January 21, 2013
England

Wind farm debate frustrates council

19 January 2013 | www.daventryexpress.co.uk

Parish councillors in Long Buckby were left frustrated and angry at meeting on Monday when debating the decision to oppose a planning application for a wind turbine in the village.

Councillors feared their concerns about erecting a new 275kw wind turbine on land to South East of the village would not be listened to but concluded it was their duty to vote against the application in spite of this.

If erected the turbine will measure 71 meters to the tip of the blade with access to the turbine from East street.

It will also be visible from most of the village and is just one of several turbines to be put up in and around the village recently.

Parish councillor Phill Townsend said: “They take no notice, even when you come up with valid reasons the turbine should not be built, they rubber stamp it anyway.

“We can object to it to DDC but it’s like we might as well not bother.”

Many councillors felt a similar frustration and debated their options as a council including asking for money if the turbine was to be erected that could then be used in the village.

However councillors concluded they should object to the application as they felt it was ‘the right thing to do’ despite feeling that in terms of planning this application would be difficult to turn down.

Chairman of the council, Steve Osborne, said the council would object to it on the usual grounds – which include its visual impact, proximity to housing and noise intrusion – but also on the grounds that an area of land would need to be concreted over to access the turbine and that this will be another in a long line of turbines in the local area.

Five 125-metre turbines were recently approved at Watford Lodge as well as two 71-metre high turbines at White Barn Farm near Long Buckby station and two 24.5-metre high ones at Two Hides Farm in Watford.

Villagers are also awaiting a decision on an application to construct seven turbines and a meteorological mast on land to the south of Station Road and east of the M1 in Watford.

These applications caught the attention of a Gusher reader in Milton Keynes last week who wrote in to say he and his partner would not move to Long Buckby until the potential effects of these types of developments were clear.

Jonathan Collins said, in his letter: “This development may well spoil what is a popular circular walking route from the town”.

His concerns about the number turbines being built echoed that of the parish council.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/01/21/wind-farm-debate-frustrates-council/