In our role as a pro-active landlord we are running a series of activities known as enabling actions.
1) The overall aim is to minimise any risk and accelerate the Round 3 programme to achieve 25 GW by 2020 (a quarter of the UK’s generation needs).
2) To achieve this, we aim to make the most of our strategic overview by tackling issues that affect more than one zone.
3) We intend to use our role as landlord to act as an honest broker between developers and the wider world.
4) We will encourage consultation, dialogue and understanding amongst key stakeholders.
To achieve these objectives we have a budget of £11 million to spend on external contracts over five years.
To improve wider understanding of enabling actions it is also important to state what they are not. We are not a developer so we won’t be applying for consents, nor are we a regulator so we won’t be making planning decisions. Enabling actions are designed to help both parties. Issues affecting one project or one zone should be directed at our development partners. Finally, The Crown Estate will not be party to commercial discussions.
Enabling Actions Reports
Aerial Survey Safety Manual
The Crown Estate has developed two documents to provide advice and to establish a known minimum standard for the operation of aviation surveys as part of the support for the development of alternative power sources off the coast of the United Kingdom.
The two documents are:
 The Crown Estate Offshore Aerial Survey Guidelines PDF (160 KB)
The Crown Estate Offshore Aerial Survey Manual (OASM)
PDF (1.2 MB)
The Crown Estate Offshore Aerial Survey Guidelines were first introduced at the beginning of 2009 to give guidance to aviation companies new to this specialised form of aerial work. The guidelines have now been revised to provide a standalone quick reference guide to the minimum standards for offshore aerial surveys where The Crown Estate has a continuing interest in the offshore activities. This version of the guidelines supersedes any previous versions.
The Crown Estate Offshore Aerial Survey Manual (OASM) has been developed as a framework manual for companies wishing to carry out aerial work survey activities for the development partners and tenants. The manual also provides the structure for an audit allowing a clear measurement of the operating standards of the companies involved. This audit standard can also be used if a company chooses an alternative means of compliance with The Crown Estate’s guidance material. This version of the manual supersedes any previous versions.
The OASM is derived from the existing European operations guidance for commercial air transport (CAT), which is itself founded on the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) standards and recommended practices contained in ICAO Annex 6 Part II for international general aviation. It follows the UK CAA’s guidance for A to A commercial air transport operations and also the work which was conducted by the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) in developing a harmonised set of requirements for Aerial Work operations in Europe. The JAA guidance was developed further by the International Business Aircraft Council (IBAC) and is the basis for the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO). Particular acknowledgement is made to the IS-BAO copyrighted Audit Protocol which has been adapted to suit this specialist aerial survey activity.
The OASM is an interim measure produced by The Crown Estate to establish minimum acceptable operational standards for offshore survey operations in the vicinity of wind farms or prospective sites for such installations. The guidance is also intended to establish a “best practice” culture for this type of aerial work which has not yet been addressed by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) as further development of the JAA work. As yet there is no International standard for aerial work through ICAO and the EASA guidance on Aerial Work is currently estimated for late 2012.
The Crown Estate OASM has been circulated to EASA, IBAC, the UK CAA and ICAO as a possible format for wider adoption for aerial work in the future.
The Crown Estate would like to acknowledge the support of Commander Aviation Services Limited in the development and production of this work.
Approaches to marine mammal monitoring at marine renewable energy developments
This report addresses the issues of marine mammal environmental compliance for offshore renewable energy developments, and is focused on assisting developers to meet their consenting requirements in terms of collecting baseline data and monitoring impacts. The report looks at the data which is required for assessing the risks to sensitive and legally-protected species, and the relative costs of different technical solutions. The report also gives examples of how approaches might be applied to different offshore renewables developments based upon a number of scenarios.
Approaches to marine mammal monitoring at marine renewable energy developments PDF (2.1 MB)
Zone Appraisal and Planning (ZAP)
Round 3 zone appraisal and planning PDF (750 KB)
This document (“Round 3 Zone Appraisal and Planning: A Strategic Approach to Zone Design, Project Identification and Consent”) was written to assist zone developers, statutory and non-statutory stakeholders and regulators achieve a better understanding of the Zone Appraisal and Planning (ZAP) process.
ZAP is a non-statutory strategic planning process for Round 3 zones, and is designed to give zone developers the opportunity to understand as many of the environmental and planning constraints as possible at the level of the zone. The process is essentially an extension of the normal project site selection processes to the level of the zone; as such there is no requirement for developers to produce documents or plans which are available to stakeholders, and zones where a single wind farm site will be developed might not undertake ZAP as a separate process.
Many of the activities associated with the ZAP process will be familiar to developers and regulators through their experience in the planning, consenting and commissioning of offshore wind farm projects. This document draws these activities together within a zone setting, and explores some of the possible advantages of adopting this approach. The document does not present a prescriptive methodology for undertaking ZAP, as it is recognised that individual developers will have different challenges within their zones, and different approaches to solving these challenges.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Chris Lloyd
The Crown Estate
16 New Burlington Place
London W1S 2HX
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