Pickles rejects plans to build wind farm on green belt land

Wakefield Council had already turned down an application to build five wind turbines on land to the west of Westfield Lane at Darrington, near Pontefract.

The council's decision was challenged by applicant Banks Renewables and went to a public inquiry which culminated in a second rejection by a planning inspector.

The new Minister for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, has now backed the inspector's decision.

In a letter to Banks Developments, the Minister's officer Jean Nowak says the turbines would form an "alien" feature on the landscape.

"The Secretary of State agrees with the Inspector's conclusion that the proposal would adversely affect the landscape character of this area and would also have an unacceptable visual impact on the landscape."

The letter added: "Like the inspector, he considers that the turbines, in terms of their height, the constant movement of the blades and their siting on what is already a prominent feature would form an alien and incongruous feature within what is otherwise a gentle, open agricultural landscape and would unacceptably dominate the local landscape."

The elevated position of the turbines, the Minister concluded, "would affect views to the ridge from surrounding lower lying areas".

The Minister rejected claims that the turbines would pose a risk to members of the public.

Mr Pickles also agreed with the inspector's conclusion that the development would not give rise to any unacceptable impact on residents in terms of visual impacts, noise, flickering shadows and TV interference.

He also agreed with the inspector that the Darrington plans would cause significant harm to the green belt.

"He also agrees that this harm to the green belt is exacerbated by the substantial harm that would be caused to the rural landscape, largely because of the height of the proposed turbines in this particular landscape."

Banks Developments argued that there were very few areas within Wakefield district where a wind farm on the scale proposed could be located.

On this point Mr Pickles agreed with the inspector, who had concluded that renewable energy targets may be met by technologies other than wind energy, and also that the rejection of the Darrington proposal does not necessarily put an end to the development of wind energy schemes within the Wakefield district.

The letter to Banks concludes that the plans would cause a "substantial and unacceptable impact on the landscape."

The Secretary of State did not consider very special circumstances have been demonstrated to justify inappropriate development.

When Durham-based Banks Developments first put forward the wind farm plans in 2007, it said the turbines – between five and eight of them standing 80m high – could provide power for up to 8,000 homes.

Banks said the plans would produce energy without the production of greenhouse gases and could deliver Wakefield Council's renewable energy target.

Last night managing director Phil Dyke said: "We are obviously extremely disappointed that this appeal has been rejected, especially after we went to great lengths to address the issues raised at the original planning committee."

He added: "We are certain that the Westfield Lane wind farm would have made a strong contribution to meeting West Yorkshire's need to generate power from renewable sources." The firm is considering its options.