EHG4314 - DBA and walkover survey - proposed Spittal Hill Wind Farm

A DBA and walkover survey was carried out by RPS Consultants in July 2006 in advance of a proposed wind farm development near Spitall, Caithness. With the exception of Spittal Farm Broch, a scheduled monument and the only prehistoric site within the application boundary, the landscape within the proposal boundary was found to be predominantly C18 and C19 in character. The landscape consisted of ruined crofts within drystone-walled fields, now used predominantly for grazing. Spittal Farm Broch lies within close proximity to an existing working quarry on-site. Construction work, mainly relating to the infrastructure rather than the turbines, would encounter few of these later features, and all construction and other activities will be considerably distant from the broch, ensuring that it will not be directly affected by the development. Some direct disturbance to three sites was considered possible, although avoidance and monitoring during the construction period would limit the direct impacts to these sites to a minimal level. The wind farm was predicted to have no direct effects of significance on cultural heritage assets within the site boundary or wider area. Indirect effects on the setting of Spittal Farm Broch and several other scheduled monuments in the vicinity of the wind farm were assessed as of moderate significance. <1>