Plans to build a wind turbine more than 100 metres high near Pen-y-Fan Country Park have been met with strong objection.
Thirty-five letters against the proposal to build the turbine at the Durisol UK facility on the Pen-y-Fan Industrial Estate have been received by Caerphilly County Borough Council.
A letter from Islwyn AM Rhianon Passmore is among those submitted, as well as a 94-signature petition from residents opposing the turbine from Leeds-based firm Sirius Renewable Energy.
The application, which is due to go before Caerphilly Council’s planning committee on Wednesday, has been recommended for refusal.
The two megawatt turbine would generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 400 homes and would have a maximum overall tip height of 113m, hub height of 78m, and rotor diameter of 66m.
“The associated infrastructure includes an external transformer kiosk building, a substation kiosk building, underground cabling and crane pad.”
According to a planning report, the proposed development would measure approximately 310 square metres and would include an external transformer kiosk building, a substation kiosk building, underground cabling and crane pad.
Residents are concerned at the visual impact the turbines would have on the skyline the detrimental impact on views from Pen-y-Fan Country Park.
The report also contains concerns over the “danger” of the “sustainable energy argument” overriding all other planning considerations. It also states that although there is a need for renewable energy sources nationally, it did not outweigh the effect on amenities and properties surrounding the area of development.
However, the planning report found that since there were already of a number of turbines in the area, that part of the application would not warrant a refusal from the planning committee.
Caerphilly Council’s landscape architect raised concerns that due to the height of the proposed turbine, it would be more noticeable to residents of Pentwyn and Trinant due to its more significant size and their proximity to the development.
The overall height of the turbine was a stumbling block for the authority.
“By virtue of its proposed siting and overall height/rotor diameter, the proposed wind turbine would result in a majorly adverse impact on the nearby residential properties that have direct views of it, and a moderately adverse impact on the area surrounding these properties,” stated the report.
The council’s planning authority will review the proposal on Wednesday, April 18 at 5pm.
I love that fact that it seems ok to put these eye sores near parts of our stunning landscape. Im sure they do not put wind turbines in England near their places of beauty, so why do we allow it here in Wales? This has type of thing has gone on for years in wales, it started with the flooding of villages in mid wales and now we have these blight on the landscape. Windpower has been proven to be not a very good sauce of power, in fact it produces very little power. In fact it needs more power to stop it spinning than it does to produce. I know we must turn more to green energy but lets not ruin our beautiful landscape in the search for green engery.
There is less in England due to the fact that is less suitable places to put them for efficiency. Personally I do not find them an eyesore at all and are an excellent source of green energy. Offshore wind turbines are a very good source of power and the new ones that are going up are way more efficient than previously used, just take a look at the Haliade-x 12 MW it’s fantastic.
Yes, offshore is the way to go for wind generation. Personally I would prefer investment in the rich tidal resource we have in Wales. The advantage is that the energy is generated in predictable manner and tidal schemes do not require the backup generating capacity that wind power needs in times of still weather days/