Interactive consultation with Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru
Bringing wind energy proposals to life
LUC is supporting Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru with interactive 3D visualisation platforms for their first suite of proposed wind farms.
The models are an important tool supporting Trydan’s community engagement programme. They allow people to explore proposals in detail and understand how wind farms may appear in the landscape when viewed from familiar places.
Supporting transparent consultation
The models help communities and stakeholders engage with proposals in an open and accessible way. Residents can explore landscapes within an average 10-kilometre radius of each site.
A postcode search allows users to view potential visibility from homes and local landmarks, helping people see what a project could look like in the wider landscape and from the places that matter most to them.
Representing real landscapes accurately
Each model combines multiple datasets to reflect real-world conditions. These include LiDAR terrain models, aerial imagery, the National Tree Map, and bespoke consideration layers that have informed the first draft site layout.
The team also carried out site visits and photography at key viewpoints. Together, this creates a recognisable, relatable and realistic visual experience.
Advanced real-time visualisation
The platforms use gaming technology to allow real-time navigation of each site. Users can move freely through the landscape and explore views from different locations.
LUC also produced animations, still images, and virtual consultation rooms to extend access online beyond in-person events. The models will be updated and developed alongside the projects, as proposals are shaped through the development planning process, informed by consultation feedback and site assessments.
Adding value beyond consultation
LUC’s visualisation team attended consultation events to guide users through the model and helped to gather feedback. The models also support Trydan’s internal briefings, communications work, and outreach activity.
They have already featured at schools and public events, including the Green Economy Conference in Swansea, and the client is excited about further opportunities to use the model to help different audiences and interested parties understand the projects and the development process.
See the models
Three traditional websites and virtual consultation rooms are available online, while the interactive models are available at consultation events.
- Glyn Cothi – Interactive 3D model supporting community consultation and EIA
- Clocaenog Dau – Interactive 3D model for a proposed wind farm
- Carreg Wen – Interactive 3D model supporting public engagement
“The 3D digital model is an excellent tool for visualising what a project can look like in the local landscape, from close up, or from kilometres away. It helps provide context and illustrates how some features, such as trees and buildings, or topographic effects, mean the turbines are less apparent when observed from certain locations, and more obvious from other viewpoints. It allows direct comparison with existing turbines where they exist, which people are often keen to see. It makes the data and designs we draw up easily accessible to a wide range of people, young and older, and in turn helps us gather informed and specific feedback on our proposals.”
Dr Catrin Ellis-JonesHead of Public Involvement, Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru
