Windfarm 'overwhelming', says Lynemouth

Seven proposed large wind turbines would be 'overwhelming' for coastal villages already facing nine of the structures, a planning inquiry heard.

Residents and councillors in the Cresswell, Ellington, Lynemouth and Linton (CELL) region are also concerned that ScottishPower's application for the 121m to blade tip structures on land adjacent to the Alcan smelter at Lynemouth would adversely effect the landscape and regeneration efforts.

An inquiry was held at the Lynemouth Resource Centre after Castle Morpeth Council's Development Services Committee rejected the bid last year.

The location is in an area of least constraint for wind turbine developments but the Council believes that they are too close to homes and public places to be allowed, with the nearest structure less than 1km away in some places.

Planning Services Manager Hugh Edmundson said: "The proximity of these turbines to residents means they would have an overwhelming visual impact on the settlements."

He also said as they were part of a 13 turbine application, with the other six turbines given approval by Wansbeck District Council because the energy group's application straddles district boundaries, if granted the whole windfarm would stretch across a huge area.

The structures would add to three turbines at Bewick Drift at the former Ellington Colliery, 110m to blade tip, which were given planning permission following an inquiry earlier this year.

And Coun Arnold Baker, Borough councillor for Lynemouth and Ellington, said: "We already have the three windmills at Bewick Drift and with the six accepted by Wansbeck Council as well, surely that's enough for any community to accept and so allowing these additional windmills would be a step too far?"

But James Welch, of EDAW which prepared a landscape survey of the area for ScottishPower, argued that while the visual impact was significant it was not adverse or overwhelming.

"There are locations where people will get pretty clear views of the wind turbines but I don't think there's a great deal of these sustained, direct views in the settlements," he said.

"The distances being talked about mean that while they can easily be seen, they aren't too dominant or overbearing."

He explained that vegetation, woodland or some houses being in a dip in the land would, in his opinion, break the view of the turbines up.

Both sides agreed the landscape was mainly flat and simple but while Mr Welch said this land type was the best location for wind turbines, Mr Edmundson argued the vertical height of them would spoil the horizontal nature of the land.

He added that it would harm efforts to "move away from a legacy of coal mining" and become a regenerated rural landscape.

Similar concerns were expressed by another Borough councillor for Lynemouth and Ellington, Jim Wright, who asked: "Does anybody really believe that social and economic regeneration will come from this development?

"Neighbouring communities have emerged successfully from post industrialisation due in large part to imaginative developments. "However, interest by potential developers in a flat landscape dominated by these monoliths will inevitably be depressed."

He also said as the CELL area was a relatively populated part of Northumberland, there were many sparsely populated places in the County where wind turbines would be more appropriate.

Planning Inspector David Cullingford will compile a report to the Secretary of State recommending approval or refusal. He said he expected a decision to be made on the application in June.