Landscape and visual

PEI Report Chapter 10 : Click Here

PEI Report Figures : Click Here

Glossary and Abbreviations : Click Here

This section summarises the preliminary assessment findings at this point in the EIA process for landscape and visual impact, based on PEI Report Chapter 10: Landscape and Visual.

Baseline

The project area is predominantly rural. Penrith is the largest settlement with other key settlements including Temple Sowerby, Kirkby Thore, Appleby, Warcop, Brough, Bowes and Barnard Castle. There are many smaller villages and hamlets including Long Marton, Bolton, Crackenthorpe, Sandford, Flitholme, Brignall, West Layton and East Layton. The intervening valley landscapes, although rural, are relatively well settled with farmsteads and single houses and groups of dwellings. Beyond the influence of the existing A66 there is a strong rural character and sense of place.

The following sites are located within 7km of the project:

• The Lake District National Park
• The English Lake District World Heritage Site
• The North Pennines AONB
• The Yorkshire Dales National Park
• Dales Fringe Area of High Landscape Value (AHLV), a non-statutory locally designated landscape in County Durham
• Several inventoried RPG
• A number of conservation areas including the Settle to Carlisle conservation area and East Layton conservation area.

In terms of accessibility of the landscape and its use for recreation, in the west of the project area there are public rights of way (PRoW) around Penrith and along the River Eamont that give access to the countryside and local attractions such as Mayburgh Henge and Brougham Castle scheduled monuments. To the east of Penrith the holiday village of Center Parcs is a focus of recreation with PRoW to the north and south. Between Temple Sowerby and Appleby the PRoW network is denser with a notable bridleway following a historic Roman road between Powis House and Appleby.

In the central part of the project area the North Pennines AONB provides open access land and PRoW that ascend the south-west facing slopes of the hills affording walkers panoramic views of the Eden valley in which the project will be located. The Pennine Way national trail passes through the central part of the study area crossing hill tops such as Knock Old Man and Great Dun Fell and notable passes such as High Cup Nick in addition to deviating into the Eden valley where it becomes A Pennine Journey.

The Pennine Way is also present in the eastern part of the project area at Bowes where a network of PRoW extends north and south into the North Pennines AONB and south into the Yorkshire Dales National Park. East of Bowes and between Rokeby Park RPG and Scotch Corner there is a regular network of PRoW that follow river valleys as well as broad ridges in the landscape and occasionally crossing the A66.

The Lakes and Dales cycle route passes through the project area as do several local cycle routes in Eden District Council and National Cycle Network routes 68, 70, 71, 165 and 715.

Construction

During construction there will be direct physical impacts on landscape character features and elements such as trees, woodland, hedges, drystone walls and alteration of features such as field pattern, size and shape and changes to topography, landform and rural lanes and byways.

There will be impacts on historic strip field patterns at Bowes and on blocks of woodland and stone walls at West Layton.

There will be loss of vegetation alongside the existing A66 which will change the character of the existing road corridor, potentially reducing the degree of landscape integration and potentially increasing visibility of the road corridor from nearby areas.

There will also be temporary changes resulting from the presence of construction compounds, site offices, construction plant, earthmoving and use of cranes to build structures.

There will be temporary diversions to PRoW and road diversions which will change the pattern of vehicle movement in the study area.

Preliminary construction assessment

• Likely significant effects on landscape character units (LCU) in a localised or limited part of each LCU
• Likely significant effects on a limited part of the North Pennines AONB
• Likely significant effects on a small number of residential properties at the southern edge of Penrith, at Kirkby Thore and Bowes
• Likely significant effects on a number of rural properties primarily within 250m of the project
• Likely significant effects on a number of PRoW and cycle routes including PRoW in the North Pennines AONB
• Likely significant effects on a short section of the Pennine Way national trail at Bowes
• Likely significant effects on visitors to Wetheriggs Country Park, Mayburgh Henge, the vicinity of Brougham Castle, Center Parcs Holiday Village, Eden Valley Railway, Brough Castle, Rokeby Park RPG, the Church of St. Mary, Cross Lanes Organic Farm, Fox Hall Inn and Mainsgill Farm Shop

Operation

During operation the project will increase the amount of road infrastructure in the landscape. These infrastructure components will not be wholly uncharacteristic of the baseline where the majority of the project is online. However, the increase in scale of infrastructure and the addition of new grade separated junctions, detention ponds and new link roads will increase the amount of infrastructure in the locality with potentially significant effects in a limited area.

Where the project is offline there is greater potential for significant effects as it will be a new feature in the landscape and uncharacteristic of the baseline. Traffic using the project will potentially introduce noise, light and movement into a baseline environment where and movement is limited or intermittent. While vehicle lights will be focussed within the road corridor there is potential for some light spill.

At year 1 potential effects will reduce in some instances compared to those at construction. Mitigation planting will not yet be established and earthworks and traffic will be visible during the first year.

At year 15 mitigation planting will have reached a height of between six and eight metres thereby achieving a degree of landscape integration and visual screening of the project. However, significant effects are still predicted for some receptors at year 15 due to the change relative to the baseline, particularly where the alignment is offline.

Preliminary operation assessment

Year 1

• Likely significant effects on localised parts of LCUs
• Likely significant effects on a limited part of the North Pennines AONB
• Likely significant effects on a small number of residential properties at the southern edge of Penrith and at Kirkby Thore
• Likely significant effects on a number of rural properties primarily within 250 m of the project
• Likely significant effects on a number of PRoW including PRoW in the North Pennines AONB
• Likely significant effects on visitors to Wetheriggs Country Park, Center Parcs Holiday Village, Eden Valley Railway, Brough Castle, the Church of St. Mary, Rokeby Park RPG, Cross Lanes Organic Farm and Mainsgill Farm Shop.

Year 15

• Likely significant effects on localised parts of LCUs
• Likely significant effects on a limited part of the North Pennines AONB
• Likely significant effects on a small number of residential properties at Kirkby Thore
• Likely significant effects on a number of rural properties primarily within 250m of the project
• Likely significant effects on a number of PRoW including PRoW in the North Pennines AONB at Bowes only
• Likely significant effects on visitors to Center Parcs Holiday Village, Eden Valley Railway, Brough Castle, the Church of St. Mary, Cross Lanes Organic Farm and Mainsgill Farm Shop