March 25, 2019
Wales

Llandrindod Wells: Rejected legal challenge to Hendy Wind Farm to be appealed

By Josie Le Vay, Reporter | County Times | www.countytimes.co.uk

An environmental campaign group has decided to continue its legal challenge to the controversial Hendy Wind Farm site near Llandrindod Wells.

The Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW) group in Brecon and Radnor initiated the High Court challenge to the decision made by Lesley Griffiths AM to allow the development to proceed.

However on Monday, March 18, this legal challenged was dismissed.

Initially, CPRW was not going to take this challenge any further. However, the organisation has now said that it “must make the effort to go to appeal”.

Jonty Colchester, the chair of Brecon and Radnor CPRW, said: “Following Monday’s disappointing judgment by Sir Wyn Williams refusing us permission for judicial review, CPRW supporters were very pleased to hear that, after consultation with our legal team Richard Buxton Solicitors and Cornerstone Barristers, and with their generous support, we have today decided to seek to appeal the decision.

“Planning Policy Wales fully acknowledges the importance of wind-farms and sets out very clear criteria for their location. It states that only in exceptional circumstances can they be located near ancient monuments. It was for this reason that Powys County Council rejected the Hendy developers’ application by 11 to 1, and that the Inspector rejected the developers’ appeal in May last year. It did not seem tenable to us that after 20 years of national and local debates about the location of wind farms in sensitive landscapes, the Welsh Government’s Lesley Griffiths could decide that exceptional circumstances existed to allow this wind farm – and without explaining why.

“CPRW nationally and locally are not opposed to wind farms in principle. They are a vital alternative energy source and as such a counter to climate change. Powys is already a huge net energy exporter. But they should not and cannot be located haphazardly all over sensitive landscapes, and we are resolved to fight to the last to prevent this happening.

“Thanks to the many local residents and community groups who have supported us, we will be able to continue the humble struggle for our wonderful landscape in the Courts. Even if we do not succeed, we consider we must make the effort to go to appeal.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/03/25/llandrindod-wells-rejected-legal-challenge-to-hendy-wind-farm-to-be-appealed/