No more turbines, plead residents in East Yorkshire

A HOLIDAY park owner is among objectors to plans to extend a massive wind farm in part of the region already said to be “overwhelmed” by turbines.
Parts of the county are being 'overwhelmed' by turbines, it is claimedParts of the county are being 'overwhelmed' by turbines, it is claimed
Parts of the county are being 'overwhelmed' by turbines, it is claimed

Bourne Leisure, which owns Far Grange, at Skipsea, said allowing the Lissett wind farm to add five more 125 metre turbines would be a “significant business risk.”

East Riding has the highest density of turbines in the country and three parish councils, as well as the local MP, have come out against the proposals.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Just 4km away work has begun building nine turbines at Fraisthorpe, on the coast just outside Bridlington and there are two other 125 metre high turbines due to be constructed at Carnaby. East Riding Council is currently considering an application to build five 132 metre high turbines at High Bonwick, Bewholme, 10 km away. English Heritage also “strongly objects”, because of the impact on two grade one listed buildings, Burton Agnes Hall and Gatehouse.

Planners are recommending that councillors refuse the plans at a meeting next week.

Chairman of Burton Agnes Parish Council Sue Burt added: “We have an overwhelming number already - we really don’t want any more. We have gone from nothing to drowning in them in under a decade.

“You can’t go in any direction without being confronted by an array of turbines, from Bridlington to Spurn Point.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The cumulative impact is just overwhelming, it is ridiculous.

“We welcome the council’s planning department’s belated realisation that enough is enough.”

Sir Greg Knight, MP for East Yorkshire, who campaigned for the ending of subsidies for onshore wind farms, is also objecting to the proposals by Energie Kontor UK.

He said: “The Government have already hit the ground running by cancelling the subsidies a year earlier than anticipated and we are waiting to see plans put in place for communities to have a veto.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The plans do have some support, however, with nine letters from the public, one saying the extension would “harmlessly blend in” and that “every effort had to be made to reduce carbon emissions.”

There are already more than 5,000 turbines in the UK. The Government estimates that ending the subsidies next April could see 2,500 more planned turbines not being built.

Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said she believed it drew “the line in the right place”.

She said consumer bills would not rise because of the change, and said Britain was “reaching the limits of what is affordable, and what the public is prepared to accept.”

However renewables trade body Renewables UK said the announcement left thousands of British jobs and millions of pounds worth of investment hanging in the balance.

Related topics: