March 27, 2014
Wales

AM’s plan for big wind turbine riles up villagers

The Glamorgan Gem | 27 March 2014 | www.barry-today.co.uk

Residents in St Hilary are up in arms about a massive wind turbine that they say will overshadow the village and be seen for miles around the Vale.

A planning application has been submitted to the Vale Council by Greenfinch Investments of Stroud, for a wind turbine at Garn Farm,
St Hilary.The turbine will be 99.5 metres high, from the ground to the tip of the turbine, and will be visible on the A48, on the opposite side of the road from the existing St Hilary radio/TV transmission mast.
At 99.5 metres high, it will be not quite half the size of the radio mast, which is 229 metres.
Nevertheless, local residents are outraged, and opposition is building. One resident, who lives and works opposite the proposed site, told The GEM that she was shocked at the size of the turbine, and felt it was completely unsuitable for the area.
Cian O’Connor, the managing director of Greenfinch Investments, told The GEM:?“We can confirm that we have applied to the Vale Council for planning permission to erect a single renewable energy wind turbine.
“Subject to a successful planning application, we will progress the decision to deliver 0.5MW of clean renewable energy, enough to power approximately 500 homes”.
David Daniels, who lives in St Hilary, told The GEM that he was supportive of green energy, but felt that this turbine would be in completely the wrong place.
He said:?“It will be visible over a radius of 20km, on prime agricultural land in an area encroaching into the rural Vale landscape.
“It will also have the potential to set a precedent for further development.”
Another St Hilary resident said that she would be lodging an objection and added that the farm already had a solar farm operating, and said the residents had not opposed that.
• Local residents said that Garn Farm was farmed by Andrew RT?Davies, the Welsh Conservative Leader and a regional AM.
The GEM asked Mr Davies’ office for a comment but, as we went to press, none had been received.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/03/27/ams-plan-for-big-wind-turbine-riles-up-villagers/