Hemswell: Secretary of State will now make decision on planning for a 10 turbine wind farm in Hemswell Cliff

The Secretary of State will now make the decision on the planning application to build 10 wind turbines in Hemswell Cliff.
Proposed site for a wind farm near Hemswell Cliff G120710-1cProposed site for a wind farm near Hemswell Cliff G120710-1c
Proposed site for a wind farm near Hemswell Cliff G120710-1c

A public inquiry has taken place after the intial planning application was rejected.

Neil Parnell, developer for RWE Innogy UK, said: “We are happy with how the public inquiry has gone and that we have followed planning policy to the letter throughout the whole process.”

“Support locally has been very encouraging and it was pleasing to hear many talk about the local benefits the wind farm will bring in addition to the wider implications on climate change and helping to protect the UK’s energy security.”

“We now look forward to the secretary of state making a decision in line with planning policies and based on the merits the wind farm will bring.”

“We continue to stress that it is an ideal site with good wind speeds, grid connection and excellent road access.”

“Furthermore, consent would see the wind farm supply the equivalent of between 10,000 and 15,0001 homes per annum with clean, green energy.”

“We expect the wind farm to bring around £10m2 of investment through UK construction contracts and a further cash injection of around £100,0003 into local community projects each year.”

“RWE as a company is strongly dedicated to maximising local economic benefit, jobs and planning gain for the local community where possible.”

Pro wind group, Action 4 Hemswell Cliff and the Lincoln Green Party, together with other environmentalists attended the appeal.

As part of their campaign they have collected a total of 1,786 letters calling for consent for the project.

Spokesman for Action 4 Hemswell, Jonathan Lincoln, said: “This very substantial number of letters shows clearly the high level of support for the application and as such must be a consideration when making a decision.”

“Wind farms in the UK such as Hemswell Cliff are an essential part of our efforts to combat man-made climate change by offsetting carbon dioxide emissions that would otherwise by produced by fossil fuel plant generation.”

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