February 21, 2012
England

Bid to halt 130m Eye turbines

Diss Express, www.dissexpress.co.uk 21 February 2012

Despite Eye Town Council recently recommending two wind turbines earmarked for construction on the Eye Airfield estate for approval, the town’s mayor now wants to stop the 130-metre structures from being built – less than a week after Mid Suffolk District Council gave the scheme the green light.

The turbines would generate about £175,000 for the town council over the next quarter of a century, and the applicant, Wind Power Renewables, believes that they could power more than 6,000 homes.

But Felix Williams, Eye town mayor, said: “The cost of these turbines to me is just too great for our residents.

“130 metres is an almost unimaginable height – four and a half times the height of Eye Church tower, and higher than Salisbury Cathedral.”

The town council had a briefing on what it could do to contest the approval decision at its monthly meeting on Wednesday. However, only a refusal by the district council can be appealed against.

Therefore, the approval decision would have to be contested in the High Court.

Mr Williams, who has written to district council chief executive Charlie Adan and North Suffolk MP Dr Daniel Poulter about the “ridiculous” wind turbine bid, added: “There is a good chance we could win a High Court appeal – a precedent was set in South Norfolk.

“But, it would be at a cost of many tens of thousands of pounds should we lose, so unless some sugar-daddy turns up, the town cannot afford to go down that route.”

Last year, two 130-metre wind turbines applied for by another firm were also approved for construction on the airfield by Mid Suffolk District Council.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/02/21/bid-to-halt-130m-eye-turbines/