September 6, 2007
Wales
Wales
A Land exchange application for a £35 million wind farm on a scenic Amman Valley mountain has now been lodged with the Assembly.
Cardiff-based Cambrian Renewable Energy Eco2, and Betws Commons Holdings, have applied for an order to exchange 3.12 hectares of land for the siting of 16 turbines on Betws mountain, each standing at 110 metres.
The application also includes access tracks between the turbines and onsite infrastructure, including a sub-station and a wind monitoring mast.
Carmarthenshire Council approved the development, despite nearly 500 people objecting to the application.
But, Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Henley-on-Thames-based Open Spaces Society, has called for the application to be turned down.
She added: “There are so many objections from local people that the Assembly should refuse planning permission. Eco2 needs consent from the Assembly to erect turbines on common land.”
Ms Ashbrook said the Assembly has to be satisfied that the application is of benefit to the neighbourhood.
She added: “It is so hard to see how they can be satisfied when so many from the neighbourhood objected to the desecration of the local common.
But Eco2 director of projects, Chris Williams, insisted the wind farm had the backing of local people.
He added: “The majority of commoners supported the wind farm together with the landowners, consisting of 40 local farmers.”
6 September 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/09/06/35m-wind-farm-bid/