●●●●●●●●●●●recognised environmental, technical and economic constraints.

These are
considered in detail below. This process of a number of
potential sites in each region of England. In selecting sites a large number of locations were
assessed and rejected. Most sites were rejected during initial desk studies, and many others
were dismissed following physical inspection and more detailed examination and consultation.
The south west region was further subdivided and the region covering the Den Brook site
consisted of West Devon, North Devon, and the area of Mid Devon west of the M5. The site
selection process for this area of Devon is described in the following sections.
2.3 Identification of Potential Wind Farm Sites
2.3.1 Wind farm sites have traditionally been selected using criteria based on a combination of local
knowledge and data collected from various public and private agencies in the form of maps
and reports. Now that government policy mandates a nation-wide wind energy policy,
however, a potential wind farm site can no longer be judged solely on its local context. A
potential wind farm site now must be reviewed in a context greater than its nearby
surroundings.
2.3.2 The large amount of data that is needed for consideration in such a regional analysis is best
handled using Geographic Information Systems mapping software, or GIS. Whereas data was
often concatenated manually at various stages of the site selection process, data can now be
digitized and pulled together in one complete package. Geographically uniform criteria can
then be systematically applied to this data, across a large region. Only the sites which best
match the criteria for that region will stand out as viable locations.
Den Brook Wind Farm
Volume II Environmental Statement
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2-20
2.3.3 This section summarizes the site selection analysis performed in the region comprising of
West Devon, North Devon and the area of Mid Devon west of the M5 The goal of the analysis
was to identify sites which are capable of handling five or more 2MW turbines, or a minimum
project size of 10MW or approximately 2km2 on the ground.
Methodology
2.3.4 When analysing a region for potential wind farm locations, the most practical method is to
look first for locations that are completely constrained from wind farm development and to
remove them from analysis. Constraints to development would include: proximity to houses,
environmental designations, e.g. SSSI’s, buffers around TV transmitters. Once the main
absolute constraints have been removed from the search area, a ranking criteria is applied to
the remaining area, with a score given from 1 (worst) to 5 (best).
2.3.5 After the initial removal of constrained sites, it was determined that the transmission and
access economic layers were of little significance. All sites are within 10km of a transmission
line and all are within 5km of a primary or A road, both of which are beneficial for access to
the potential site. It was also realized during the analysis that only a small number of sites
would be viable. Therefore, assuming the site was viable, wind speed and constructability
would be analysed on a site-by-site basis post-GIS analysis.
2.3.6 The Devon County Council (DCC) Structure plan contains a Key Diagram that shows an Area
of Search for Strategic Wind Based Energy Production. The area is not defined to a high
resolution and is therefore difficult to use within an automated analysis. It was decided to
manually apply the Area of Search to the results of the GIS analysis to further prioritize potential
sites.
Data
2.3.7 The data for the analysis have been grouped according to its relevance to the analysis. The
groups considered are ecology, economics, landscape, and physical. The tables below
describe the data used in each group.
Ecology
2.3.8 Ecology data encompass areas which are recognized for their wildlife, plant life, and unique
geological features. The following data was used to inform the analysis: RSPB Reserves,
Important Bird Areas, Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Areas (SPA’s),
RAMSAR sites, Ancient Woodlands, Nature Reserves and Moor land.
Economic
2.3.9 Economic data are used in the analysis to approximate the economic viability of a potential
development. While wind speed is the main driver of price, other factors to consider include
the access costs, or distance to suitable roads, grid connection costs are characterized by
distance to the transmission grid.
Landscape
2.3.10 Landscape data encompass all areas which are protected to preserve their natural beauty and
the features that contribute to that natural beauty. The following data sets were used: Areas

of Outstanding Natural Beauty (ANOB), Heritage Coasts and National Park boundaries.