A rare area of upland heathland close to the Hazlehead wind farm in South Yorkshire, England, is set to be enhanced after a long-term habitat management plan was agreed between a development company and a global utility.
The work is part of National Grid’s ‘Going Underground’ project in the Peak District, located south west of the Hazlehead site, which is set to transform the landscape around Dunford Bridge and along the Trans Pennine Trail by removing seven pylons and 1.5km of overhead electricity line and replacing them with underground cables.
National Grid and Banks Property, the development arm of The Banks Group, have agreed to enter into a 25-year agreement to look after and improve a 13.5 hectare area of land to the south east of Banks Renewables’ three-turbine Hazlehead wind farm.
The project is designed to protect the indigenous flora and fauna on the heath, increase biodiversity, control incursions by non-native species such as rhododendron and limit any developing, self-seeded tree cover that might impact on the grassland.
Work on the public footpath that runs through the site will be one of the first tasks to be undertaken later this year, to help encourage walkers to stick to the available routes through the site and allow the surrounding habitats and the species that live in them to remain undisturbed.
Around £150,000 of the revenue generated by the wind farm will also be directed into its community benefits fund over its operational lifespan, and will provide grant support for community groups, voluntary organisations and environmental projects.
Banks Group senior land manager Robert Ormrod said: “The Hazlehead wind farm already delivers significant environmental benefits through the low carbon electricity it generates and this agreement means that the site can provide even more longer term ecological improvements.
“We have been impressed that National Grid is already delivering environmental net gains on its projects in advance of the government’s Environmental Bill becoming law.
“Our aim is that this work sets an example for how environmental net gains can and should be realised from substantial developments such as the Going Underground project in the Peak District project and we’re very pleased to be working with National Grid on this exceptional project that will protect and enhance the natural environment.”
National Grid external affairs officer Emma Bennett said: “Our Going Underground project will make a huge difference to the skyline in this corner of the classic Dark Peak landscape.
“The visual improvements and upgrades to the car park in Dunford Bridge together with the significant enhancements being made to biodiversity will all contribute to turning this area into a wonderful eastern gateway to the National Park.”