Report

The Woodsmith Project - S73 Project Amendments : Planning Statement

Strategic Policy G places great weight on landscape considerations, supporting only development that respects and enhances the local landscape character type and resisting proposals that would harm the National Park’s natural beauty or special qualities. Policy ENV2 requires that tranquillity within the Park is maintained and enhanced, permitting development only where there is no unacceptable impact on the tranquillity of the surrounding area, including visual intrusion. Policy ENV4 further requires development to maintain, and where possible enhance, the darkness of the night sky, with proposals expected to minimise light spillage through appropriate design and lighting management. The practical implications of this are set out in the Dark Skies – A Careful Approach to Lighting SPD (December 2023). Policy D06 of the North Yorkshire Minerals and Waste Joint Plan states that all landscapes will be protected from the harmful effects of development. For proposals which may impact on nationally designated areas including the National Park, AONBs, and the adjacent Yorkshire Dales National Park, a very high level of protection to landscape will be required. Where proposals may have an adverse impact on landscape, tranquillity or dark night skies, schemes should provide for a high standard of design and mitigation, having regard to landscape character, the wider landscape context and setting of the site and any visual impacts, as well as for the delivery of landscape enhancement where practicable. In Redcar and Cleveland, Policy SD4 sets out general development principles and requires proposals to be of a high standard responding to local character, scale and materials. They should also take opportunities available to improve the character and quality of the surrounding area. Policy N1 seeks to “protect and enhance the borough’s landscapes” by assessing development against landscape character evidence, including the Landscape Character Assessment and Historic Landscape Characterisation. It states that development will not be permitted where it would result in the “loss of features important to the character of the landscape, its quality and distinctiveness,” unless the benefits clearly outweigh landscape harm, in which case “appropriate mitigation will be required.” Chapter 7.0 of the SES assesses the landscape and visual implications of the proposed amendments to the Approved Development at Woodsmith Mine, Ladycross Plantation and Lockwood Beck. The assessment notes that a key change is the removal of the previously proposed 45 m high winding towers at Lockwood Beck and Ladycross Plantation, together with the removal of extensive earthworks associated with the formation of spoil mounds and waste facilities. These elements were previously identified as the principal sources of significant visual effects during construction. Their removal significantly reduces the vertical scale and overall extent of visible construction activity across the sites. Although the amendments introduce a temporary tall tower crane during the construction phase at Woodsmith Mine, its presence is short-term and geographically limited. While the crane will be visible from some nearby receptors, including parts of the North York Moors National Park, the SES concludes that these effects are localised and temporary, and are materially outweighed by the wider reductions in construction infrastructure and landform change.

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