|
| We
were given permission to take
this report from the website of the Dartmoor Preservation Association, www.dartmoorpreservation.com The two 70 metre turbines at Lamerton have been rejected following the public inquiry which took place in Tavistock in October. Mr Richard Tamplin, the Planning Inspector, who heard the appeal by Mr and Mrs Bradford against West Devon Borough Council planning committee’s decision to refuse permission for the turbines, applauded the Bradfords’ hard work, dedication and persistence in presenting their case; and he acknowledged that the urgency of meeting Devon’s renewable energy targets for 2010 weighed very heavily in favour of the proposal. But he judged that these benefits were even more heavily outweighed by the “unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the distinctive local landscape around the appeal site…..that the adverse impact on the viewpoints of Brent Tor and Pork Hill would damage the special qualities of the Dartmoor National Park …and the long distance views towards and from the National Park and the Tamar Valley AONB,” which in turn would compromise one of the statutory purposes of Dartmoor as a national park. Another deciding factor was the very special countryside around Brent Tor Church (a Grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument). The size and motion of the turbines would destroy the fragile quality of this quiet, still landscape and would be wholly inappropriate to the setting of Brent Tor and the scheduled barrow cemetery on the crest of the Beacon just below. He also considered that there would be a significant adverse effect on the residential amenity of people living up to 2 kilometres from the site; and he acknowledged that the local landscape around the site was of a distinctive quality, even though outside the boundaries of Dartmoor NP and the AONB. Mr Jonathan Cardale, Chief Executive of the Dartmoor Preservation Association (which supported the Council and the local action group WIFLAG at the inquiry), said “This is the right decision - which reinforces the high value we in Devon place on our historic buildings and the very special landscapes which surround them and our national parks. They are our heritage and a priceless asset which is not renewable. We all acknowledge the need for renewable energy, but it has to be in the right place. In this case the planning system and common sense said this was not an appropriate site; and we applaud the inspector for having endorsed this.” “Coming less than a month after the Yelland decision and the day after the Den Brook Inquiry ended in Okehampton, this decision has given fresh heart to all of us who have been fighting to protect Dartmoor and its beautiful surroundings from these gigantic and intrusive monsters.” Jonathan Cardale 3 December 2006 (This was written before the result of the Denbrook Inquiry was known. There is more about that result, and the Yelland Inquiry, on the Dartmoor Preservation Association website) back |
