January 17, 2012
England

Wind turbine on councillor’s land dubbed a ‘blot’

The Citizen, www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk 17 January 2012

Wind turbine proposals for a key planning decision maker’s farm have angered residents.

Stroud District Council development control committee chairman Graham Littleton wants to put up a 33.5m turbine on his farm.

But resident Gordon Davis, who can see the site from his home said it will not generate enough electricity and is in the wrong place.

Mr Littleton (Conservative, Hardwicke) will not be in the council chamber when his committee makes a decision on a piece of land he owns south of Velthouse Farm on February 14.

He said he has done everything by the book to avoid a conflict of interests.

But Mr Davis said he had concerns about the plans.

He also questioned how Mr Littleton’s committee could turn down plans for four 120m high turbines at Stinchcombe when he is in favour of a turbine on his land.

“A good part of Elmore and Westbury-on-Severn will see it,” he said. “It will be a blot on the landscape.”

The site is in Hardwicke parish, near the junction of the boundary with Elmore and Longney. Elmore Parish Council has objected, as has falconer Ben Long, who runs his business nearby. Hardwicke Parish Council wants to see the site before taking a view.

Mr Littleton’s planning agent Greg McCormick said the application is for an 11kilowatt turbine designed for low wind speeds and at a wind speed of 5.6 metres per second it will generate an average of 30,000 kWh/y [kiloWatt hours per year] – equivalent to the consumption of 6.84 average homes.

The tower would stand at 27m with the blades hitting an arc extending to 33.5m.

Mr Littleton said he should not be precluded from putting in a planning application because of his position.

“I chaired the committee when the Stinchcombe application was refused on landscape grounds,” he said.

“That was for 120m high turbines – my application is for a lot less than that.

“It will go before the committee on February 14 and I will not be in the chamber for that decision but I have a right to apply for planning permission, which I have done in the past.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/01/17/wind-turbine-on-councillors-land-dubbed-a-blot/