December 6, 2014
Wales

Fresh fears over Greenfield wind turbines plan

Owen Evans | News North Wales | 05 December 2014 | www.newsnorthwales.co.uk

Plans for a pair of wind turbines taller than 17 double decker buses have left residents fearing for their quality of life, it is claimed.

Greenfield councillor Rosetta Dolphin fears plans by Kingspan Ltd for two wind turbines standing 78 metres (255 feet) high at the Greenfield Business Park would impact on the beauty of Greenfield Valley near Holywell – an area she previously described as “one of Flintshire’s crown jewels”.

The plans have been submitted about a year after the company lodged an application for two 110 metre high wind turbines at the same location.

“They have concerns about noise. What they are saying is at night, when the background noise has gone, the humming noise is still going to be there and in summer when they are opening their windows it is going to have an impact on their quality of life.

“They are concerned if they come to sell their properties, is that going to have an impact on their value?”

Cllr Dolphin said another major concern was the impact the turbines would have on views in the area.

She said: “There are also so many birds in the area and they will fly into them.

“The Dee Estuary is a Site of Special Scientific Interest classified as one of, if not the, most important sites in the UK for breeding and migratory bird population.”

In the fresh application submitted last month, Kingspan said it had undertaken a public exhibition and distributed letters to residents about their plans.

It said around 95 per cent of the power generated by the turbines would be used by Kingspan for its Greenfield factory.

In a report the firm said: “The tip height was reduced to 80m to reduce landscape and visual impact, as well as the impact upon Liverpool Airport and Hawarden’s Radar.

on-site renewables and the benefits to Kingspan, the local community, and the environment has been made.

“When determining applications for wind turbine developments, a balancing exercise must be undertaken to weigh the wider benefits of renewable energy against local impact.

“The proposed wind energy scheme will provide renewable energy that will deliver WAG’s policy imperatives to deliver 2GW of such energy by 2017 but also make a large contribution to the onshore targets within Flintshire.”