November 6, 2013
England

Giant turbine proposal rejected by planners

Cornish Guardian | November 06, 2013 | www.thisiscornwall.co.uk

An application by a farmer to erect a 220ft-high wind turbine on his land near Camelford was turned down by planners on Monday.

Andrew Kempthorne applied to erect a single 500kW wind turbine with a maximum height to tip of 67 metres (220ft) at Bodulgate Farm, Trewalder, near Camelford and Delabole, but members of the east sub-area planning committee, meeting at Liskeard, rejected it by ten votes to three.

Mr Kempthorne said it would make his 600-cow dairy unit self-sufficient with renewable energy, but Camelford Town Council was unanimously opposed when it considered his application in September.

Rob Rotchell, Cornwall councillor for Camelford, told Monday’s meeting that he objected on the grounds of the cumulative impact on the local area specifically and North Cornwall generally. He said it was not essential for the success of the business and not essential to achieve Cornwall’s green energy targets.

Local resident Chris Willars, speaking on behalf of the Allen Valley Community Action Group, said the turbine would have a visual and cumulative impact on the area and would harm a scheduled monument, the Iron Age hillfort at Castle Goff.

The Bodulgate plan was one of two wind turbine applications which had met opposition from neighbours and from local councils but were recommended for permission when they went before Monday’s meeting.

The Treburrow Farm Partnership won its application to erect a wind turbine at Rowlands Corner, 1.8 km west of Egloskerry, near Launceston.

The 55kW wind turbine will have a maximum tip height of 34.4 metres –114ft.

The applicant said the proposal would help offset the running costs and carbon footprint of the working farm and dwellings.

Cornwall Council’s planning department said the proposal made a positive contribution towards the generation of renewable energy.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/11/06/giant-turbine-proposal-rejected-by-planners/