Campaigners have won their battle to overturn plans for a five-turbine windfarm on the unspoiled coastline of the Solway Firth. Around 1,000 villagers, visitors and business owners from Allonby and the surrounding area sent letters of objection to Allerdale Council when Nuon Renewables submitted plans to build the 102m turbines at Brownrigg Hall Farm, just outside Allonby. Today councillors on the Allerdale development panel rejected the plans on the grounds the windfarm would have a detrimental visual impact in the landscape and harm tourism in the area

Concerns were also raised that the narrow country lanes in the area would not support the huge trucks delivering to the site, and air traffic control safety experts raised grave concerns that the windfarm would create a shadow on their radar, making it impossible to track aeroplanes over the site.

Campaigner Simon Brooks owns Manor House Caravan Park, which is just one kilometre away from the proposed windfarm, and believes it would have had a catastrophic impact on all 12 caravan parks in the area.He said: “The construction of five wind turbines at Brown rigg Hall Farm could only have a negative effect on the fragile rural economy of this devel oping area.”

Councillor Joan Minto, who is a member of the develop ment panel, agreed that the turbines would destroy the area’s famous coastal views. She said: “I went to Carlisle by bus the other day and when you look across the Solway the site is absolutely beautiful. People come from all over the world to watch the sun set over the Solway. “We have little enough going for us as it is, but we do have natural beauty, and I would hate to see that spoiled.”

Councillors voted 10 to two against the plans, and cam paigners applauded as the result was confirmed.

Campaigner Jane Jackson was pleased, but said there was no time to rest with similar applications under con sideration in Oughterside, West Newton and Tallentire. She said: “We are absolutely delighted. But this should act as a wake up call for people all over west Cumbria to stop national companies from abusing our landscape.”

 

News and Star, 5 april 2007