January 30, 2012
England

Reject plan for wind mast, urge councils

Yorkshire Post, www.yorkshirepost.co.uk 30 January 2012

Three parish councils are voicing strong objections to a new wind measuring mast in a landscape fast becoming dominated by wind turbines.

The application for the 80m anemometer – one of the tallest in the country – has been put forward by RWE Npower Renewables which recently submitted plans to East Riding Council for a further 17 turbines at Goole Fields wind farm.

The mast is earmarked for farmland to the west of Welham Bridge, a hamlet on the A614, between Howden and Holme on Spalding Moor.

Councillors meeting on Thursday are being urged to reject the plans, which looks set to bring a wind farm application in its wake. Foggathorpe Parish Council, who are objecting along with Spaldington and Holme on Spalding Moor parish councils, say it will be an “eyesore”.

They state: “The parish council considers that wind turbine farms are expensive, inefficient and unwanted by a huge percentage of the population. Our area is saturated with these farms and the parish council feels that the East Riding Council should support this point and reject them out of hand.”

Last October a Government inspector approved plans for a five-turbine farm by Falck Renewables at Spaldington Airfield, but rejected a larger seven-turbine scheme by Volkswind UK Ltd. Both had been refused by the council’s planning committee.

Construction is imminent on the Sixpennywood farm between Gilberdyke and Howden. Coun Paul Robinson said: “I would have thought the residents had enough and they could do with a break. They say they’ve listened to recent appeal decisions and they are going to give careful thought about how it will fit with the consented wind farm on Spaldington Airfield.

“They purport to recognise the sensitivity of recent decisions, but put this in just before Christmas, spoiling the festive season for Spaldington residents.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/01/30/reject-plan-for-wind-mast-urge-councils/