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It's D Day for controversial windfarm plan
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Controversial plans to erect two windfarms in Nantglyn were being considered in Denbighshire County Council’s Planning Committee meeting yesterday (Wednesday, January 23).
Proposals to construct a 16 strong turbine farm on land east of Brenig and another 13 turbine windfarm at Gorsedd Bran were being debated at the time of going to press, though planning officers had recommended that permission for both plans be granted.
The Llyn Brenig application is supported by 166 letters with 52 people writing to object, while the Gorsedd Bran application is only supported by three letters with 45 objecting.
Those in favour of the windfarms point to the positive reduction in CO2 emissions that renewable energy provides, especially with the targets set by the government to increase the amount of power sourced from “green” energy by 2020.
In the application for the windfarms one of Denbighshire County Council’s planning officers writes: “Whilst acknowledging the basis of concerns over aspects of the development, experience from previous applications and appeals suggest specific impacts…can be mitigated satisfactorily through appropriate controls.”
Local residents attended the meeting to object to the plans on the grounds of noise, flood fears and visual impact.
“Many local residents already suffer noise pollution from the Tir Mostyn site,” said County Councillor for Llanrhaeadr Paul Marfleet, who lives in Nantglyn.
“They fear that the cumulative impact from three different sites coming from three different directions will tip the balance to unbearable.
“With three different developers it will be impossible to get each of them to take responsibility for this.”
Cllr Marfleet said another key issue is the deforestation that occurs when the windfarms are set up and the implication it has for local people.
“Nantglyn just experienced the worst floods in known memory,” he said.
“Most local people believe this to be as a result of deforestation that took place above the village last year. When trees are removed, the water just runs off the fields.
“Both
these proposed windfarm sites will involve clear felling 100 per cent of the trees on the site. This will be hundreds of thousands of trees and this in the interest of climate change!”
People are also concerned by the height of the new turbines set to be 100metres and 125metres respectively, compared to the current 75metre turbines already at Tir Mostyn windfarm.
It’s not only local residents who have objected to the plans. The owner of the Tir Mostyn site – HgCaptial – has also lodged an objection to the site at Llyn Brenig on the grounds that the larger height of the new turbines would cause an unreasonable visual impact when placed so close to Tir Mostyn’s smaller ones.
HgCapital is also concerned by the fact that the new development will significantly reduce Tir Mostyn’s energy yield by disturbing the windflow.
By Phoebe Smith
23 January 2008
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