March 30, 2012
England

Turbine plans are a big blow to villagers

Cornish Guardian, www.thisiscornwall.co.uk 30 March 2012

Residents of Nanstallon say they a fear a planned cluster of wind turbines will devastate the Camel Valley and are gearing up to block the proposals.

Villagers have already signed a petition opposing up to seven turbines close to the Camel Trail, and submitted detailed grounds for objection to Cornwall Council’s planning department.

The most advanced application, submitted by HI Angwin and Son, is for a 20kW turbine on a site at Lower Boscarne Farm.

However, surveys are being carried out for another six much taller 50kW turbines in the area and three “screening opinion” applications have been submitted to Cornwall Council, each for two turbines, at South Tregleath Farm, on land to the north of it and at Higher Boscarne Farm.

Tracey Osborne, co-ordinating the local campaign, said the impact of the turbines would be hugely detrimental.

“The height is such that they’ll become the defining feature of the landscape,” she said. “They’d cause significant damage to its character, be highly intrusive and damage the amenity value of the area.

“We firmly believe the smaller turbine application is the spearhead.

“Should it gain planning permission it will pave the way for the others to walk straight through the planning process.”

All the sites were in an Area of Great Landscape Value close to the Camel Trail, which as well as adversely affecting the local community could also be bad for the local economy, she said.

Local Cornwall councillor Mick Martin said he would always support the views of residents, but could not offer a view on the larger turbines’ impact until the applications were submitted.

“There’s one application for a small turbine, and all we know about the others is that surveys are being carried out, and planning applications are yet to be received by the council,” he said.

“I fully understand the concerns of local people if there’s to be a proliferation of these turbines on the downs near Nanstallon, but at the moment it’s a case of having to wait and see how many, and what type of turbines, will eventually be applied for.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/03/30/turbine-plans-are-a-big-blow-to-villagers/