September 17, 2013
England

Peak District planners turn down three wind turbine applications

Liz Roberts, Reporter | grough | Monday 16 September 2013 | www.grough.co.uk

National park planners have turned down three separate applications to build single wind turbines in the area.

Plans for a 25m-high turbine at Newhaven in the Peak District were refused because of the significant impact it would have on the cultural heritage landscape setting of the Arbor Low henge and ancient burial mounds close by.

The site is a scheduled ancient monument. The Peak District National Park Authority said there was also insufficient evidence on whether or not the wind turbine would harm threatened bird species, particularly lapwings.

A proposed wind turbine at Butterton Moor, 18½m from its base to blade tip, was refused because of the size and scale of the development which would have significant visual impact on the surrounding landscape.

The application for a wind turbine at Onecote, 17¾mto the blade tip, was refused on ecological grounds because the applicant had not provided a protected species survey for bats.

The authority said it supports the need for renewable energy but has to balance this with the harmful impact that installing a wind turbine could have on the national park’s natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage.

Although it considers every application for a wind turbine on its own merits, planning committee members decided that none of these proposals were acceptable, it said.

Councillor Lesley Roberts, chair of the authority’s planning committee said: “We support the need for renewable energy but our primary purpose is to protect the national park landscape from harm.

“In these three cases we have had reason to refuse the development on grounds of either landscape or wildlife concerns or a combination of both.”


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/09/17/peak-district-planners-turn-down-three-wind-turbine-applications/