November 24, 2014
England

Turbine plan rejected by Government

Daventry Express | 24 November 2014 | www.daventryexpress.co.uk

The Government has dismissed plans for a new wind turbine in the Daventry district because of the impact it would have had on a Grade II listed building on the same land.

The plan for the 45-metre turbine on land at Long Furlong Farm on Catesby Road in Hellidon was originally thrown out by Daventry District Council in April last year.

However, the applicant Alistair Haigh launched an appeal and was originally granted permission by the Planning Inspectorate.

The saga took a further twist when following the closure of the inquiry villagers Tony Gulliver and Patricia Laing, of nearby Ryton Hill House, wrote to the Secretary of State about the impact of the proposed development on bats.

While that concern was dismissed by the Secretary of State, he stated the turbine would have an impact on the Grade II listed Long Furlong Farmhouse and therefore refused planning permission.

The report published on Monday said: “The Secretary of State agrees with the Inspector that the development would impact on views to Long Furlong Farmhouse, a Grade II listed building. He further agrees that the wind turbine would appear in many views to and from the listed building.

“However, while he agrees that the wind turbine would not change the overriding use of the farmland, he does not agree that the wind turbine would not significantly change the character of the farmland, or that it would contribute to the continued development of the farm and would not be out of place.

“He concludes that while this is a working environment with changes to the setting relating to changing needs in modern farming, it is also farmland centring on a listed building dating from the 18th century, and thus that the introduction of a piece of large, prominent modern equipment will inevitably change its setting.

“The Secretary of State further disagrees that the impact on views of the listed building from some aspects would only have a limited impact on the overall significance of the listed building, as he concludes that the introduction of a large, modern, aerodynamic structure, of a different scale and appearance to most other features that are found in the countryside, into the vicinity of an 18th century listed farmhouse, would substantially alter the significance of that farmhouse.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/11/24/turbine-plan-rejected-by-government/