of the proposed schedule and activities

to be undertaken during this phase. This will enable the applicant to communicate the expected

impacts of this phase, and allow consultees to feedback their concerns and queries. The applicant

will respond to and address as far as practicable these queries prior to the decommissioning phase

beginning.

13.9.4 Residual Impacts

13.99. With the proposed mitigation measures in place, the major potential impacts with respect to health

and safety during the construction and decommissioning phases will be minimised and the residual

effect is anticipated to be temporary, adverse and of minor significance. In addition, residual

impacts with respect to tourism and recreational amenities in the area are anticipated to be adverse

(assuming a worst-case scenario where all users and visitors consider the presence of turbines to

be detrimental to their enjoyment) and permanent, but of negligible significance.

CPL PAGE 13-24


13.100. There are a range of beneficial residual effects associated directly with the Development, although

these are considered, due to the size of the project, to be minor to moderate in magnitude, when

the project is considered in isolation. However, when combined with other wind farm development

in the region and across the UK, it will contribute to the economic stimulus they are reported to

provide. According to the BiGGAR report (Ref 13-9) the onshore wind industry supported more

than 8,600 jobs and was worth £548 million to the UK economy in 2011; of which around 1,100

jobs and £84 million investment occur at the local authority level in which onshore wind turbines are

located. This represents approximately £700,000 for every MW of onshore wind installed in the UK,

with over £100,000 staying within the host local authority area.

13.101. Overall residual effects are shown in Table 13.14.

Table 13.14 Residual Effects

Aspect/activity Assessment of potential impact Project Phase When Most

Apparent

Employment

Direct and indirect employment Permanent, beneficial, minor Construction, operation and

decommissioning

Economic Activity

Economic investment Permanent, beneficial, moderate Construction


Influx of workers putting strain on

services

Temporary, adverse, negligible Construction

Tourism and recreation

Disruption to local amenities. Temporary, adverse, negligible Construction

Reduction of enjoyment of

amenities

Permanent, adverse, negligible Construction, operation and

decommissioning

Access and rights of way Temporary, adverse, minor Construction

13.10 Cumulative Impacts

13.102. The cumulative effects with wind farms in the 10km study area have been considered on the basis

of the negligible/minor adverse socio-economic effects associated with wind energy development

and the Development in particular. It is anticipated that there will be no significant adverse

cumulative effects likely to result from the Development in relation to socio-economic effects in the

local area. However as reported, this Development will contribute to the local economy and when

considered with other wind farm projects which may occur in the area, additional benefits on

employment, indirect employment and supply chain economic activity will accrue. These are

anticipated to be beneficial and permanent and moderate in magnitude and significance.

13.103. It is possible that over the lifetime of the Development, the local supply chain could develop in

response to the cumulative opportunities that these projects bring. Recent work by DECC (the

BiGGAR report) has shown that wind farms do have a very real beneficial effect on the local

economies in which they are located

13.11 Offsetting, Enhancement and Monitoring

13.104. The applicant is offering a community benefits package that will enhance and create further

benefits associated with the Development.

CPL PAGE 13-25


13.11.1 Construction

13.105. During the construction phase, commitments to enhance the beneficial aspects of the Development

are as follows:

The applicant aims to ensure that, wherever reasonably practicable, local contractors and

employees are used in all aspects of wind farm development. The major opportunity lies during the

construction phase when suitably qualified local firms are identified and invited to bid for different

aspects of construction, such as foundation laying and electrical works. Construction materials are

normally sourced locally and local transport and plant hire companies used wherever possible.

The applicant will have in place supplier engagement processes to encourage opportunities to be

advertised locally so promoting selection of the most able suppliers and making it easier for small

and medium-sized enterprises to work on the Proposed Development during the construction

phase;

The applicant will aim to recruit from within the local area through targeted methods including

building relationships with local employment agencies and unemployment programmes. The

applicant will encourage contractors and sub-contractors to prioritise local recruitment. The socio-

economic baseline assessment identified construction skills as being present within the locality.

13.11.2 Operation

13.106. The applicant is proposing to establish a community benefit fund which will allow local people to

benefit from the wind farm. The community fund will be administered by local trustees who will

decide how the fund is managed and spent.

13.107. It is not however suggested that any weight should be given in the decision-making process to the

presence of this fund, but note does need to be made of the recent announcement by the

Government of the desire to see more community involvement in the decision-making process for

onshore wind turbines as well as the community receiving more in the way of benefits from such

developments.

13.11.3 Decommissioning

13.108. During the decommissioning phase, the applicant is committing to the following enhancement

measures:

the applicant will encourage contractors and sub-contractors to prioritise local recruitment;

the applicant will have in place supplier engagement processes to encourage opportunities to be

advertised locally so promoting selection of the most able suppliers and making it easier for Small

and Medium-sized Enterprises to work on the proposed development during the decommissioning

phase; and

the applicant will aim to recruit from within the local area through targeted methods including

building relationships with local employment agencies and unemployment programmes

the applicant will help those who have been in long term employment on the Proposed

Development find alternative work. This could be on another the applicant project or another wind

farm in the locality.

