June 20, 2011
England

Villagers joining forces to battle wind turbine plans

Nottingham Post, www.thisisnottingham.co.uk 20 June 2011

Plans to build a 66.5-metre wind turbine in Woodborough have caused uproar.

Farmer John Charles-Jones asked Gedling Borough Council for permission to build the turbine at Woodborough Park Farm last month.

However residents say the turbine would spoil the otherwise “beautiful” countryside and overlook Calverton as well as Woodborough.

Robert Smith set up the Woodborough And Calverton Against Turbines campaign group three weeks ago.

Mr Smith, who is chairman of the group, said he has already received around 500 letters from residents opposing the plans.

He said: “I’m open to renewable energy and I love wind turbines.

“However this particular turbine will have a dramatic impact on a lot of people.

“Its location on the top of a hill will mean it will overlook the two villages, affecting the lives of 8,000 people.”

“It would also create a lot of noise,” he added.

“It would be the equivalent of a pneumatic drill at a seven metre distance.

“The height of it means the noise will travel to the village of Calverton.

“It’s such a beautiful walk. There are between 10,000 and 15,000 walkers there every year.

“The turbine would affect everybody’s leisure.”

Chris Peck, of the Calverton Preservation and History Society, said the turbine would be an “eyesore”.

He said his group was concerned about its proximity to a Scheduled Ancient Monument in the park and added that giving the go-ahead for the turbine could also have a knock-on effect.

“If permission is granted for one like this, chances are people will start applying for loads of other.”

Mr Charles-Jones did not want to comment.

Myriad CEG, based in Lancaster, drew up the plans submitted to the council.

The plans say the 330kw turbine would generate enough electricity for 185 households per year.

The document also describes the turbine as “a significant farm diversification project”.

It continues: “The turbine will enable the applicants to significantly reduce their carbon footprint and to increase their self sufficiency in terms of electricity production.”

The turbine would be in the Green Belt but Myriad CEG wrote “any impact on the character and visual appearance of the landscape, in particular the Green Belt, is outweighed by the benefits of the proposal”.

Benefits would include an annual carbon saving of 462 tonnes, adding up to 11,556 tonnes of CO2 over the lifetime of the wind turbine.

A Gedling Borough Council spokesman said: “We have carried out a public consultation on this planning application and we are processing information received from the applicant and statutory consultees.

“We assess all planning applications on their own merit and when making our decision for this application, we will take into account Green Belt Policy and Renewable Energy Policy.”

For more information on the campaign group visit www.wacat.co.uk.

For more information on the planning application search for reference 2011/0523 at www.gedling.gov.uk.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/06/20/villagers-joining-forces-to-battle-wind-turbine-plans/