Budweiser advert on wind turbine ‘will distract drivers’ | The local council have objected to the “unnecessary and obtrusive” idea | By Mason Boycott-Owen | The Telegraph | 14 August 2020 | www.telegraph.co.uk
Budweiser is embroiled in row over plans to place 450ft-high advert above wind turbine amid fears it could distract passing A-road drivers
Officials in Wales have given permission for the turbine to be erected in the picturesque site to power a nearby brewery.
Yet Budweiser have attempted to place its logo on top, which could be seen for miles around the Welsh countryside.
So far council officials have rejected the request, but the beer company is fighting them by lodging an appeal, saying it would “serve as a reminder to the community that sourcing clean renewable energy…is financially viable.”
The appeal went on to say that the wind turbine would not have been possible without the support of Budwieser, and that this advertisement is “intrinsically linked” to the renewable [energy] it will produce.
Redwick Community Council, have objected to the “unnecessary and obtrusive” idea, saying that it would be unsafe as it would “distract the attention of motorists who may try to read the logo while driving.”
The turbine is set to be built on the Gwent Levels in South Wales, referred to by wildlife campaigners as “Wales’ Amazon rainforest.”
The area has already been saved from further disruption last year when the Welsh government rejected plans to build part of the M4 across it.
The area is home to endangered species such as water voles, cranes and rare beetles.
This new wind turbine is used to power the nearby Magor Brewery, which is now owned by the Budweiser Brewing Group.
Planning officials at Newport council have said that the advertisement would fail to contribute to the area, and that it would not “visual harm” done to the area.
They said: “”Through its scale, prominence and incongruous appearance in a rural location, the proposal would have an adverse impact on rural character, landscape quality, wider visual amenity and would fail to contribute positively to the Caldicot Levels Special Landscape Area.
“In short there is nothing to outweigh the visual harm and rural character; unlike the turbine.”
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/08/15/budweiser-embroiled-in-row-over-plans-to-place-advert-above-wind-turbine/