February 29, 2016
Wales

Windfarm plan in Carno will make my elderly mother’s home worthless

Staff reporter | News North wales | 29 February 2016 | www.newsnorthwales.co.uk

Pending plans to build 13 new wind turbines in Carno have made a woman’s home worthless, according to her son.

Amegni Renewables applied to build 18 wind turbines as part of the Carno Windfarm Extension Phase III project in 2010, but has since amended that to 13, with the application set to go before Powys County Council’s planning committee.

The proposed turbines are near the property of 87-year-old Barbara Riden who lives with her son Mark.

He believes after spending years working on the property in preparation for sale, the looming wind turbines have rendered it worthless.

He said: “I moved up here 13 years ago when my father was ill to help my mother pay the bills while my father was in a home.

“My father passed away and mum had a serious car accident, which meant I stayed up here rather than going back to Surrey.

“The house at Penyresgyn needed a lot of work doing to it and when we went to sell it these wind turbines reared their ugly head.

“There have been several different plans and they are just bombarding our home.”

Mark said the property was valued at £265,000, but with the turbines potentially set to surround his property, he and his mother may have to take a cut price on the house.

“The damage is already done with these applications,” said Mark.

“If you could visually see them it might help a little, but there is so much uncertainty around them.

“We have had a host of offers for the house, but when people do a search and see the applications then they run a mile and you can’t blame them.

“It leaves us in a terrible dilemma because it is essential for my mother we get her to a nearby town for her health and security.

“We will have to take a massive loss on the property and one of the only ways of doing this is vacating the property and going to auction.”

Barbara and her husband Geoffrey moved to their house in Trefeglwys when Geoffrey fell in love with the area during a photography trip to the Royal Welsh Show.

Now Barbara’s home is in danger and this has left Mark angered that there is no compensation being paid to people whose homes are blighted by wind turbines.

He said: “We could soon be buried in them and it makes me angry that compensation is not being made available for homes that are being blighted.

“If this was back in Surrey, it would be available, but our AM Russell George informs me this is not the case in Wales.”

Mr George has labelled the whole system unfair and sympathised with the Ridens situation.

He said: “It is extremely unfair that homes that are blighted by these wind turbines are not properly compensated.

“I have taken this up with the minister for planning who just does not accept that compensation should be given to the home owners.

“It is so disappointing and very unfair.”

The application is likely to be considered by the council’s planning committee on March 10.

n A group to oppose the wind turbine applications, STAG, is up and running, and anyone interested in voicing their objections should email selbymartin@gmail.com.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/02/29/windfarm-plan-in-carno-will-make-my-elderly-mothers-home-worthless/