August 8, 2013
England

Planning officer’s ‘no’ to wind turbine

Wells Journal | August 08, 2013 | www.thisissomerset.co.uk

Mendip planning officer Laura McKay has recommended to councillors that they reject the proposed 103 metre wind turbine at Maesbury Quarry.

This was despite the application coming with a petition containing 831 signatures supporting the plan, which also attracted 44 letters of objection.

Ms McKay has submitted a 33-page report for the consideration of Mendip District Council’s planning board.

This is despite the fact that the planning board has no authority over the application as it has taken too long to reach a conclusion.

Because it has gone past its deadlines, the matter has been referred to the planning inspector.

In her report Ms McKay concludes that: “The proposal would result in substantial harm to the setting and significance of Maesbury Castle, a scheduled monument.

“Harm to scheduled monuments should be ‘wholly exceptional’ having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework, and the public benefits of this scheme would not outweigh this harm.

“Members of the planning board are recommended to resolve that the local planning authority would have refused permission on this basis if the decision had remained with them.”

The planning board will now be required to meet and decide what it would have done had it done it in time.

Members of the board were scheduled to meet yesterday evening, after the Journal had gone to press.

For a report of the meeting see next week’s paper or visit wellsjournal.co.uk.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/08/08/planning-officers-no-to-wind-turbine/