Controversial wind turbine plans defeated
CONTROVERSIAL plans for 12 wind turbines to be built on Green Belt land have been rejected.
Fourteen councillors agreed with the recommendation to refuse planning permission for the turbines proposed for the west of Cabin Lane in Great Altcar.
Local residents filled the council chamber to hear the verdict on the application at the West Lancashire Borough Council planning committee meeting on Thursday, November 10.
Coriolis Energy wanted to build turbines which would be up to 448ft (136.5m) tall and be on site for 25 years, providing enough electricity to power 24,000 homes and reducing energy bills for local residents.
Coriolis Energy project manager Trevor Hunter told the meeting: “We are saving emissions of more than one million tons of greenhouse gases over its operational life.
“This is a scale delivery which cannot be supplied by any other site in the borough. It is the only wind block proposal to have ever come forward in West Lancashire.
“This application is a vital contribution towards local and national obligations in the prevention towards climate change.”
Since the previous meeting to consider the plans, additional late information was submitted by the applicant to request that the application be deferred for at least eight cycles of the planning committee.
This would be to allow an overwintering bird survey to be carried out, potential mitigation to be identified and a Habitats Regulations Assessment to be undertaken.
Mr Hunter added: “In just one month we have worked with consultees to find a suitable solution to the proposals of refusal.”
Referring to the additional late information provided by Coriolis, Tanhouse Labour councillor Robert Pendleton said: “I don’t fully understand and why the applicant hadn’t been able to do this survey last winter.
“We need to act now and not put everyone’s lives on hold, which is what you would be doing deferring.”
Alan Cunningham of 124 Carr House Lane represented Mr and Mrs Lewis, of Railway Cottage in Carr Lane, calling on the council to refuse the plans and said that the proposals did not have the backing of the community.
Ince Blundell parish councillor Kevin Sharpe backed the call.
He said: “No development should take place in the Green Belt except in special and unique circumstances.
“Wind turbines do not in themselves amount to special circumstances, the applicant has not made out any special and unique circumstances.”