March 5, 2014
England

‘We will not accept a Mechano monstrosity’

Market Rasen Mail | 05 March 2014 | www.marketrasenmail.co.uk

“A useless Mechano monstrosity” is how protesters have described a 102-metre tall wind turbine, proposed for Lincolnshire farm land.

Renewables company EDP have submitted a planning application to West Lindsey District Council to construct the wind turbine on land between South Kelsey and Moortown. The turbine would also be visible from Holton le Moor.

At a public meeting at South Kelsey Village Hall last week the overwhelming majority of residents were opposed to the development, with only five of the 86 people present in favour and 10 undecided.

West Lindsey District councillor Lewis Strange led the opposition. He said: “I have been involved in the Hemswell Cliff applications and we think we have managed to kick 10 (turbines) there into touch, so I don’t want people to think it is a done deal. “

He added: “These are useless Mechano monstrosities.

“It sticks in my throat that anyone would want to stick something like that (wind turbines) in this beautiful countryside. All it does is make a handful of people very rich.

“But these things have to be rejected on planning reasons.

“The fact that it would spoil the view from your house is not a reason. The fact that your house may drop £25,000 is not an issue. Visual impact on the landscape is a reason.”

One member of the public raised concerns it would have an adverse impact on the health of children at the nearby Cheeky Monkeys Nursery and said research showed links to hyperactivity.

Another resident said: “It seems a lot of trouble to go to for just one turbine. Is this a test to see if they get it and then to go for more?”

The meeting heard each turbine cost in the region of £1million. As reported previously in the Rasen Mail, EDP has also put in for a planning application on land near Caistor. It is expected both applications will go before West Lindsey’s planning committee on April 16, and coun Strange urged residents to turn up to the meeting en-mass to show their opposition, as well as putting their objections in writing to the planning officer George Backovic.

Coun Strange added: “There are a few areas we can challenge this on. It is not as cut and dry as Caistor as that really is overbearing on the town, but we can argue it on visual amenity, scale and dominance, sustainability, noise and flicker.”

Coun Strange said he would try to get planning committee members to a site visit before the decision in April.

E-mail representations to george.backovic@west-lindsey.gov.uk


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/03/05/we-will-not-accept-a-mechano-monstrosity/