Achany Extension Wind Farm EIA and LVIA
Environmental Impact Assessment for major onshore wind farm project.
ASH guided the Achany Extension Wind Farm through to consent in 2023. We are now undertaking the LVIA to support the S36C application for the redesigned project, helping to unlock over 80MW of clean energy in the Scottish Highlands.
Wind Energy
EIA
LVIA
Challenge
Informing the design of a wind farm within a sensitive environment through robust environmental data and expert landscape advice, and documenting the assessment of the project in a clear and robust EIA Report.
Strategy
ASH Design and Assessment led the EIA and LVIA for the project, producing visualisations and providing design input to help secure consent for the project. ASH continue to provide support on the project through input into a S36C application.
Results
The EIA Report submitted in 2021 supported the granting of consent for the Achany Extension Wind Farm. With ASH's ongoing support for the S36C application, the project aims to increase its contribution to Scotland's renewable energy generation.
Project Context
The Achany Extension Wind Farm is located within a sensitive area, being located adjacent to European designated sites, and partly within an area of wild land. Detailed input into the design and layout of the project was instrumental to the project gaining Section 36 consent in 2023 for 18 turbines. The project has since been redesigned to address feasibility challenges, with a Section 36C Variation application submitted in 2025.
Our Brief
ASH Design & Assessment was appointed to lead the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) for the 2021 consent application. Our role included producing visualisations, coordinating consultee engagement, and providing detailed design input in response to the site’s location, partly within a wildland area.
The project is currently the subject of a variation through a Section 36C application, with our scope focused on LVIA, visualisations, and consultee engagement, ensuring that the scheme continues to balance renewable generation potential with landscape sensitivity.
Our Approach
Throughout the design and development of the project, ASH worked closely with the project team during layout reviews, assessment and public consultation, helping to develop a scheme that gives due consideration to the sites scenic and environmental sensitivities.
Key actions included:
Initiating the EIA process and defining scope
Prepared and submitted the Scoping Report and integrated stakeholder feedback into successive design iterations.
Identified key issues early, including potential wild land and landscape impacts, to ensure a robust assessment.
Coordinated specialist inputs and worked closely with SSE Renewables to refine design options.
Provided expert landscape advice throughout design development, advising on turbine layout and scale to reduce effects in sensitive wildland areas.
Comprehensive assessment
Delivered a detailed LVIA, which included a wild land assessment and a series of photomontages, to support transparent evaluation of the predicted impacts of the project.
Prepared and submitted the EIA Report as part of the 2021 consent application.
Collaborative approach
Supported SSE Renewables at public exhibition events, responding directly to community questions and concerns.
Engaged with statutory consultees to identify an appropriate scope for the EIA Report and discuss potential concerns early in the process.
Worked alongside technical specialists to ensure environmental and planning issues were addressed in a coordinated way.
The EIA Report submitted in 2021 supported a Section 36 application, with consent being secured in May 2023 for 18 turbines generating over 80 MW. ASH continue to support SSE Renewables on the project through our provision of LVIA input, visualisations, and consultee engagement for a Section 36C application looking to maximise the renewable generation potential of the site. When built, Achany Extension is expected to bring the combined site capacity to 118 MW, making a significant contribution to Scotland’s Net Zero goals.
