January 6, 2015
England

Objections to Selby wind turbine

By Dan Bean | York Press | 6 January 2015 | www.yorkpress.co.uk

Residents near Selby have spoken out against plans for a new wind turbine close to their homes.

Plans were submitted to build a 250-foot turbine close to a small caravan park and three holiday bungalows – known as South Newlands Farm – which cater for the disabled in Riccall, and were refused by Selby District Council in April. Developers Farmwind Ltd have appealed against the decision, but Peggy Swann, owner of the bungalows, said a poll of customers showed opposition to the plans.

She said: “We asked some of our customers what they thought about a turbine and 87 per cent of them said the proposed wind turbine would make staying here less attractive.

“We have worked very hard to build this business. Over the years it has brought a lot of money into Selby District. We now want to add a fourth bungalow which has been designed for blind guests but if fewer people decide to stay with us we could not take the risk of building it.”

The turbine was refused due to impact on nearby homes and South Newlands Farm, a decision welcomed by residents and MP for Selby and Ainsty, Nigel Adams.

He said: “Selby Council took the right decision, they considered the impact that the turbine would have and decided that it was not acceptable. The Parish Council are also to be commended for making a strong objection which mirrored the majority of local residents who were opposed to the development. The developer should have respected the decision rather than lodging an appeal, which was timed such that people had to work over Christmas to send information to a Planning Inspector.”

Mr Adams was accompanied by Cllr Ian Reynolds on a visit to the site, and said he believed a turbine could threaten tourism in the district.

He said: “Our tourism business is on the up, it is nice to know that there is high quality accommodation available in the district. Getting the Tour de Yorkshire to come to Selby is just one step in encouraging more tourism.

With places like South Newlands Farm for people to stay I am sure that Selby will become a popular destination.I will give the campaign to stop this turbine my full support because we stand to gain far greater benefit from encouraging more tourism than we do from discouraging tourists by building more wind turbines.”


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/01/06/objections-to-selby-wind-turbine/