August 11, 2007
England
England
Plans to create a wind farm as an “iconic landmark” on the banks of the Trent have been withdrawn.
The triple-arch design provoked strong opinions from protest groups and residents.
Nottingham City Council has withdrawn the application to work on the design and allay concerns.
Designers wanted the 15 wind turbines on the southern bank of the Trent, next to the new Emmanuel School at Wilford, to remind people of Robin Hood’s bows.
The 250m-long, 30m-high structure was planned as part of the £30m Ozone project on the opposite riverbank. The project aims to transform The Meadows into a ‘carbon-neutral’ community.
It was hoped Emmanuel School could be partly powered by the turbines.
In June, the Post reported that an application was submitted to Rushcliffe Borough Council by the city council. But many residents objected.
Wilford’s village committee formally opposed the plan – although it caused a split with two people on the committee writing to support it.
One of those was resident Bill Roughton, who said: “It would be an innovative thing to do and set an example for the use of renewable energy.”
The Environment Agency said the structure was on a flood plain and the foundations could divert flood waters.
Nigel Hawkins, head of performance and business management at the city council, said recent flooding in the region had brought these issues to the forefront of people’s minds. Another objection came from Notts County Council, mirrored in part by Notts Wildlife Trust, which wanted more detail about how building would avoid damaging its position as a site of importance for nature conservation.
Mr Hawkins said the application was withdrawn before going to a planning committee to address these concerns. The idea had not been ditched, he said.
He added: “There is a 12-month window for the turbine plans to be resubmitted.”
The plan for a single, 65m turbine on The Meadows side of the river remained the priority, said Mr Hawkins.
dds to fri wind turbine lead
Notts Wildlife Trust objected to the proposal for the turbine array because of fears for birds and bats.
The trust also believed that there had been no assessment of the development’s impact on wildlife.
The single turbine is part of the Ozone project, which has about a one-in-six chance of winning £25m funding from the National Lottery’s Living Landmarks fund.
The rest of the money would come from grants and private investment.
10 August 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/08/11/wind-turbines-arch-on-hold/