1. Introduction

1. This Cultural Heritage Technical Report provides the cultural heritage baseline for the cultural heritage receptors considered in the Offshore Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report for the offshore components of the Berwick Bank Wind Farm (hereafter referred to as “the Proposed Development”). This Cultural Heritage Technical Report identifies the relevant guidance and provides descriptions of the cultural heritage receptors and their settings.
2. Following consultation, the potential effects of the Proposed Development upon the physical fabric of marine archaeological and palaeoenvironmental assets have been scoped out of the EIA. Such potential effects are addressed in a Marine Archaeology Technical Report and Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI), presented as part of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) (volume 4, appendix 22).

2.             Guidance

2. Guidance

3. Historic Environment Scotland (HES) provides guidance on the assessment of likely significant effects (as used by the “EIA Regulations”) on cultural heritage in the EIA Handbook (SNH and HES, 2018) and specifically the assessment of effects relating to setting in Managing Change in the Historic Environment: Setting (HES, 2020). The former advises that impacts should be assessed in terms of the cultural significance of the asset whilst the latter espouses a three-stage approach to assessment:

• Stage 1: identify the historic assets that might be affected by the Proposed Development.
• Stage 2: define and analyse the setting by establishing how the surroundings contribute to the ways in which the historic asset or place is understood, appreciated and experienced.
• Stage 3: evaluate the potential impact of the proposed changes on the setting, and the extent to which any negative impacts can be mitigated.
  4. Stage 1 has been undertaken primarily at the scoping stage which identified a series of heritage assets that might conceivably be subject to likely significant effects as a result of the Proposed Development. Additional assets raised by consultees have also been considered. This Cultural Heritage Technical Report represents Stage 2, defining the setting of the receptors and the contribution of setting to their cultural significance. Stage 3 is presented in volume 2, chapter 16.

3.             Study Area

3. Study Area

5. The Proposed Development array area is located offshore in the outer Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay region of the North Sea, approximately 47.6 km east of the East Lothian coastline, 37.8 km from the Scottish Borders coastline (St. Abb’s Head), 40.5 km from the Angus coastline at Red Head and 41.7 km from the Fife coast at Fife Ness.
6. As reported in the Berwick Bank Wind Farm Offshore Scoping Report (SSER, 2021a), the cultural heritage study area for the Proposed Development applied at Scoping extended 60 km from the Proposed Development array area (as it was prior to subsequent boundary refinements). Following updates to the Project’s boundary (announced in June 2022) and to align with the study area developed for the Seascape, Landscape and Visual Assessment (SLVIA) (volume 2, chapter 15) the cultural heritage study area has been updated and extends 60 km from the new boundary. Consequently, the extent of the study area has been reduced. This modification had the potential to affect scoping outcomes for two receptors; both were identified at Scoping in 2021, but now lie immediately outside the cultural heritage study area. These receptors have been included in the EIA notwithstanding. The refinement of the cultural heritage study area is therefore considered to have had no material bearing on scoping for cultural heritage receptors.  
7. As above, the cultural heritage study area for the Proposed Development extends 60 km from the Proposed Development array area, as illustrated in Figure 5.1   Open ▸ . There is no discipline specific guidance on appropriate cultural heritage study areas. Consequently, the cultural heritage study area is based on that developed for the SLVIA (volume 2, chapter 15), which has been defined through consideration of the blade tip Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV). This shows that beyond 60 km, the extent of visibility will be very restricted. Furthermore:

• At distances over 60 km, the lateral (or horizontal) spread of the Proposed Development will also occupy a small portion of available views and the apparent height (or ‘vertical angle’) of the wind turbines would also appear very small, therefore significant visual effects are unlikely to arise at greater than this distance, even if the wind turbines are theoretically visible.
• The influence of earth curvature begins to limit the apparent height and visual influence of the wind turbines visible at long distances (such as over 60 km), as the lower parts of the wind turbines would be partially hidden behind the apparent horizon, leaving only the upper parts visible above the skyline.
• The variation of weather conditions influencing visibility off the coast has also informed the SLVIA study area. Based on understanding of Met Office data, visibility beyond 60 km is likely to be very infrequent.
  8. Given the above, it is evident that there is negligible potential for the Proposed Development to alter the setting of cultural heritage assets that are more than 60 km from the Proposed Development array area in such a way that their cultural significance might be adversely affected. As such, there is negligible potential for likely significant effects to occur outside the cultural heritage study area. Guidance directs that the EIA process should focus on likely significant environmental effects (HES, 2013) and consequently, 60 km represents an appropriate outer limit to the cultural heritage study area.

