Objectors prepare for battle over wind farm
The latest controversial wind farm plan for Northumberland will to be heard at a public inquiry in January. Npower renewables’ bid to erect six turbines at Kiln Pit Hill will go before a government planning inspector at a hearing in Tynedale Council chamber in Hexham, beginning on January 6.
The inquiry follows the company’s appeal to the Secretary of State over the council’s failure to determine its application, originally entered in 2006, within planning timeframes.
Tynedale agreed to formally oppose the application in July having received a petition signed by more than 200 objectors, as well as 91 letters.
English Heritage is objecting on the basis of the turbines’ proximity to the Grade I-listed Hopper Mausoleum and the Grade II-listed St Andrew’s Church.
And Newcastle International Airport is objecting to the wind farm’s potential impact on its radar.
Shotley Low Quarter Parish Council is also opposed to the development.
Other concerns relate to the impact on wildlife, with the site on the route of migratory birds flying to Derwent Reservoir, and its proximity to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Objector Stephen McIntyre, 40, of Kiln Pit Hill House, last night said he is ready to do battle at the inquiry.
The architect said: “You could not possibly pick a worse site for a wind farm in Northumberland.
“The people who live in this area … live here because they love this part of the world and they are not prepared to see it vandalised in this way.”
Local people are also concerned that approval of npower’s application will lead to a number of other proposals coming forward for the area, with developer Wind Prospect already having staged a public exhibition on a potential wind farm at nearby Boundary Lane.
Joan Henderson, chairman of the Shotley council, who lives at Crooked Oak Cottage, Consett, said: “If they get one, the floodgates will be open. That is our big concern.”
Npower renewables was not available for comment last night.
The company’s John Ainslie has previously said that it feels people would still be able to appreciate the church and mausoleum if the wind farm is built. In July, he said: “We believe that Kiln Pit Hill is an appropriate site for a medium-size wind farm.
“If approved, the Kiln Pit Hill wind farm will make a significant contribution towards the requirement for renewable energy in Tynedale and the North East.”
The company also pointed out that the site is within a designated area of ‘least constraint’ for wind farm development.
Local authorities had asked the secretary of state for this status to be removed, but their request was rejected.
By Brian Daniel
17 November 2008
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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