WIND farm plans for a site on the Isle of Wight have been recommended for refusal by planners.
The five-turbine Vectis Wind Farm scheme for Wellow will be decided by the Isle of Wight Council’s planning sub committee at a crunch meeting next Monday at 6pm.
The meeting will be held at Cowes Yacht Haven due to the expected high level of public interest.
Infinergy’s planning application for five, 100m wind turbines on agricultural land to the south of Wellow has proved hugely contentious attracting more than 2,000 representations.
Of these, 836 state an objection while 1,274 speak in favour of the proposal, though 978 are in the form of a 'pro forma’ letter.
Objections have centred mainly on the visual impact of the turbines on the landscape and on neighbouring homes.
Paperwork has revealed the developer has pledged £2,000 per MW per year for the lifetime of the project towards a new community fund to be invested in local community projects. It is estimated the turbines could produce a maximum of 12.5MW per year.
The company has also proposed a £100 rebate for households directly neighbouring the site and a ten per cent discount for energy for households in the surrounding area.
Planning officers however, have recommended the scheme be thrown out on the grounds of dominance, scale, location and layout. They have said the turbines would have a significant adverse impact on the character and appearance of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and nearby residents.
Reporter: martinn@iwcpmail.co.uk