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DC Casebook: Energy Development - Extra turbines refused over visual impact

Energy development

Planning, 17 July 2009

The installation of three further turbines at a wind farm in west Wales has been rejected after an inspector concluded that their visual impact on users of a nearby road would be unacceptable.

The scheme would increase total installed capacity at the wind farm from 3.9MW to 7.8MW. Each turbine would have a hub height of 46m and a maximum height to blade tip of 76m. The site lay 15km outside a strategic search area (SSA) for wind energy development. However, the council acknowledged that there were expressions of interest for several wind farm developments in and around the SSA with a potential combined capacity of 190MW.

The inspector agreed that the existing wind farm meant that a connection to the national grid was available and that the existing turbines had already affected the area's character. He concluded that the impact of the three additional turbines would be acceptable from most viewpoints.

The greatest impact would be in respect of a road used by around 300 vehicles a day carrying local traffic and acting as a main tourist route. In his opinion, the alignment of the road and the proximity of one of the existing turbines in views from it created a dramatic impact. The effect of another two turbines in close proximity would have an unacceptable impact on the immediate surroundings, he concluded.

DCS Number 100-062-962

Inspector Hywel Wyn Jones; Inquiry