4.             Baseline

4. Baseline

4.1.        Desktop Study

4.1. Desktop Study

9. Information on designated cultural heritage assets within the cultural heritage study area was collected through a detailed desktop review of existing studies and datasets. These are summarised at Table 4.1   Open ▸ .

Table 4.1: Summary of Key Desktop Reports

4.2.        Site-Specific Surveys

4.2. Site-Specific Surveys

10. To inform the Cultural Heritage Offshore EIA Report Chapter (volume 2, chapter 16), site-specific visits were undertaken to inform the assessment. A summary of the surveys undertaken is provided in Table 4.2   Open ▸ .

Table 4.2: Summary of Surveys Undertaken to Inform Cultural Heritage

5.             Results

5. Results

5.1.        Overview

5.1. Overview

11. The initial data gathering exercise identified the nationally important designated cultural heritage assets in the cultural heritage study area. These are summarised in Table 5.1   Open ▸ and shown on Figure 5.1   Open ▸ .

Table 5.1: Summary of Nationally Important Designated Heritage Assets by Distance within the Cultural Heritage Study Area

12. The cultural heritage study area takes in the fertile coastal plains of south-east Scotland and Northumberland, areas that have seen relatively intensive human activity through all periods of history. This results in a landscape with substantial and appreciable ‘time depth’ and the above designated heritage assets include Prehistoric settlements, burial cairns and hillforts, Medieval castles, forts and religious sites, Post-Medieval and Modern fortifications, industrial sites, designed landscapes, infrastructure and houses. In addition to these visible assets there is a large number of archaeological sites that have been effaced and survive only as subsurface remains.
13. Views to the sea are often available from many of the above designated heritage assets and in many instances, there are visual relationships between these assets and the sea that contribute positively to their cultural significance. These relationships may be functional, designed, fortuitous, or a combination of these.
14. Owing to the history of intensive activity, the setting of assets on the coastal plain and in the Lammermuirs, at the fringe of the cultural heritage study area, inevitably contains Modern features, including Torness nuclear power station, Dunbar cement works, onshore wind farms, pylons, forestry, agricultural sheds, modern housing and infrastructure, seen at close range or in the middle distance. Consequently, whilst numerous assets in the cultural heritage study area have strong visual relationships with the sea, very few are sensitive to distant change.
15. Cultural heritage assets have been identified as receptors where there is a known visual relationship with the sea that contributes to their cultural significance and which may be considered sensitive to distant change or where they have been raised by consultees in the 2020 Berwick Bank Wind Farm Scoping Opinion (Marine Scotland, 2021) or for the Proposed Development Scoping Opinion (Marine Scotland, 2022). Cultural heritage assets are listed in Table 5.2   Open ▸ and their locations are shown on Figure 5.1   Open ▸ .

Table 5.2: Heritage Assets Considered as Potential Receptors

Figure 5.1: Cultural Heritage Study Area

Figure 5.2: Designated Cultural Heritage Assets and the ZTV (Angus)

Figure 5.3: Designated Cultural Heritage Assets and the ZTV (Angus and Fife)

Figure 5.4: Designated Cultural Heritage Assets and the ZTV (East Lothian)

Figure 5.5: Designated Cultural Heritage Assets and the ZTV (Scottish Borders & Northumberland)

5.2.        Description of Cultural Heritage Receptors

5.2. Description of Cultural Heritage Receptors

16. The following tables present descriptions of the cultural heritage receptors, their setting and the contribution of setting to their cultural significance. The designation description is taken directly from the supplementary information attached to the scheduling or listing, provided by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) or Historic England (HE). In some instances, no such description is attached to the designation. Where this is the case, the description has been taken from the relevant National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) entry.

