March 24, 2008
England
England
A school’s plans to build a 15-metre high wind turbine on its land have whipped up a storm in Longlevens.Bishops College has applied to planners at Gloucester City Council for permission for the wind turbine with three 2.28-metre blades on its playing field at the back of the Estcourt Close school.
Twelve residents have objected to the scheme for the 6kW turbine which would generate electricity for the school and include the laying of underground cables to the school.
Only one resident wrote to planners supporting the scheme.
The generator and turbine blades have been designed to minimise noise, according to the applicant.
But some neighbours aren’t impressed.
Objections include concerns about noise from the turbine and blades, the effect on house prices and that their view of Gloucester Cathedral would be blighted .
Oxstalls Drive resident Elizabeth Jones said: “My other concern is that it’s setting a precedent. I don’t want to look out of my window onto a whole bank of turbines.
“It’s not attractive, they’re supposed to be protecting the view of the Cathedral which is in the local plan, This is totally out of keeping.”
Maurice May, of Estcourt Close, also wrote to planners objecting to the scheme.
He wrote: “This is the thin end of the wedge for more turbines to be introduced at a later date.
“There is too much development to the playing field area of Bishop’s College that has no direct relation to schooling.”
But planning officers are recommending the committee approves the scheme tomorrow at North Warehouse.
As well as contributing to the power needs of the green-thinking school (which has a policy to reduce CO2 emissions by 12.5% by 2012) the turbine would be used as an educational tool.
It would stand against the existing backdrop of 15-metre high floodlights to the playing field at the back of the school as well as similar floodlights at the nearby Plock Court Sports Centre.
The planning schedule states: “Given the proposed location set over 240 metres away from the nearest residential property to the north and the height in relation to the existing lighting columns it is not considered that it would be overly prominent or visually intrusive when viewed from the surrounding area.”
If it goes ahead, planners have recommended ensuring the colours of the turbine and blades are agreed by the city council to make sure it is not “overly prominent”.
24 March 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/03/24/wind-turbine-would-blight-the-landscape/