January 4, 2017
England

New giant wind turbine could soon rise over Hull

By Angus Young | Hull Daily Mail | January 04, 2017 | www.hulldailymail.co.uk

A new 77m high wind turbine could soon be added to the skyline in Hull’s industrial heartland.

If given the go-ahead, it would be a larger than two existing wind turbines at the JKN Polymers site in Helsinki Road, Sutton Fields.

However, it would be smaller than Hull’s first turbine – the 125m high landmark at the Croda factory site in Oak Road which was installed in 2007.

Subject to securing planning permission from Hull City Council, the new turbine will be built on land in Foster Street, owned by Ashcourt Concrete.

The company operates a concrete batching plant there as well as a recycling yard for building materials.

In a planning application for the scheme, the company says: “The proposed development will provide a clean and sustainable source of energy directly to the concrete plant which reduces the businesses reliance on fossil fuels and also contributes towards reducing the CO2 emissions.

“The turbine would generate electricity equivalent to the requirements of approximately 575 households and will therefore make a significant valuable contribution towards local and national renewable electricity targets.

“There would be no significant harm to the landscape character and visual amenity due to the turbine’s position within this industrial landscape.”

The company says the industrial nature of the Foster Street area makes it a suitable site for a wind turbine.

“The turbine would be seen in the context of the existing urban skyline and other large vertical features, such as industrial chimneys, pylons, telecommunication masts and the Croda turbine sited 1.8km to the north of the site.

“This demonstrates that development of this type and scale can continue to assist in providing a clean, renewable source of energy, in a landscape where wind turbine development can clearly be absorbed and is considered to be a suitable location within minimal impacts.

“The operational turbine at Croda is 125m in height to blade tip. The proposed turbine at Foster Street is much smaller, the difference in height is 48m and therefore the landscape and visual impacts are considerably less adverse than the operational turbine.”