Village turbine proposal withdrawn

Farmers WD Sellers & Sons wanted to site the turbine within half a mile of the historic village of Rudston, near Driffield, home of the monolith and where South Riding author Winifred Holtby was born.

The business said any harm would be “far outweighed” by the turbine’s production of green electricity.

But opponents included the Ministry of Defence – which said it would interfere with the radar at RAF Staxton Wold seven miles away – and 129 people who had signed postcards in protest.

Officials at planning authority East Riding Council also recommended refusal.

Wolds villager David Hinde said: “It sends a clear message to the planning agents and farmers and landowners around Rudston and the Wolds that turbines of this size are not acceptable, both to the MoD, regional agencies and a growing number of residents.”

He added: “These applications are not about green energy; they are about greed energy.”