Tetra Tech led the planning and environmental services for the West Benhar 30.1 MW wind-farm, enabling biodiversity net gain and habitat restoration.
We have been leading the planning and environmental aspects at West Benhar Wind Farm since 2011, supporting our client EDF Renewables in securing planning permission in 2014, and gaining subsequent consents for taller turbines in 2018 and 2020.
The Habitat Restoration Plan produced and implemented by our team is supporting EDF Renewables in compensating for lost habitats and enhancing the site to achieve biodiversity net gain.
Challenge
Our Ecology team wrote the Habitat Management Plan, Peat Management Plan, Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) and the Site Waste Management Plan. We also conducted several years of ecological and ornithological surveys to ensure planning permission was secured. The Ecology surveys we carried out included:
- Water vole population assessment
- Surveys to ascertain the value of the habitat present for butterfly species of conservation concern
- Bespoke ornithology surveys to assess the use of the site by nesting and foraging goshawk, providing specific mitigation advice to reduce disturbance to the species during the breeding season
- Water quality monitoring pre, during and post construction to create a baseline against which the project was able to confirm no impacts to water quality through the duration of the project
- Surveys for fritillary butterflies (a priority species) and their host plant (marsh violet) and consideration of the species in the development’s long term Habitat Management Plan
Our Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW) supported site investigation works by advising on micro-siting to avoid sensitive habitats. The ongoing support of our ECoW during the construction phase of the development ensured compliance with the CEMP.
Solution
The wind farm is now operational (opened Feb 2024) and has a capacity of 30.1MW. The Habitat Restoration Plan produced and implemented by our team is supporting EDF Renewables in compensating for lost habitats and enhancing the site to achieve biodiversity net gain.
At a glance
Client
EDF Renewables
Location
North Lanarkshire
Services
Construction environmental management plan (CEMP), ecology clerk of works (ECoW), habitat management plan, ornithology surveys, peat management plan, site waste management plan
The project featured in this article was undertaken by RPS, A Tetra Tech Company and originally published on RPSgroup.com. In March 2026 RPS rebranded to Tetra Tech.