October 13, 2015
England

Turbines terminated! Campaigners ‘very pleased’ as plans are withdrawn

Grimsby Telegraph | October 12, 2015 | www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk

Campaigners are celebrating after plans for four large turbines were withdrawn.

However, the number of other neighbouring schemes in the pipeline means campaigns against turbines will continue.

In January 2014, Aeolus Renewable Energy Limited applied to install the four turbines at Damwells Farm, a once-thriving piggery sited off Livesey Road, Ludborough.

If approved, they would have been up to 115 metres high, which opponents say would have dominated the views for miles around.

John Loomes, vice-chairman of Ludborough Parish Council, said he and villagers were “very pleased” the plans had been withdrawn.

The parish council, he recalled, polled villagers and found 61 against the scheme, six in favour with six abstentions.

“We felt we had a public mandate to oppose the turbines, so we had a public meeting and set up the Ludborough Opposes Wind Turbines Group (LOW),” he said.

The parish council also collaborated with a dozen other parish councils in the area to oppose this and other projects in the area.

Mr Loomes said the planning section of East Lindsey District Council’s website contains more than 800 documents concerning the turbine application.

“About 750 were objections from neighbours. There wasn’t one in favour. More than 750 of us took the time and effort to complain to East Lindsey District Council. Everybody is over the moon it’s been cancelled,” he said.

However, the fight hasn’t finished, he added, with an eight-turbine scheme at Bishopthorpe farm, near Tetney, gaining approval at appeal in March, and another seven-turbine scheme at Fulstow coming up for appeal in January.

“They will be visible to lots of people,” he continued.

Such battles are costly, with him saying East Lindsey District Council has spent £500,000 on appeals, money which comes out of the rates and council tax.

“However, we think the tide has changed because the grants for onshore turbines are being reduced so there won’t be so many to fight against. We are still on our guard. The battle hasn’t finished yet,” he added.

Melvin Grosvenor of the Marsh Windfarm Action Group welcomed the Damwells Farm decision as it would reduce the potential number of turbines in the Ludborough area.

“It was an ill-conceived scheme particularly as it was so close to the Lincolnshire Wolds, which was why West Lindsey District Council also objected,” he said.

The application, he continued, was suspended for more than a year to give the applicant time to submit sufficient environmental impact information. He added: “It was never voted on by East Lindsey District Council. They (the applicants) realised there was going to be strong objection.

“It was an ill-founded scheme and they decided to withdraw. It’s very likely they would have lost an appeal due to new ministerial guidelines.”

However, MWAG will still contest “rigorously” the seven-turbine scheme at Fulstow, and it is pursuing a complaint against the Bishopthorpe Farm appeal decision, claiming it to be “unsound”.

MWAG recently staged a protest meeting concerning the Bishopthorpe project, attended by Louth and Horncastle MP Victoria Atkins.

The group is gathering a petition demanding that appeal decision in favour of the scheme be revoked.

East Lindsey District Council confirmed the Damwells Farm scheme was withdrawn, saying the applicant gave no reason for this.

Neither the agents Aeolus Renewable Energy Limited of Pool In Wharfedale, Yorkshire; or the applicant Lantanier Ltd, of Limerick, Ireland, were available for comment.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/10/13/turbines-terminated-campaigners-very-pleased-as-plans-are-withdrawn/