Summary and conclusions
The report states that planning permission be REFUSED for the following
reasons
1 - The application site partly lies within the Metropolitan Green Belt as defined
in the East Hertfordshire Local Plan wherein permission will not be given, except
in very special circumstances, for the material change of use of the land or
engineering operations unless they maintain openness and do not conflict with
the purposes of including land in the Green Belt. No very special circumstances
are apparent in this case that clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt, and
the proposal would therefore be contrary to policy GBC1 of the East Herts Local
Plan Second Review April 2007 and national planning guidance, PPG2 ‘Green
Belts’.
2 - The application site lies partly within the Rural Area as defined in the
East Hertfordshire Local Plan wherein there is a presumption against development
other than required for agriculture, forestry, small scale local community facilities
or other uses appropriate to a rural area. The proposed development would be
prejudicial to this policy, set out at policies GBC2 and GBC3 within the East
Herts Local Plan Review April 2007.
3 - The proposal would introduce tall moving structures into a landscape void
of such development and would result in significant harm to the landscape character
of the surrounding area. The Local Planning Authority are not satisfied that
the environmental benefits of these turbines clearly outweighs this harm, and
as such the application is considered to be contrary to policies SD3 and GBC14
of the East Herts Local Plan Second Review April 2007, and the adopted Landscape
Character Assessment SPD.
Conclusions
The proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt and Rural
Area beyond the Green Belt, and as such very special circumstances must be demonstrated
that clearly outweigh the harm caused by reason of inappropriateness. It
is clear that there are special circumstances evident in this case as the proposal
would make a considerable contribution to renewable energy provision in the East
of England. Local economic benefits may also arise through construction and decommissioning. However,
it is my Officer view that these benefits do not clearly outweigh the harm caused
to the openness and integrity of the Green Belt, and the visual amenity of the
surrounding countryside.
The proposed wind turbines are to be located in an area that is neither remote,
nor fully developed. The surrounding landscape is characterised by intimate
countryside with a number of villages, hamlets and individual dwellings within
a 5km radius. There is also an extensive network of Public Rights of Way
and roads within the site vicinity. The introduction of tall, moving features
would therefore result in a significant change to the landscape and visual amenity
for a variety of residential and recreational receptors within the surrounding
area. Overall, it is the Officer’s view that this level of change is unacceptable
by reason of the size of the wind turbines that would appear out of scale with
their landscape setting, and unacceptably dominant in the surrounding countryside.
The application is therefore recommended for refusal for the reasons set out
above.
A full copy of the report can be found here
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