Wind farm protesters welcome refusal recommendation
Protesters fighting plans for a wind farm have welcomed a council's recommendation to refuse permission for the scheme.
Leicestershire County Council's cabinet has agreed to recommend Melton Borough Council refuse Ridgewind's proposals to build eight 310ft turbines at Palmer's Hollow, on the edge of Normanton, near Bottesford.
The wind farm plans are for land less than a mile away from a similar scheme by another energy company, Inginergy, at Thackson's Well, which were thrown out at a public inquiry last year.
A report to councillors said: "The scale and nature of the proposed development would result in significant harm to the historic qualities of the surrounding landscape to an unacceptable degree.
"Such harm is not outweighed by the electricity generation benefits of this scheme."
Jamie Mawer, of campaign group Belvoir Locals Opposing Turbines, said: "That is good news."
The group, which raised £50,000 to pay for legal representation at the Infinergy inquiry, is considering setting up a similar fighting fund if the Ridgewind application should go to appeal.
Ridgewind project director, Ben Moore, said: "We are disappointed they have come to this conclusion."











Comments
by Ian, Beesby. Nr. Alford. LINC'S
Thursday, March 19 2009, 12:07PM
“At last the start of reason and consideration as to the harm both in the sort term and long term that these large monsters to the eye are being put up in the wrong place's. Also, on those people around them both now and for the future. I do beleive strongly in this technology but only as being part of a planned source of renewable enegy for the future. However, the short term gain by those who sell / lease their land to the energy company's is down to a cost to us all. It's far cheaper for these concret monsters to be built on the land through grants from goverment and the building costs to build them then it is to put them where they would be most beneficiale in terms of producing that energy in the long term. It has not one thing to do with being green but how much will it cost to put it there and how much more they could make by doing it that cheaper way, and also to make these companies look more greener then they really are. You are dealling with large business who wish to make money, lots of money, from us their customers. There is nothing wrong in doing that at all but it is how they are doing it when they know there is better place to build them. Look beyond the monster turbines and look at why there? will it benifit locals in terms of energy produced on a day by day base (no wind, no electricity). It is the cost to these companies every time, maximum profit taken from people's ignorance and prejudice's to this technology.”