Go-ahead for wind turbine near Selby (From York Press)

Go-ahead for wind turbine near Selby

9:39am Saturday 18th February 2012 in Selby & Tadcaster

PLANNERS in Selby have approved plans for a new wind turbine in a village near the town. The turbine, which will be built at Common Side Farm in Common Road at Barlow, will be 71 metres high to its blade tips, has drawn criticism from two residents.

One said their main concern was that “the visual impact will greatly reduce our enjoyment of living in this quiet part of the country”, and would reduce property values, while another suggested two smaller turbines may be preferable. Barlow Parish Council said the turbine was too big and would be too close to the community, although a report which went before the planning meeting said stated the visual impact on individual properties was slight and neither imposing nor overbearing. The turbine should create about 660,000 KWh of electricity per year, more than 13 times the annual usage of the nearby farm, with the remainder being fed into the National Grid.