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Plans for a wind farm development, part of which would be in Caerphilly County Borough, have been put on pause for the next three months.

On October 5, Blaenau Gwent councillors were given an update on the proposal to build five 180 metre high wind turbines on land at Cefn Manmoel Common.

In August, Cenin Renewables lodged plans with the Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) to build five wind turbines with a maximum blade tip height of 180 metres, as well as an onsite substation, underground cables and associated works at Manmoel Common.

The site is in Blaenau Gwent, with part of it over the border in the Argoed ward of Caerphilly County Borough.

The proposal is classified as a Development of National Significance (DNS), which means both Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly council are consultees rather than decision makers, with Welsh Government planning inspectors deciding the application.

Blaenau went councillor Carl Bainton said he and fellow councillors had received documents from PEDW and the Welsh Government, which said the consultation for Manmoel windfarm had been: “suspended until the new year.”

Cllr Bainton said: “Looking through the document they want a lot of further information from the applicant as well.”

Planning officer, Joanne White said: “(PEDW) have requested further information from the applicant and have stopped the clock.”

She added that PEDW had also asked for more details from Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly County and to “work together” on planning conditions that could be placed on the development if it gets approved.

In the correspondence to Blaenau Gwent and all other interested parties, PEDW has said that the process of dealing with the Manmoel DNS was paused on September 22 because of a “formal request for further information” and will restart on December 29.

As part of the DNS process, councils need to produce a Local Impact Report (LIR).

Blaenau Gwent Council’s development and estates service manager, Steve Smith, confirmed the LIR had been submitted “on time” for this proposal.

Blaenau Gwent Council said: “We have reviewed the submitted information relating to the current proposal and anticipate that the impacts of the development as a whole would be negative, with concerns raised that the application lacks sufficient information to allow full and reasoned assessments with regard to biodiversity, cultural heritage, private water supplies and minerals.

“In this respect additional information is required before we can provide a review of how these works would impact on these subject areas.”

The authority adds that these issues need to be “considered” before the application is decided.