Plans for tallest wind turbines in UK planned for Teesside deemed 'invalid'

Plans for the tallest wind turbines in the UK that were to be based on Teesside have been scrapped after being deemed “invalid”.

The 175m turbines in Hartlepool would have been bigger than Blackpool Tower and visible from the rest of Teesside.

But the plans have now collapsed after Government body The Planning Inspectorate deemed them invalid.

The agency found that renewable energy firm Seneca Global Energy failed to carry out enough public consultation before submitting the proposals to Hartlepool Council in 2014 and have now put a halt to the ambitious plans.

Seneca was given planning permission last year to erect the 574ft high turbines at Graythorp Industrial Estate, Brenda Road West Industrial Estate and Tofts Road West in Hartlepool.

A Planning Inspectorate spokesman said: “We consider the appeal to be invalid, primarily this is down to the public consultations that were carried out.

“The consultations were not adequate and did not meet regulation requirements.”

The plans for what would have been the tallest turbines in the UK were met with some criticism from the start and were originally meant be 200m (655ft) high, but had to be reduced to 175m (574ft) following concerns over toppling distance to the nearby railway line.

The scheme was approved by Hartlepool Council’s planning committee in February last year by seven votes to three.

A petition with 33 signatures objecting handed to the committee prior to approval, raising issues of the turbine’s height, effects on wildlife, particularly with regard to the nearby RSPB Saltholme and Teesmouth Field Centre, effects on aviation and questioning the need for more turbines.

At the time of the report going before the committee, 243 letters of support, 139 letters of objection and 24 letters neither supporting or objecting to the proposed developments had been received.

The Gazette has contacted Seneca Global Energy for comment.