March 24, 2012
England

Hopes of victory in fight to stop wind turbines being built next to sport field

Nottingham Post, www.thisisnottingham.co.uk 24 March 2012

A two-year fight against a plan to build two wind turbines in Burton Joyce could soon be over, according to campaigners.

Severn Trent Water asked Gedling Borough Council in March 2010 for permission to build the 132-metre high turbines next to the Poplars Sports Ground.

But Burton Joyce Parish Council submitted a detailed 200-page document against the plans.

A total of 1,196 responses were received by the council when consulting with residents – the highest number of representations the parish council has ever received.

Planning officers at Gedling have now recommended councillors refuse permission for the application.

The plans will be decided upon at a borough council meeting in Arnold on Wednesday.

Steve Cluff, head of the parish council’s Wind Turbine Working Group, said villagers were “extremely pleased” at the recommendation.

“We are one step away from winning this fight,” he said

“This is a complete vindication of what my group has been fighting for. We just hope the councillors will follow the recommendation of the officers.”

Mr Cluff, who will be speaking at next week’s meeting is also encouraging residents to give support to the parish council at the meeting, which will start at 6pm at the Civic Centre in Arnot Hill Park.

He said the planning officers’ report was of “superb quality” and highlighted a lot of the key points already raised by the parish council.

The report outlining the recommendation says the turbines “would have an adverse impact” on the openness of the green belt, the local landscape, and on pubs and churches in the area.

It continues: “The proposed development would erode the recreational function of the Poplars Sports Ground and the sports ground would suffer from visual encroachment as a result, which would be distracting to players of cricket and archery.”

The issue of visual distraction has also been raised by Sport England, who objected to the scheme.

Other groups who have objected to the development include Carlton-le-Willows Academy, Burton Joyce Cricket Club, Notts Cricket Board and the parish councils of Lambley, Bulcote and Thurgarton.

The plans have generated only five letters of support.

A spokesman for Severn Trent said the turbines would produce 15 gigawatts per hour of electricity a year, which would be fed into the National Grid and supply energy to more than 4,000 homes.

The spokesman added: “Severn Trent intends to use the power generated to provide its water and waste water services to the people of Nottingham, reducing the amount of fossil fuel derived electricity the company currently imports from the national grid and also helping us to protect our customers from future energy price increases.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/03/24/hopes-of-victory-in-fight-to-stop-wind-turbines-being-built-next-to-sport-field/