Wind farm appeal in May

The appeal by Nuon UK Ltd to build seven 110 metre high wind turbines to the south east of Audlem will be heard at a public inquiry in May. The appeal is against the decision of North Shropshire District Council who rejected the plans last September at a packed meeting in Market Drayton.

This week's Chronicle carries a picture of Audlem residents and parish councillors taken at Audlem cricket ground from where the proposed masts will be in view. Audlem Parish Council and Buerton Parish Council were amongst the 2,333 who opposed the wind farm plan. Hundreds turned up at the planning meeting when councillors rejected the wind farm despite the advice of planning officers.

The hearing is scheduled to start on 8th May and is likely to last ten days. Nuon project manager Graham Davey said: "Nuon is confident this proposal is of a scale and design appropriate to the site and we look forward to the opportunity of presenting the case."

It will be interesting to see if the contribution wind farms made to electricity generation during the recent cold, and windless, spell of weather, becomes an issue. It's a point that has attracted comment on Audlem Online and elsewhere in the media. There is also likely to be a lively debate about the planning officer's claim at the original planning meeting that the masts would have little visual impact.

Residents near to the proposed wind farm fear health problems and noise pollution as well as a negative impact on house values. Vortex – Veto On Rural Turbine Expansion – the group leading opposition to the wind farm, also claim it will take twenty years to reap the benefits from the turbines.

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