Plans for wind turbine rejected by council

Plans for a wind turbine near Pen y Fan Pond have been rejected by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s (CCBC) Planning Committee. The application to erect a wind turbine with a maximum overall height of 93 meters on Pen y Fan Industrial Estate was submitted by Sirius Renewable Energy, and recommended for approval by the council’s planning officers. However, CCBC’s planning committee voted against the application on Wednesday, August 15. The plans have caused controversy since their initial application, with local residents raising concerns of the impact on the nearby country park, Pen y Fan Pond. Two petitions were set up opposing the plans, signed by 128 residents in total, while 37 letters of objection were also were also lodged. Two local councillors and a resident spoke against the plans at the meeting, outlining their concerns that the turbine would add to the visual saturation of the area’s skyline, the impact on the area’s ecology and potential noise pollution. The committee also heard concerns raised by Sirius Renewable Energy that the site was one of the last in the the area with suitable grid capacity. Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Carl Thomas, who represents the Crumlin ward, said: “We welcome the decision in response to concerns of saturation in the area, and the overbearing impact it would have on the villages of Trinant and Pentwyn. This turbine would have been nearly as tall as Big Ben. “I would like to add that the residents aren’t opposed to clean energy, they just don’t want something this big in in the area when there are already so many turbines.” Nick Davies, Director at Sirius Renewable Energy, told Caerphilly Observer: “We are very disappointed. We worked with planning officers to address concerns and reduced the height by twenty meters. “We had the officer’s recommendation and we are very disappointed with the councillors’ decision. “Developing turbines is difficult and we are concerned that this is one of the last sites with available grid capacity to produce low carbon energy for local businesses. “We are reviewing where we go now, and we have the right to appeal.” The application has now been deferred to the council’s next planning committee meeting next month.