November 6, 2014
England

Turbine company to appeal refusal decision

Pendle Today | 06 November 2014 | www.pendletoday.co.uk

A company whose planning application to erect a wind turbine on agricultural land above Nelson was rejected by councillors has confirmed it is to appeal against the decision to the Government.

Huddersfield-based DC21 Group had wanted to put up the 47 metre tall turbine on land off Back Lane, Southfield, and Pendle Council planning officers had recommended the council’s Nelson Committee to approve the plans.

But a meeting on Monday night, the committee voted by a large majority to reject them on grounds of visual amenity and landscape impact.

The matter will now be determined by an inspector from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs after DC21 confirmed it would be appealing the decision.

Local resident and objector to the plans Michael Ashworth said the local population turned out in force to strongly oppose the application, and for DC21 to see this as some sort of battle that the company must win was disgraceful and disrespectful to the local community.

He said: “This was a case where the councillors put the preservation of the local amenity before that of a wider debate on energy provision mainly due to the lack of international government vision and direction.

“Companies such as DC21 exploit this and encourage small landowners to apply for wind turbines on the basis of making money, with a secondary bi-product of being ‘green’.

“Perhaps if the people of East Lancashire get a flavour of what DC21’s attitude is towards our countryside, the opposition to wind farms by stealth would grow and local councils will continue to listen to their electorate.”

Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Pendle, local County Coun. Azhar Ali, attended the meeting and spoke in support of the residents.

He said: “This application will be detrimental to visual amenity and harm the natural wildlife and local ecological systems in the area.

“It beggars belief that Pendle Council officers can recommend refusal in some parts of Pendle while supporting wind turbines in others.

“There is a clear problem with the way this government is forcing councillors to approve crazy proposals which would destroy our beautiful countryside.”


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/11/06/turbine-company-to-appeal-refusal-decision/