Wind turbine wins approval

Plans for a wind turbine that divided opinion in two neighbouring villages have been given the go-ahead.

Newark and Sherwood District Council planning committee on Tuesday agreed the wind turbine could be built between Hockerton and Winkburn.

The turbine, expected to produce about 255 kilowatts of energy a year, would be supported by a tower no higher than 101ft.

It would have three blades, each around 42ft long.

The blades would be attached to a box on top of the tower and the full structure would be no more than 150ft high.

The plans were submitted by a group called Sustainable Hockerton.

Residents of Hockerton have largely been in favour of the application while people in Winkburn have opposed it.

Villagers will contribute towards the cost of the turbine. The energy produced would be sold to the National Grid and the money raised given to those who invested in the project.

Any additional profit would pay for other community projects, such as the provision of energy-saving lightbulbs.

The chairman of Hockerton Parish Meeting, Dr Geeta Lakshmi, said the plans had overwhelming support from the parish.

She said the turbine would not affect house values in the area.

Winkburn Parish Meeting’s objections included the location of the turbine, which they said was near a mature landscape area. They felt the proposal did not fit in with the Newark and Sherwood Local Plan policy on developments in mature landscape areas.

They raised concerns about potential noise.

Mr Bill Eastwood, a member of Winkburn Parish Meeting, and the district councillor for the area, Mrs Sylvia Michael, both spoke against the proposal at the planning meeting.

Mr Eastwood said that while those who had invested in the wind turbine would receive a return, there were no benefits for Winkburn residents.

“They get all the benefits but we get all the environmental cost,” he said.

Planning committee member Mr Roger Blaney said the height of the turbine was about the same as telephone pylons throughout the district.

Mr Ben Wells said: “How refreshing it is to hear of a parish that supports green energy.”

It was stated that the development was about 2,952ft from Winkburn Hall so was an estimated 1,640ft from the mature landscape, and English Heritage did not think the proposal would adversely affect the setting of the hall.