Wind  farm plan could be redeemed

FULL CIRCLE FOR TURBINE PLAN?   

By Gavin Moore

A campaigner who celebrated a High Court decision blocking a wind farm development near Helmdon has promised to fight harder if developers try to resurrect the plan.

Last week a High Court judge  said a planning inspector did not weigh up local planning policy against national policy fairly, and quashed the inspector’s decision to allow five 125m high turbines to be built at Spring Farm Ridge Farm, just off the B4525 Welsh Lane.

Co-claimants South Northants Council and Greatworth resident Veronica Ward challenged the inspector’s decision on the grounds the turbines would ruin the landscape, would be too close to homes and were not economically viable.

Keith Jones, chairman of the Helmdon, Stuchbury and Greatworth Wind Action Group said: “We think it is a good decision, and we hope Broadview won’t appeal.  But we will fight a new inquiry hard, if not harder.”

Broadview now have 21 days to take the case to the Court of Appeal, but project manager Olly Buck said it is more likely they’ll ask for SNC’s initial refusal to be redetermined by a planning inspector.

Brackley & Towcester Advertiser – 25 January 201223