April 18, 2017
England

Wind farm proposal rejected

By David Parker | Newark Advertiser | newarkadvertiser.co.uk

Proposals for a ten-turbine wind farm on a former airfield have been rejected because of the potential impact on the landscape and nearby heritage.

South Kesteven District Council has turned down plans by Energie Kontor for a wind farm on the former Fulbeck Airfield.

The proposal would have seen ten 110m turbines constructed on the former airfield two miles away from Temple Hill where a similar application for five turbines was refused permission in 2015.

Mr Paul Miley, of campaign groups reVOLT and VETO which opposed the plans, asked the developer to respect local democracy and to not appeal the decision.

He said: “An appeal would be an expensive and time consuming process both for the council and the community, which has now had this threat hanging over them for five years.

“But with additional grounds for rejecting this scheme, local people are ready to continue the fight if needed.”

Benefits to the area

Mr Michael Briggs, of Energie Kontor, said the company was disappointed with the outcome along with the hundreds of people who had written letters of support for the project.

“The wind farm would have delivered many benefits to the local and wider area which are now in doubt, particularly in relation to the economy, as numerous local construction companies were hoping the project would come forward,” he said.

“At the same time, we fully understand the reasons why many have expressed their objections to the project and have always tried to do our best to address those concerns.

“We were successful in addressing many concerns including noise, residential amenity, ecology etc, but the council was of the view that concerns in relation to landscape and cultural heritage issues were not outweighed by the benefits from the wind farm.

“We will need to look at the council’s reasons closely with our team before deciding what next for Fulbeck Airfield.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2017/04/18/wind-farm-proposal-rejected/