January 27, 2011
England

Village joy as wind farm plan defeated

www.thisiscornwall.co.uk 27 January 2011

Plans for a wind farm that would have dominated the skyline near Truro have been thrown out by a government planning inspector.

The decision effectively ends a three-year battle by homeowners at Trispen and St Erme who have vehemently opposed the Truthan Barton Farm project.

Under the plans by London-based Coronation Power seven turbines – up to 400ft high at their tip – would have been built on farmland along the A39.

Part of the site is less than half a mile from the two villages, sparking noise, health and environmental concerns.

The company forced an appeal on the grounds of non-determination of its planning application after Cornwall Council’s strategic planning panel asked for further information. However following a four-day inquiry in December the inspector concluded it would have harmed the local area and should not proceed.

Martin Pearse, a partner at Follet Stock Solicitors and chairman of 2Big2Close, the pressure group set up to oppose the wind farm, said the whole village was relieved at the news.

He said: “Trispen and St Erme is your typical modest country area and people are not used to this sort of thing. They were up against a developer which had a seemingly endless budget. The whole process must have cost them £100,000, they had a QC leading their case.

“The people of Trispen, supported by the council, beat them. It does not get much better than that.

“The will of the local people was expressed at every level by the parish, county councillors, the MP and by the ward member and counted in the end.

“The developer said from the outset that he did not expect to win over local opinion and that he expected the council to vote against it and he expected to win on appeal.

“It has been almost three years and when you are living under that sort of threat it seems a lot longer.”

“I made a call within five minutes of getting their decision through and the person I was speaking to already knew.

“My wife said she was telling people who hadn’t heard and they had tears of relief and joy.

“Many of the elderly people have found this very stressful.

“This has affected the lives of 1,500 people, if we don’t have a party then there’s something very wrong.”

Joyce Duffin, who sat on the strategic planning panel that was deciding the issue, said: “I’m pro wind farms but I think the issue is the size of them.

“It is a balancing act but it cannot be at the cost of everything else.”

Coronation Power was unavailable for comment.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/01/27/village-joy-as-wind-farm-plan-defeated/