A controversial 76.5m wind turbine which will supply the electricity needs for about 450 homes can be built in Long Sutton, say district councillors.
The company behind the plan – Little Sutton Energy Company, which already runs a turbine in Winters Lane – has moved to ease fears of nuisance from visibility, noise and shadow flicker, an issue which dominated the debate when South Holland District Council’s planning committee met last week.
Coun David Wilkinson felt the visual impact was “unacceptable” and fellow Long Sutton member Coun Andy Tennant told of unhappy parishioners.
He said: “[The turbines] are big constructions.
“The feedback I’m getting is that they have got enough in proximity of this one. You can see turbines everywhere and I get the feeling they don’t want any more.”
Councillors voted 9-6 in favour of permission.
After the meeting, the applicant’s chief executive officer, Neil Mather, said: “We will continue to work with the local community to minimise impacts.
“We have proposed a planting scheme to mitigate views of the turbine from several nearby properties, which will now become a planning condition; we have accepted a tougher than usual noise condition; and we have agreed a control system to eliminate any risk of shadow flicker from the blades when the sun is low.”
The turbine will be developed on land beside the A17 – about 380m from the nearest property on Bridge Road – over the next couple of years.
Little Sutton Energy Company says it is committed to the principle of some form of community ownership of the turbine.
