Minister allows one wind farm from cluster of three

Communities secretary John Denham has allowed only one of a cluster of three wind farm schemes near Berwick upon Tweed which had been refused permission by the former borough council and were the subject of a linked recovered appeals inquiry last May.   

The appeals were called in because the proposals for a combined total of 20 wind turbines at the three locations were “of major significance for the delivery of the Government’s climate change programme and energy policies”.

In the event the Secretary of State allowed the six-turbine wind farm proposed by Catamount Energy Ltd for land at Barmoor between Ford and Lowick.

The decision letter concluded that the scheme's visual effects would be acceptable and that its benefits outweighed its harm.

However, in the case of the two other planned seven-turbine developments, one proposed by Moorsyde Wind Farm Ltd at a site between Felkington and Shoresdean, and the other, an Npower renewables project on land at Toft Hill near Grindon, both appeals were dismissed.

The decision letter said the Moorsyde wind farm would be “seriously harmful to the principal views of the Cheviots” and concluded there was “significant potential for noise limits to be breached”.

In the case of the Toft Hill wind farm proposal the SoS considered that the scheme would have a “significant adverse impact” on the setting of the Duddo stone circle, a scheduled ancient monument. This outweighed the wider benefits of the proposal, the letter explained.

Since the borough council refused the schemes it has become part of the new unitary Northumberland County Council.

Councillor Jim Smith, executive member for regeneration, housing and planning, said: “The council welcomes the appeal decisions which will help to inform future decisions on wind farm developments particularly in North Northumberland.  

“We also welcome the inspector and Secretary of State's careful balancing of the issues involved, in particular the weight accorded to landscape and heritage issues whilst recognising the importance of the wider benefits of wind energy in helping to reach renewable energy targets and combat climate change.”

Read Northumberland County Council’s website

Roger Milne
28 January 2010