October 31, 2013
England

Unanimous rejection for Hemswell Cliff wind farm plans

By Daniel Ionescu | The Lincolnite | October 30, 2013 | thelincolnite.co.uk/

Hundreds clapped and cheered as Lincolnshire councillors unanimously rejected a proposal to build a wind farm near Hemswell Cliff, north of Lincoln.

More than 350 people attended the special planning meeting held by West Lindsey District Council at Lincolnshire Showground on Wednesday, October 30.

Throughout the day, the council’s planning committee listened to arguments for and against the wind farm proposal and debated the plans.

In the evening, the councillors made their final statement and unanimously voted against the wind farm at Hemswell Cliff.

As previously reported, the proposal was for ten turbines and ancillary infrastructure to generate 20 to 25 megawatt (MW), enough to meet demands of 11,600 homes each year.

The maximum blade tip height would have been 126.5m, with turbines placed across agricultural fields between A15 (Ermine Street) and B1398 (Middle Street).

Objections to the plans by RWE Npower Renewables Ltd came from all surrounding villages in the area.

Hemswell Cliff, a former RAF camp, now a residential area and business park, is in the south of the proposed wind farm, with Hemswell Primary School 1.1km south of the nearest turbine.

Some 2,000 letters of objection to the plans were received by the council, mainly from the Gainsborough area, across the district, and including many in the surrounding villages.

Among many others, the Ministry of Defence objected to the development as the turbines could cause interference with radar equipment at RAF Conningsby, Cranwell and Waddington, creating ‘false aircraft returns’.

There were also around 650 letters of support for the proposal, while the City of Lincoln Council and all other neighbouring district authorities had no objections.

You can read all the for and against arguments for the winds farm in the planning document.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/10/31/unanimous-rejection-for-hemswell-cliff-wind-farm-plans/