| Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Massive expansion of Scout Moor Wind Farm recommended for approval despite Ministry of Defence opposition
Credit: The MoD is among objectors to the plans for a further 16 wind turbines at Scout Moor | By Bianca Murray | Rossendale Free Press | 24 August 2015 | www.rossendalefreepress.co.uk ~~
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Plans to expand the Scout Moor wind farm by more than half have been recommended for approval by planning officers – despite opposition from the Ministry of Defence.
The application for the expansion of the development, which would see the number of wind turbines on the moor increase from 26 to 42, was lodged with Rossendale council in April.
Objections have also been raised by the Campaign for Rural England, the Edenfield Village Residents Association, Holcombe Society, Rossendale Harriers and Rossendale Ramblers.
The Ministry of Defence also objected to the proposals, stating that the turbines would have “an unacceptable impact” upon the Air Traffic Control radar at Warton Airfield.
Conservative group leader Darryl Smith said he was disappointed the plans had been recommended for approval.
He said: “It wasn’t a massive shock for me, a lot of the community concerns have come very late in the day, but this has been in the background for a couple of years.
“I can’t say it’s because of a lack of consultation because they have been very diligent and taken on board a lot of concerns.”
Proposals submitted by the applicant, Scout Moor Wind Farm Expansion Ltd, include the expansion of the wind farm by 16 turbines up to 115m to blade tip. Fourteen of the turbines would be located within Rossendale.
The area required for the development of the wind farm is 57.72 hecatres and the remaining 353.13 hectares is land proposed for the Moorland Habitat Restoration Plan (MHRP).
Planning documents reveal that 19 responses were received from statutory consultees during consultation, with ten responses received from groups and organisations.
Scout Moor Wind Farm Expansion Ltd said discussions were ongoing.
The application will be decided on at a meeting of Rossendale council’s development control committee on September 1.
A spokesperson for Rossendale council said: “The council has appointed a number of independent consultants to assess all the key elements of the scheme, such as landscape and ecology. Their recommendations are reflected in the report.
“We recognise that a proposal such as this raises many concerns and strong feelings from residents and users of the moor both within and outside the area; and these are addressed in the report. Members of the public will be able to attend the planning committe and listen to the debate.”
This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.
The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.
| Wind Watch relies entirely on User Funding |
 (via Stripe) |
 (via Paypal) |
Share:
[ Short URL: https://wind-watch.org/news/?p=73305 ]
