November 4, 2012
England

Stoke by Clare wind mast gets the go-ahead

Suffolk Free Press | 4 November 2012 | www.suffolkfreepress.co.uk

Campaigners say an 80-metre wind monitoring mast to be put up on land near Clare will change the landscape.

South Suffolk Wind Energy has won an appeal against St Edmundsbury Borough Council to put the mast on Canhams Farm at Stoke by Clare after it failed to determine the application within the statutory time period.

Iona Parker, from Stop Turbines Over Clare (Stoc), said the group now feared a fresh planning application for wind farm turbines on the site.

“It was not entirely unexpected that the mast would go ahead because of the appeal which was lodged by the company. However, we do think it changes the landscape in this area.”

She said another application to build a 78-metre turbine in Chilton Street, also near Clare, was still being considered by the council.The company making the application is West Coast Energy.

Telecoms giant BT shelved its plans for a wind farm on another site in Chilton Street because, after analysing 18 months of wind information from a meteorological mast, it said there was not enough wind.

“When BT first put its application in most people felt they had three years before any turbines were built because that was how long the permission on the mast was in place.

“But it’s entirely possible that Suffolk Wind Energy could submit a planning application for turbines at any time as they do not need to wait until they have collected enough wind data to put in an application which is something BT undertook to do before it decided to apply for planning permission.

“It’s something we are keeping an eye on and will have to be vigilant about,” she added.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/11/04/stoke-by-clare-wind-mast-gets-the-go-ahead/