April 23, 2007
U.K.
U.K.
Plans to install a wind turbine next to a Shropshire reservoir have moved a step closer after planning officers backed a proposal for a monitoring mast.
The mast at Chelmarsh reservoir, near Bridgnorth, will be used to measure wind speeds and assess whether the area is suitable for wind turbines.
Bridgnorth District Council planners have recommended the scheme by South Staffordshire Water should be passed by councillors.
Members of the development control committee will discuss the proposal at their meeting on April 30.
Chelmarsh Parish Council has objected to the 60-metre tall mast, but agents for South Staffs Water say it will not necessarily lead to an application for wind turbines.
In a report to planners, the agents say: “This application is not for wind turbines and at this stage there is no presumption that an application for wind turbines will follow, and certainly not as early as this summer.”
Chelmarsh parish councillors said if the mast was allowed it should be in place for at least a year before any other development was put forward.
Planning officer Richard Fortune is recommending permission for three years under the proviso the mast is removed and the land restored to its former condition when it has served its purpose.
In his report he says: “The proposal, due to the slimness of the pole and the wire rope guys, would not be unduly conspicuous in the rural landscape.
“It would be sited at the foot of the dam to Chelmarsh reservoir, which is a man-made feature in the rural landscape, and would not occupy a skyline position.”
22 April 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/04/23/reservoir-turbine-a-step-closer/