Objections fail to halt turbine on landfill site

Doncaster Council has received an application for a 60ft high turbine on the former Scabba Wood site on Cadeby Road, Sprotbrough, but 28 objections have been lodged.

The firm which runs the site says the turbine will be used to generate power for machinery which deals with “leachate” a name for the substances which run off from the now defunct site.

But objectors claim the turbine will be “detrimental to the rural landscape”, and point out the landfill site is now classed as greenbelt land.

In a report to Doncaster Council’s planning committee, which meets tomorrow, objectors say: “Local property owners and nearby villages will be disturbed by the noise of the turbine.

“The approval of this application will set a precedent for the site owner to apply for further turbines, and turbines cause health problems including headaches, nausea and blurring.”

The application has also been opposed by Sprotbrough Parish Council, with members raising concerns about the stability of the ground on which the turbine will be built and the effects of so-called “shadow flicker” from the blades on children at a nearby school.

Fears have also been raised that building a turbine on the site will stir up the ground and release landfill gases, which would pose a further health hazard to those living nearby,

Planning officers say they have examined the objections and concerns of residents but will advise elected councillors to approve the application.

They say: “The proposed wind turbine will provide a sustainable energy source to power the requirements of this landfill site.

“There is no detrimental harm to the landscape, openness of the green belt or residential amenity.”