November 30, 2015
Wales

Windfarm bid rejected over red kite concerns

By Chris Betteley | Cambrian News | 30 November 2015 | www.cambrian-news.co.uk

Plans for a huge 27-turbine windfarm at the side of the main road between Aberystwyth and Llangurig have been turned down over concerns that red kites could “collide with the blades” and be “electrocuted” on the gridlines.

The proposed 27-turbine development at the Sweet Lamb Rally complex in Y Foel was formally submitted to The Planning Inspectorate for consideration in July last year by Mynydd y Gwynt Ltd.

The decision by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Amber Rudd to reject the proposal followed a six-month examination process by The Planning Inspectorate. Mynydd y Gwynt, founded by Llangurig farmer Simon Bennett Evans together with Llanidloes businessman Phillip Evans, argued that the site is “ideal” for the development – and have spent nine years formulating and modifying the plans while consulting the public.

The development would have seen 27 turbines up to 125m high, electrical cables, a substation, and a control building built on site.

It attracted local opponents including Montgomeryshire AM Russell George who said the “sheer quantity of turbines and the geographic concentration on a relatively small area” would have “several tangible negative impacts on the local economy and on residents’ quality of life.”

See this week’s south editions for the full story, in shops and online Wednesday

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/11/30/windfarm-bid-rejected-over-red-kite-concerns/