January 28, 2011
England

Lenchwick Windfarm refused

Nigel Slater, Evesham Observer, www.eveshamobserver.co.uk 28 January 2011

A controversial plan to build a wind-farm in Lenchwick has been refused by Wychavon District Council.
Councillors decided to back the officer’s recommendation to reject ScottishPower Renewable’s plans to build five giant wind turbines in the heart of the Vale’s countryside for a period of 25 years.
The decision to refuse the application turned out to be a landslide with only just two councillors voting for the proposal to go ahead with the remaining 20 members refusing it.
More than 200 people packed into the special development control committee meeting held yesterday (Thursday) at the Civic Centre in Pershore including dozens of objectors from VVASP (Vale Villages Against ScottishPower) and supporters from BLoW (Back Local Windfarms).
Councillors on the committee said they were concerned the huge turbines would lead to an unacceptable adverse impact on the character of the landscape and would be a visual intrusion.
Potential noise levels were also a big concern with nearby residential properties like Manor Farm and Manor Farm Cottage facing excessive and unreasonable levels of noise.
Other reasons included visual amenity with the turbines creating an overly imposing, dominating and oppressive visual effect and the Highways Agency expressed concerns about the use of the M5 and A46 to deliver the wind turbine components.
At the meeting Coun Audrey Steel said: “In terms of noise It is very clear to me there will be an unacceptable noise input to nearby residential properties.”
Coun Adrian Darby also objected. “This is an area which is small but of precious Worcestershire landscape and the landscape is not compatible with this scale of operation,” he said.
A spokesman for ScottishPower Renewables said a decision to launch an appeal or not will be made after looking into the final planning report.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/01/28/lenchwick-windfarm-refused/