February 18, 2015
England

East Leeds: Wind turbines on the horizon?

Yorkshire Evening Post | 18 February 2015 | www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk

Plans for two wind turbine projects in east Leeds have been submitted to the city council.

The first scheme would see a single turbine with a maximum ‘blade tip’ height of 78 metres being erected on agricultural land at Bullerthorpe Lane in Colton.

Another farming site, at Selby Road, Swillington Common, has been earmarked for the second scheme, which would comprise three turbines with a 37-metre blade tip height.

Leeds City Council says applications for planning permission for the projects are pending consideration.

Local councillor Mark Dobson (Lab, Garforth and Swillington) today told the Yorkshire Evening Post he was aware of the schemes and would be writing to residents in the affected areas seeking their views.

The application for the Colton site has been submitted by Empirica Development Partners (EDP), described in planning documents as a “renewable energy project developer, owner and operator with a focus on small scale single wind turbine schemes”.

Papers submitted to the council say the proposed scheme could generate enough power for between 300 and 350 households.

They also say the area is already home to a number of “man-made features”, including pylons, telecom masts and industrial buildings.

A document prepared on EDP’s behalf argues that projects like the one proposed for Colton “must be allowed to come forward if UK renewable energy targets are to be met”.

The planned Swillington Common scheme, meanwhile, would supply power to the nearby Carrwood business park.

A report prepared for the applicant, a firm called 4Navitas, says it is not considered that the turbines would have an overbearing or overwhelming effect on “residential visual amenity”.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/02/18/east-leeds-wind-turbines-on-the-horizon/