we won

inspector has dismissed the appeal by enertrag

sUMMARY OF REFUSAL Any wind farm is likely to bring change to the landscape and the outlook of people living nearby and the fact that the development would be reversible is a further factor to be borne in mind. The question is whether any residual harm would be so serious as to significantly damage such interests. In this particular instance, the proposed wind farm would bring adverse change to the landscape; both in terms of its character and its appreciation. The impacts would be far reaching as a result of the particular qualities and features of the landscape. In this regard, the proposed wind farm would be overlooked from the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the wider context of an extensive landscape with far reaching vistas which are generally untainted by other intrusive development. The setting of listed buildings would not be impaired by the project, and residential amenity could be protected from noise by the imposition of conditions. However, the living environment of two dwellings close to the wind farm would be marred to a major degree and the occupants of the dwellings would suffer unacceptable living conditions. Planning Policy Statement 22: Renewable Energy requires that development proposals should demonstrate how any environmental and social impacts have been minimised. In this particular case the endeavours to minimise impacts have not gone sufficiently far and, in the final analysis, the very considerable importance attaching to the benefits of the project, reflecting the thrust of Policy 40 of the East Midlands Regional Plan 2009, is outweighed by the harm to the landscape and the adverse impact on the living environment of two dwellings in the immediate locality of the site. The appeal is dismissed for these reasons. READ THE FULL DECISION HERE