December 20, 2012
England

North-west Norfolk campaigners take anti-wind farm fight to the High Court

By Martin George | Eastern Daily Press | December 20, 2012 | www.edp24.co.uk

Villagers who fear two new wind farms will spoil views from an Iron Age in north-west Norfolk fort have gone to the High Court to challenge a planning inspector’s decision to give them planning permission.

Two campaign groups are fighting six 125m-high turbines in Stanhoe, known as the Jack’s Lane wind farm, and five 100m-high turbines in Bagthorpe, known as the Chiplow wind farm, which would be visible from Bloodgate Hill Fort.

Wind farm operators E.On Climate Change Renewables and RES UK and Ireland Ltd were refused planning permission by West Norfolk Council in 2011.

However, earlier this year a planning inspector granted permission for the two wind farms, despite opposition from residents and conservation bodies including English Heritage.

Now the two action groups – Against Turbines At Chiplow (ATAC) and Creakes Action for Protecting the Environment (CAPE) – are seeking a ruling forcing the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to have the two applications reconsidered.

CAPE chairman Jonathan Powell said: “We think this wind farm is being built in the wrong place. The borough council wholly agrees with that and refused planning permission unanimously. The people of north-west Norfolk don’t want them. We believe the planning inspector’s judgement is flawed in law.

“We went into this believing we had a 50:50 chance and having listened to this I believe we still have a 50:50 chance.”

See tomorrow’s EDP for more on this story.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/12/20/north-west-norfolk-campaigners-take-anti-wind-farm-fight-to-the-high-court/