March 18, 2015
England

Applicants give up on windfarm appeal

By Anna Smith, Chief Reporter | 18 March 2015 | www.morpethherald.co.uk

Windfarm applicants have announced that they have given up on plans for five turbines near Netherwitton.

Partners RES and BT have today announced that they will not appeal the decision by Northumberland County Council to refuse planning permission for a proposed windfarm near Rayburn Lake, between Netherwitton and Wingates.

They have cited delays in upgrading the area’s electricity distribution network as the main reason for the decision.

RES Project Manager Tracy Scott said: “We’d like to thank everyone who took part in our public consultation and wanted them to know as soon as possible that we have, reluctantly, decided to withdraw our plans for Rayburn Wind Farm.

“After working on this site for some ten years, it’s very sad that we are not going to be able to deliver any of the benefits that Rayburn Wind Farm would have brought to this part of Northumberland.

“While we continue to believe that this site has many positive attributes for renewable energy generation, including excellent wind speeds and a good transportation route, anticipated upgrades to the grid network near Blyth have not progressed as anticipated and alternative connections have not been forthcoming.

“This, coupled with other considerations, has led to our decision not to pursue plans for Rayburn Wind Farm any further.”

She added: “Although we can’t promise that the site near Rayburn Lake will never be the subject of a wind farm application in the future, we can confirm that RES and BT will not be challenging the local decision about our proposed five turbine scheme.”

The applicants say that the windfarm would have been capable of generating electricity to meet the needs of more than 6,700 homes, and would have delivered at least £2.6million in social and economic benefits to the region during its lifetime.

RES estimates that the development and construction of Rayburn Wind Farm would have injected around £1.4million into the region’s economy through the use of local contractors, goods and related services, such as local accommodation.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/03/18/applicants-give-up-on-windfarm-appeal/