October 26, 2011
England

Residents in three villages wait for results of wind farm appeal

By Wayne Bontoft, Northampton Chronicle & Echo, www.northamptonchron.co.uk 26 October 2011

A planning appeal has begun against a wind farm close to a number of Northamptonshire villages.

An application for five 125-metre-high wind turbines, in a triangle of land close to the villages of West Haddon, Crick and Watford, was turned down by Daventry District Council in April.

But developers Volkswind UK lodged an appeal, which was referred to the Planning Inspectorate who opened the inquiry yesterday.

The inquiry, held at Daventry District Council offices, is expected to run into late next week.

The developer has since provided additional information in relation to landscape and visual impact, as well as cultural heritage, noise, transport and ecology for the panel to consider. In April the council had received more than 550 letters of objection against the wind farm, proposed to be built in land adjacent to Watford Lodge Farm.

Daventry district councillor Frank Wiig (Con, Brixworth), chairman of Daventry District Council’s planning committee, launched a petition calling on the Government to stop subsidies to on-shore wind farms and to look for alternative methods of renewable energy.

He said he and many other protesters were still strongly against the application: “I do not believe in this appeal, the committee made its feelings clear.

“We are contesting this appeal with the best of our ability.

“All these appeals seem to be flouting the opinion of the elective members.

“Feeling is still very strong against this proposal and we want to protect the Northamptonshire countryside, which we don’t believe is an efficient place to have a wind farm.”

In September, Daventry District Council’s planning committee withdrew one of its previous objections in relation to traffic, cited in the original refusal.

It came after Volkswind UK agreed an alternative route for heavy loads, now leaving junction 18 of the M1 and heading along the A428 and then onto the A5 before going through Watford village and to the site in West Haddon Road.

A second appeal for a wind farm in nearby Winwick is also looming, while the fate of a recent appeal for in Kelmarsh is expected soon.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/10/26/residents-in-three-villages-wait-for-results-of-wind-farm-appeal/