Table 5.3: Berwick Law (Viewpoint 7)

Table 5.4: Tantallon Castle (Viewpoint 8)

Table 5.5: Dunbar Castle (Viewpoint 10)

Table 5.6: Fast Castle (Viewpoint 13)

Table 5.7: St Abbs Lighthouse (Viewpoint 15)

Table 5.8: St Abb's Kirk, Church and Monastic Remains, St Abb’s Head (Viewpoint 15)

Table 5.9: Berwick upon Tweed (Viewpoint 17)

Table 5.10: Lindisfarne Castle (Viewpoint 19)

Table 5.11: Lindisfarne Priory

Table 5.12: Bamburgh Castle (Viewpoint 20)

Table 5.13: Dunnottar Castle (Viewpoint A)

Table 5.14: Bell Rock Lighthouse Signal Tower (Viewpoint C)

Table 5.15: Bell Rock Lighthouse (Viewpoint D)

Table 5.16: Isle of May Priory (Viewpoint F)

Table 5.17: Isle of May Lighthouses (Viewpoint F)

Table 5.18: Crosslaw Radar/Radio Station

6.             References

6. References

CANMORE (2022a). Fast Castle. Available at: https://canmore.org.uk/site/59944/fast-castle. Accessed on: 01 March 2022.

CANMORE (2022b). Dunnottar Castle. Available at: https://canmore.org.uk/site/36992/dunnottar-castle. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

CANMORE (2022c). Isle of May, The Beacon. Available at: https://canmore.org.uk/site/57875/isle-of-may-the-beacon. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

CANMORE (2022d). Coldingham, Crosslaw Rotor Radar Station. Available at:  https://canmore.org.uk/site/59795/coldingham-crosslaw-rotor-radar-station. Accessed on 26th July 2022.

CANMORE (2022e). Harly Darlies Radio Station. Available at: https://canmore.org.uk/site/342724/harly-darlies. Accessed on 26th July 2022.

CANMORE (2022f). North Berwick Law. Available at: https://canmore.org.uk/site/56674/north-berwick-law. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

CANMORE (2022g). Dunbar Castle. Available at: https://canmore.org.uk/site/57687/dunbar-castle. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

HE (nd). Bamburgh Castle. Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1280155?section=official-list-entry. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

HE (1986). Lindisfarne Castle. Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1042306?section=official-list-entry. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

HE (1998). The medieval and post-medieval fortifications at Berwick upon Tweed. Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1015968?section=official-list-entry. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

HE (1993). Lindisfarne Priory pre-Conquest monastery and post-Conquest Benedictine cell. Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1011650?section=official-list-entry. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

HES (nd). Ladyloan, Bell Rock Lighthouse Signal Tower And Entrance Lodges. Available at: https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB21230. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

HES (1993). St Abb’s Kirk, Church and Monastic Remains. Available at: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM2975>. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

HES (1998). Bell Rock Lighthouse. Available at: https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB45197. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

HES (1999). Isle of May Priory. Available at: https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/sm838. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

HES (1999). St Abbs Lighthouse. Available at http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB4103. Accessed on 26th July 2022.

HES (2013). Tantallon Castle. Available at: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM13326. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

HES (2016). Isle of May Lighthouse. Available at: https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/lb2712. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

HES (2019). Tantallon Castle: Statement of Significance. Available at: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/archives-and-research/publications/publication/?publicationid=16aaff25-613a-4a3d-ad7d-a7b700d833ae. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

HES (2020). Managing Change in the Historic Environment: Setting. Available at: Managing Change in the Historic Environment: Setting | HES | History. Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

Landscape Institute (2013). Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment. Routledge.

Landscape Institute (2019). Technical Guidance Note 06/19: Visual Representation of Development Proposals. Available at: TGN-06-19-Visual_Representation (windows.net). Accessed on: 02 March 2022.

Marine Scotland (2021). 2020 Berwick Bank Wind Farm Scoping Opinion. Available at: scoping_opinion_7.pdf (marine.gov.scot). Accessed on: 22.09.2022.

Marine Scotland (2022). Berwick Bank Wind Farm Scoping Opinion. Available at: scoping_opinion_8.pdf (marine.gov.scot). Accessed on: 22.09.2022

Scottish Government (2013). Planning Advice Note 1/2013: Environmental Impact Assessment. Available at: 3. Key Principles - Planning Advice Note 1/2013: Environmental Impact Assessment - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

SNH and HES (2018). Environmental Impact Assessment Handbook. Available at: Publication 2018 - Environmental Impact Assessment Handbook V5.pdf (nature.scot). Accessed on: 21 February 2022.

SSER (2021a). Berwick Bank Wind Farm Offshore Scoping Report. Available at: BERWICK BANK WIND FARM Offshore Scoping Report - Introduction (berwickbank-eia.com). Accessed on: 22.09.2022.