December 22, 2010
England

It’s in the BWAG! Windfarm plans are thrown out

Horncastle News, www.horncastlenews.co.uk 21 December 2010

Plans to site a mammoth eight-turbine wind farm at Chase Farm, Baumber have been thrown out following years of ‘sheer hard work and determination’ from the opposition.

Planning Inspector David Rose dismissed an appeal by developers Enertrag UK following a public inquiry at Minting Village Hall in October.

Mr Rose was concerned the turbines, which would have been taller than Lincoln Cathedral’s spire, would have had a ‘significant’ impact on the landscape, heritage and ecology of the area.

There were also fears over the ‘adverse’ effects on the Ministry of Defence’s radar coverage at the nearby RAF Coningsby.

The decision was not expected to be made until January, but this early news is a breath of fresh air for villagers who have been persistently fighting the plans for three years.

Chairman of Baumber Wind Farm Action Group Melvin Grosvenor said: “This is the best Christmas present we could have hoped for. All of the sheer hard work and determination has paid off.”

This news has also been welcomed by East Lindsey District Council who opposed the plans at the public inquiry.

ELDC planning committee chairman Coun Stephenson Eyre said: “This is the result the council and community wanted. We successfully fought this appeal together.

“We made a robust argument as to why this application wasn’t appropriate for Baumber and the inspector has agreed with us.

“We need to ensure any developments we are asked to consider are sensible for the suggested location and we will continue to look closely at all the applications we receive so we can do our best to protect our communities.”

The opposition campaign has received vigourous support from Horncastle’s MP Sir Peter Tapsell and thousands of people signed a petition.

Here are Mr Rose’s main concerns which led to his decision:

Landscape: “The wind farm would stand in the foreground of the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, particularly in the outlook from the designated area, and it would have a significant impact on the key characteristics of the area as a whole.

“In outward views the turbines would appear out of scale with the landscape, often breaking the distant skyline and competing with the pre-eminence of Lincoln Cathedral.”

Cultural heritage: He was concerned about the affects the turbines would have on listed buildings such as Baumber and Wispington churches.

Visual impact: “A number of local residents would see the turbines as prominent and uncharacteristic structures and would experience a marked change to the outlook from their homes and gardens.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/12/22/its-in-the-bwag-windfarm-plans-are-thrown-out/