£30m wind farm approved by planners (From Gazette & Herald)

£30m wind farm approved by planners

PLANS for a £30m wind farm near Goole have been approved - subject to a number of conditions being met.

Developer National Wind Power Ltd wants to build 16 wind turbines, each more than 400ft tall, on open windswept agricultural land, south of Goole.

They say the wind farm would generate enough pollution-free electricity to power all the homes in Goole, Old Goole, Howden, Crowle, Rawcliffe, Airmyn, Swinefleet and Reedness.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has given the scheme the go-ahead, provided the company can satisfy certain concerns.

These include further negotiations on noise control and thresholds, and completion of an independent review on nature conservation and habitats regulations.

National Wind Power will also have to submit flood risk and "safety case" assessments, and conduct further consultation regarding navigation aids, such as lights. Selby District Council will shortly consider an application for a similar wind farm, near Drax.

The plans for 14 wind turbines, each more than 300ft tall, have prompted concerns from local residents and farmers.

They fear the wind farm would be noisy, kill birds, devalue house prices, affect TV reception and be a blot on the landscape.

Developer Wind Prospect says the turbines would be at least half-a-mile from the nearest house and would provide enough clean energy to serve more than 17,000 homes. Selby council's planning committee is expected to consider the application later this month.

Updated: 09:09 Thursday, October 02, 2003