Fullabrook Down application granted

[Tuesday 09 Oct 2007]



North Devon District Council is deeply disappointed and concerned to learn that planning permission has been granted for a wind farm in one of the most beautiful and prominent areas of the district.

Following a Public Inquiry John Hutton, the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, announced he had granted permission to build 22, 110 metre high wind turbines near Fullabrook Down.

NDDC had recommended that the application be refused and will be scrutinising the report closely to see if there are any grounds to challenge the decision.

Because of the large scale of the proposal the final decision on the application had to be made by the Secretary of State.

At the Public Inquiry, held between November 06 and January 07, the District Council argued that the impact the development had on the local landscape, the wider areas of the Taw and Torridge Estuary and the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the lives of those living in the area and on local tourism far out weighed any benefits.

Speaking after the decision, Leader of the Council Cllr Mike Harrison was joined by Cllr Malcolm Prowse, Liberal Democrat Leader in saying: “We are shocked and disappointed by the decision. Regrettably it seems this decision typifies the way Government thinking is going, as evidenced in the new Planning White Paper, with its emphasis seemingly on moving decision-making closer to the centre, and further from the communities who will experience the consequences of those decisions.

“It also seems that North Devon and its people are picking up the pieces of Devon County Council’s flawed Structure Plan policies on renewable energy targets and ‘Areas of Search’ for windfarms.”

A copy of the Planning Inspector's report (pdf 793kb) and the Secretary of State's decision letter (Word 81kb) explaining the decision are available on the Council's website.

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