February 22, 2012
England

Firm may be forced to remove turbine

Cornish Guardian, www.thisiscornwall.co.uk 22 February 2012

A Bodmin firm could be ordered to take down a giant wind turbine next week after councillors and planning officers view the illegal structure this morning.

A public site meeting is due to be held at 9.30am at Callywith where the Dingle Brothers erected the 250ft high turbine last November without planning consent.

Cornwall Council will look at the impact the turbine is having on the area and decide whether to take enforcement action and order the turbine’s removal.

Graham and Ron Dingle installed the turbine, which is presently powering a waste recycling plant, despite earlier threats by planning officers that they would be liable to court action and a £20,000 fine if they proceeded in erecting it.

Planning consent was refused in September but the turbine arrived from America after the Bodmin company had paid £1.3 million for it before the council had decided whether it should be allowed to be built.

Graham Dingle has insisted that the turbine – which is more than 100ft higher than the landmark Bodmin Beacon – needed to be put up to save the Dingle Brothers’ business going under. The firm has since applied for retrospective planing consent for the turbine.

A council spokesman said the decision on whether to force the Dingle Brothers to dismantle the wind turbine would be taken next week.

“At their last meeting, members of the east sub area planning committee voted to stage a public site meeting on February 22. The aim is to enable members to see the turbine in place and hear the views of members of the public and interested parties.

“They will then consider whether to take enforcement action directing the owners of the site to remove the turbine at the next meeting of the committee on February 29,” she said.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/02/22/firm-may-be-forced-to-remove-turbine/