Wokingham Borough Councillors refuse planning permission for Rushy Mead wind turbines
Published: 28/04/2011
Wokingham Borough Councillors yesterday voted to refuse planning permission for four wind turbines on land owned by the University of Reading adjacent to the M4. Earlier in April planning officers had published a report which recommended that the planning application be turned down on landscape and heritage grounds. The planning application was submitted to the council in October 2010 by developer Partnerships for Renewables. Stephen Ainger, CEO of Partnerships for Renewables, said: “We are disappointed with the council’s decision and will now assess the situation and decide what future steps should be taken. We have received a great deal of support for our work at Rushy Mead and I would like to thank the 600 plus people who took the time to support the application. “We believe that the proposal is well designed and appropriate for the location and this view appears to be supported by lack of objections from statutory consultees such as Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Civil Aviation Authority. The planning officers also recognised, in their planning report, that the concerns raised by many objectors regarding flooding, shadow flicker and noise would not arise as a problem from this development. “We are very much aware that we have a responsibility to the local community to make a quick and informed decision on what our next steps will be and we will announce our decision shortly.” Notes to Editor A scheme of this size could generate between 15.7GWh and 21.9GWh of renewable electricity per year, which is equivalent to the amount of electricity used annually by between 3,440 and 4,790 average households, and could displace between 6,780 and 9,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. Please note: The environmental benefit figures are based on: four, 2.5 megawatt turbines with a total installed capacity of 10MW, operating with both a 18 and 25% capacity factor; average household electricity use of 4,572.5kWh per annum; and the electricity generated displacing electricity generated from CCGT / average fuel mix - approximately 430gCO2/kWh
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