Newcastle Airport disputes wind turbine approval
22.03.08
Council officials who approved plans to build seven massive new wind turbines on the Northumberland coastline may be forced to re-consider the decision after they failed to follow the correct procedures, according to Newcastle Airport officials.
The planned turbines at Blyth Harbour – six 125 metres high and the seventh to be the tallest land-based turbine in Europe at 163m – were given the green light by Wansbeck councillors two months ago, despite strong opposition from the airport, who said that the giant structures could cause interference on air traffic control radar screens and pose a potential threat to aircraft safety.
Under national planning rules, the council should have sought the opinion of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) when it proposed to approve the scheme in the face of the safety objections from the airport. It failed to do so but has now formally consulted the CAA after being reminded of its legal obligations by the Government office for the North East (GONE).
If the CAA supports Newcastle Airport’s concerns over safety, the council will have to hold a fresh meeting and re-consider the decision to approve the turbines. Airport officials have also asked Government ministers to call in the decision to approve the Hainsford Energy application, and order a public inquiry into the unresolved safety fears.
Wansbeck councillors approved the application in January after leading aviation experts QneticQ, who were commissioned by Hainsford Energy to study the potential air safety risks, concluded that the turbines would have a minimal impact on the airport’s operations. However, the airport claims it might have to create an exclusion zone around the wind farm, because of the height of the turbines, and re-route incoming and outbound flights by at least five nautical miles.
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