September 2, 2010
England

‘Dirty tricks’ claim firm loses appeal over wind turbines

www.southwestbusiness.co.uk 2 September 2010

A wind energy company, accused of using dirty tricks to gain support for a wind farm near Truro, has lost an appeal over its plans.

Cornwall Council’s strategic planning committee had to decide an appeal by London-based Coronation Power over the council’s failure to decide on its application to build seven 120m turbines at Truthan Barton, near St Erme, within the standard decision time period and despite an extension of time to process it.

The committee resolved to refuse the appeal as it was agreed that had the original time period not overrun the application would have been refused anyway.

Clerk for St Erme Parish Council Sally Trethewey said: “The parish council was disappointed that the application had gone to appeal for non-determination. However, we are very pleased that the committee took on board the parish council’s and residents’ concerns about the visual and cumulative impact and resolved to contest the application.”

An anti-wind farm campaign group, 2Big2Close, had previously submitted an objection on a number of grounds, including noise, health and environmental.

In May this year Coronation Power set up a stall on Lemon Quay to promote its plans by asking people to sign identical, pre-printed letters of support for the development.

Some objectors claimed that respondents had not been given the full facts by the firm and were only being asked to sign in general support of wind energy.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/09/02/dirty-tricks-claim-firm-loses-appeal-over-wind-turbines/