We have published below the letter we have sent this week to the planning inspector, setting out our concerns about the impact the proposed development would have on our community and the countryside:
Appeal representations from Cllr Rob Crute and Cllr Lynn Pounder relating
to:
Application
reference:
CE/13/01502/FPA
Appeal reference: APP/X1355/W/16/3146228
Name of appellant: Eden Farm Ltd
Site: Land East Of Dene
Leazes Farm Hesleden Durham TS274PD
Proposed development: Erection of wind turbine (500kw),
50.9m to hub and 77.9m to tip. Installation of associated equipment and
infrastructure including access track
As local members of
Durham County Council we remain steadfastly opposed to the siting of a wind
turbine on land to the east of Dene Leazes Farm. In making further
representations as part of the appeal process we would like to draw the
attention of the planning inspector to a number of issues we feel are
significant.
We feel the business case submitted by the applicant as part of the initial application process is no longer relevant or valid
We have doubts about the measurements of the proposed development in relation to its proximity to a residential area
We remain concerned about the visibility of the development from public areas such as footpaths, despite the claims of the appellant on the appeal application form that the development will not be visible from nearby footpaths. Further we note that the development is proposed for an Area of High Landscape Value
If the appeal is allowed we have grave concerns about highway safety and traffic generation relating to a development adjacent to the proposed site to remove the nearby Hesleden pit heap
We are concerned about inaccuracies reported by the applicant as part of the original submission, resulting in the withdrawal of initial support from Grahame Morris MP
We would ask the
inspector to consider these points in turn:
When the applicant initially submitted the application it was accompanied by a business case which was predicated on reducing the carbon footprint and running costs of the business. Because of a reported change of ownership/directorship of the business central to the application we feel that the business case submitted by the applicant can no longer be deemed valid or relevant to the development.
Further we note in local press reports that the main business has recently
installed solar panels which would have addressed some of the carbon reduction
issues raised in the business case.
Measurements in the original planning application claim that the wind turbine is to be situated 220m from the applicant’s farm. We have been contacted by residents who remain concerned about this stated distance of the proposed development from their properties.
We share residents’ concerns about the proximity of the proposed
development to their properties, and we would strongly urge the inspector to
consider a review of the applicant’s measurements.
We feel that this point is particularly significant when it is considered
that the original application was refused because the scale and prominent
siting of the wind turbine would have an adverse landscape and visual impact,
especially relating to the nearby Hardwicke Hall Manor Hotel.
In the appeal application the applicant claims that the proposed development will not be visible from nearby footpaths. We would draw the inspector’s attention to comments made by council officers relating to the visibility of the proposed turbine from several distant points, including the coastal strip.
Again, given the reasons for refusal, we consider that this is significant.
Since this application was refused, planning approval has been given for the pit heap at Hesleden to be removed. This operation would necessitate four HGV movements per hour, six days a week for 20 months.
Given the proximity of the entrance/exit of the village of Hesleden to the
proposed site we have grave concerns about traffic generation and highway
safety on the adjacent B1281 linking the villages of Blackhall to the east and
Castle Eden to the west, directly bypassing the proposed site.
We note that the local Member of Parliament, Grahame Morris (following correspondence dated 27 January 2014 in relation to a constituent’s query) submitted a letter to Durham County Council withdrawing his earlier letter of support for the development. This letter of withdrawal was sent to the planning section in a letter dated 1 September 2015.
We understand that Grahame Morris MP withdrew his support for the
development because of a number of inaccuracies reported at the initial
application stage. We believe that this letter has been submitted by the
council as part of the appeal process and we would encourage the inspector to
investigate the circumstances around the MP’s actions.
Since the application was refused we have continued to
meet with residents from the local area. We understand and share their concerns
about the adverse impact of this development if it were allowed to proceed.
We have reviewed the number and quality of objections
submitted by local correspondents as part of the initial planning
application process and we remain convinced that the proposed development
offers absolutely nothing of value to the local community.
Further, we feel strongly that a wind turbine of this
scale at this prominent location would have an unacceptable adverse impact on
the local landscape, and in particular on the nearby Hardwicke Hall Manor
Hotel.
We would ask the inspector to note that the proposed
development will be constructed in an elevated position in an Area of High
Landscape Value.
These are the reasons the planning application was
refused by the planning committee at Durham County Council and we fully support
their decision. We note that nothing has changed since that would warrant a
reconsideration of that decision.
For the reasons we have set out above we would urge the
planning inspector to dismiss the appeal.
Cllr Rob Crute & Cllr Lynn Pounder
Blackhall Division
Durham County Council
May 2016
