Assembly Member slams proposals to increase height of controversial wind turbines near Denbigh by 70ft

An Assembly Member says plans to raise wind turbines in an area of outstanding natural beauty by a further 70ft “add insult to injury”.

The developer of the controversial wind farm site, at Pant y Maen, Nantglyn, on land adjacent to Llyn Bran, Bylchau, Denbigh, wants to increase the height of its turbines via a planning amendment.

The application would affect the development of seven turbines planned for Pant Y Maen Wind Turbines Ltd, based in Oxfordshire.

It would increase the turbines to the tip of the blades from 103m (334ft) to 125m (406ft).

Clwyd West AM Darren Millar, who opposed the original development, said: “These revised plans will add insult to injury to those who opposed this controversial planning application.

“Many of my constituents are concerned about the cumulative visual impact of onshore wind farms in this beautiful part of North Wales and making them even larger and more prominent will do nothing to address their concerns.

“I will be pressing the local authority to reject these proposals.”

The original plans were approved on appeal almost three years after the application was first lodged. That was despite the Welsh Government’s Planning Inspector recommending refusal of the scheme.

It took Welsh energy, planning and rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths to step in and reject her own Planning Inspector’s suggestion to get the matter passed.

A TAN 8 document produced by Welsh government had earmarked a large chunk of the Vale of Clwyd for wind farm development.

Most of the objections to the site were on the grounds the turbines would interfere with the views in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

The change of condition asks for an anemometry tower to be increased from 60m (195ft) to 80m (260ft) in height.

The scheme also allows for transformers, access tracks, on-site substation and “construction and operational infrastructure” to be built.

The plans were originally lodged in March 2015 but knocked back by Denbighshire councillors in September 2016.  The subsequent appeal was upheld in January 2018.

By Jez Hemming – Local Democracy Reporter