Anger at 'revised' turbine proposal

Apr 15 2009 by Brian Daniel, The Journal

The opposition group has accused Your Energy of misleading the borough council by initially supplying “false information” on the visual impacts of its scheme.

Last night, Tamsin Watson, 36, whose Ancroft Southmoor Farm home would be 700 metres from the turbines, accused Your Energy of attempting to deceive its opponents. The self-employed accountant claimed the changes are proof that the company’s landscape environmental impact assessment – which is also said to have been altered this year on noise levels – had not been done properly or to a correct standard prior to its application being determined.

She said: “They are just trying to sort the problem out now and it is unreasonable and obviously does not show them in a very good light at all.” Mrs Watson said changes to Your Energy’s evidence cost objectors money as they have to pay their lawyers to revise their own statements accordingly.

The Journal asked Your Energy to provide both sets of photomontages for publication, but the company refused. It also declined to comment on the apparent changes. A spokesperson for Northumberland County Council said: “The applicant had indicated they planned to submit a consolidated environmental impact assessment for the proposal.

“This has now been received and the visual montages provided as part of this differ from the previous ones. These new montages will mean that more work is needed by the council to prepare for the inquiry. We have therefore written to the planning inspectorate noting our concerns, primarily because of the impact on timescales.”