September 28, 2011
England

Two parishes object to farm turbine plan

Cornish Guardian, www.thisiscornwall.co.uk 28 September 2011

A 150ft-tall wind turbine planned at a dairy farm near Lostwithiel has been formally objected to by two parish councils.

The single turbine, North West of Trevenning Farm, submitted by CMS UK on behalf of Mark Denton, would produce 55kW of power and measure 36m tall, with 9.5m blades.

While the Ministry of Defence made no objection to the application both Lanlivery and Tywardreath and Par parish councils, and one resident, have so far opposed the turbine’s installation.

Documentation listed on the online application on Cornwall Council’s planning register states that the turbine would be used to generate and supply the farm with renewable energy.

The application, received by Cornwall Council on August 2, describes it as a self-supporting steel structure which is painted white, including the turbine nacelle and blades.

It goes on to say that the design has been specifically tailored to minimise the structure’s visibility by blending in with the background.

However, the online statement by Tywardreath and Par Parish Council shows an objection on four accounts.

It said: “The turbine would be visible from, and have an unacceptable impact on, the Fowey River Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the Heritage Coastline from Gribben Head westwards across St Austell Bay.

“It would be visible from, and have an unacceptable impact on, the Luxulyan Valley World Heritage Site and the adjacent Area of Great Landscape Value.

“The visibility of the turbine would have a detrimental effect on parts of Tywardreath and Par parish and the erection of the 152ft turbine would create an unacceptable precedent in an area that relies heavily on tourism.”

Although the turbine would not be situated in Lanlivery parish, its parish council listed five reasons for objection which included: “The turbine would be visible from, and have an unacceptable impact on, the Fowey River AONB and the Heritage Coastline.

“The turbine would detract from Lanlivery Church, which is a grade one listed building and is clearly visible from large parts of the Castledore to Pelyn road.

“This large turbine in such a conspicuous location would distract motorists on the adjacent narrow and winding highway.”

In support of the application, CMS UK said in a statement: “The dairy farm is run as a family business and a wind turbine is a way of reducing the cost towards creating a sustainable and viable business which can be farmed for years to come.

“Mr and Mrs Denton are aiming towards a self-sustaining, low carbon footprint farming system.

“Using the renewable electricity on farm will also reduce the farm’s dependency and use of fossil fuels.

“The turbine has been located in accordance with Natural England guidelines to avoid any impact to existing ecological species near to the development site.

“While it is not possible to eradicate noise completely, the blades are designed to be aerodynamic so ‘cutting’ through the air and reducing noise levels.

“The nearest neighbour is some 400m from the turbine location and, therefore, noise will not be a problem to this property.”

The application is currently pending consideration.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/09/28/two-parishes-object-to-farm-turbine-plan/