January 2, 2008
England
England
Supermarket giant Asda has admitted a massive wind turbine it wants to build at its Northampton distribution depot could be seen as far away as Wellingborough.
Asda plans to build the 417ft wind turbine at its Brackmills depot in May and revealed the turbine would be exactly the same size as the Express Lifts Tower.
But latest plans submitted by the company to the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC) reveal the massive structure could in theory be seen all across Northampton and as far away as Wellingborough and Long Buckby.
David Hurst, of Great Houghton Parish Council, which has opposed the plans, said the turbine’s height made it unsuitable for the area.
But in documents submitted with its planning application for the turbine, Asda said its location in the company’s staff car park meant it would not damage the area.
The firm’s application said: “The balance of securing energy generation against issues of visual amenity is inevitable in cases involving wind turbines where it is acknowledged that these can exert a visual influence across the landscape.
“However this proposal, rather than the more typical rural wind farm site, is sited in an industrial/commercial area where visual and landscape issues are of lower concern.”
The WNDC is expected to make a final decision on whether the wind turbine can be built later this year.
1 January 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/01/02/plans-unveiled-for-giant-turbine/