April 14, 2013
England

Wind farm warning issued

Published on Saturday 13 April 2013 | Berwick Advertiser | www.berwick-advertiser.co.ukPublished on Saturday 13 April 2013 | Berwick Advertiser | www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk

An organisation has called for robust planning measures to be put in place to ensure large areas of Northumberland do not become “wind farm landscapes”, which it says has happened in parts of Berwickshire.

The Newcastle and Northumberland Society, which works to protect valuable buildings and landscapes, wants Northumberland County Council to take its points on board.

The authority is currently preparing its ‘Core Strategy, Preferred Options’, document which will provide the strategic planning framework to guide future development and planning decisions up to 2030.

Lester Sher, chairman of the society’s Northumberland Environment Policy Group (NEPG) said: “We urgently need robust planning guidance to protect communities and our treasured tourist landscapes.

“If this doesn’t happen, ‘localism’ will be meaningless and large areas of Northumberland will become ‘wind farm landscapes’, as has already happened in parts of the Scottish Borders.”

The society is urging that policies should recognise that Northumberland already has more renewable capacity built, under construction and consented than any other county in England.

There is also concern the council has not adequately recognised the cumulative effects of turbine development.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/14/wind-farm-warning-issued/