13.12 Conclusion and Statement of Significant Impacts

13.109. This chapter has presented the socio-economic assessment of the Rooley Moor Wind Farm

Development. More specifically, the economic, social, tourism and wider impacts have been

evaluated.

13.110. Overall, the Development is expected to give rise to temporary minor adverse effects on the use of

the Pennine Bridleway during construction and a temporary minor beneficial effect on the local

CPL PAGE 13-26


economy, bringing an estimated £3.440,000 and 21 full time equivalent jobs during the construction

period, and so therefore a negligible socio economic effect in the local area.

13.111. During operation the Development will have a permanent, adverse but negligible effect on the use

of Pennine Bridleway and a permanent beneficial and minor effect on the local economy,

generating approximately £400,000 per year and providing 6 full time equivalent jobs. Overall there

is a negligible socio economic effect on the local area during operation of the Development.

13.112. The Developer will work with the relevant local groups to introduce relevant mitigation measures

where this is required.

13.13 References

13-1 The Interorganizational Committee on Guidelines and Principles for Social Impact

Assessment (2003). U.S. principles and guidelines: principles and guidelines for social

impact assessment in the USA, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 21(3). 231-250.

13-2 Office for National Statistics, 2011 Census. [online] Available at

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/census-data/index.html [Accessed

30 June 2014]

13-3 Office for National Statistics. 2014. [online] Available at

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/index.html [Accessed 30 June 2014]

13-4 Office for National Statistics, 2001 Census. Available at http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-

method/census/census-2001/data-and-products/about-the-tables-and-products/types-of-

table/index.html [Accessed 30 June 2014]

13-5 BE Group (2010) Rossendale Tourism Study, Rossendale Borough Council. 2010

13-6 Rochdale Borough Council, (2013). Rochdale Publication Core Strategy, Rochdale Borough

Council

13-7 Rochdale Borough Council. Stats and Maps [online] Available at

http://www.statsandmaps.org.uk/metadata/view/dataview?id=134&norefer=true [Accessed

30 June 2014] The Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM)

13-8 RenewableUK (2012).Onshore Wind, Direct and Wider Economic Impacts.

13-9 BiGGAR (2012) Onshore Wind Direct & Wider Economic Impacts, RenewableUK and

Department of Energy and Climate Change

13-10 RenewableUK Briefing Sheet (2005) Public Attitudes to Wind Energy in the UK

13-11 Ipsos MORI (2012) Publications [online] Available at http://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/renewable-uk-wind-power-topline-april.pdf [Accessed 17/10/12]

13-12 Sustainable Development Commission (2005) Wind Power in the UK

13-13 YouGov plc (2010) Public Attitudes to Wind Farms. Scottish Renewables

13-14 Glasgow Caledonian University, Moffat Centre, and Cogentsi (2008) The Economic Impacts of Wind Farms on Scottish Tourism

13-15 Aitchison, C. (2004) The Potential Impact of Fullabrook Wind Farm Proposal, North Devon: Evidence Gathering of the Impact of Wind Farms on Visitor Numbers and Tourist Experience, Bristol: University of the West of England/Devon Wind Power

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/census-data/index.html

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/index.html

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/census-2001/data-and-products/about-the-tables-and-products/types-of-table/index.html



http://www.statsandmaps.org.uk/metadata/view/dataview?id=134&norefer=true

http://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/renewable-uk-wind-power-topline-april.pdf

http://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/renewable-uk-wind-power-topline-april.pdf

CPL PAGE 13-27


13-16 British Horse Society Advice on Wind Turbines and Horses to Riders and Carriage Drivers, [online] Available at http://www.bhs.org.uk/~/media/BHS/Files/PDF%20Documents/Access%20leaflets/BHS%20Advice%20on%20Wind%20Turbines%20for%20Riders%20and%20Carriage%20Drivers.ashx [Accessed 30/06/14]

13-17 British Horse Society Advice on Wind Turbines and Horses – Guidance for Planners and Developers [online] Available at http://www.bhs.org.uk/~/media/BHS/Files/PDF%20Documents/Access%20leaflets/BHS%20Wind%20Turbine%20Guidance%20for%20Planners%20and%20Developers.ashx [Accessed 30/06/14]

13-18 A Code of Practice issued by the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, The Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales (2001) Safety at Street Works and Road Works A code of practice, HMSO: 2001

13-19 Department for Transport (2009) Traffic Signs Manual and Guidance for Safer Temporary Traffic Management Chapter 8, HMSO: 2009

http://www.bhs.org.uk/~/media/BHS/Files/PDF%20Documents/Access%20leaflets/BHS%20Advice%20on%20Wind%20Turbines%20for%20Riders%20and%20Carriage%20Drivers.ashx



http://www.bhs.org.uk/~/media/BHS/Files/PDF%20Documents/Access%20leaflets/BHS%20Wind%20Turbine%20Guidance%20for%20Planners%20and%20Developers.ashx

http://www.bhs.org.uk/~/media/BHS/Files/PDF%20Documents/Access%20leaflets/BHS%20Wind%20Turbine%20Guidance%20for%20Planners%20and%20Developers.ashx

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