Turbines near historic garden challenged

English Heritage and the National Trust have launched a rare legal challenge to a scheme to install four large wind turbines near a “treasured” Elizabethan garden.

By The Newsroom

Published 25th Apr 2012, 07:00 BST

The two heritage bodies have joined East Northamptonshire Council, which originally refused planning permission for the 127-metre high turbines close to Lyveden New Bield, to oppose the planned wind farm.

They fear the turbines will be visible from virtually everywhere on the property, affecting the appreciation of one of England’s oldest garden landscapes, and the go-ahead for development could set a precedent for other heritage sites.

Last month the planning inspector backed an appeal by an energy company to let it install the turbines near the Grade I-listed heritage site, despite acknowledging it was “probably the finest surviving example of an Elizabethan garden”.