Northumberland & Newcastle Society

Wind farm Proposals for Northumberland

The Society's County Committee monitors proposals for wind farm developments in Northumberland and a summary of proposals has been compiled.

Latest Updates

  • Elsdon: A proposal for 9 turbines south of Elsdon on the edge of the National Park is in the early stages. Site visit to be conducted. (Dec 2011)
  • Park Head / Rayburn Lake: RES appealed against non-determination in November 2010 and a Public Inquiry was set for June 2011. RES then requested a postponement of the Inquiry in order to submit a revised scheme. This was refused by the Planning Inspector and RES withdrew subsequently withdrew the appeal, therefore the Public Inquiry has been cancelled. See update on Northumberland County Council web site. (Oct 2011)
  • Wooperton: (1 turbine 77.9m to tip). Application to erect a single turbine at New Bewick Farm on the Harehope Estate. County Committee have commented on this proposal due to its proximity to area of exceptional natural beauty. (July 2011).
    Update: Letter has been written to Lord Vinson. It was felt that the issue of large single turbines in farms was potentially more serious than clusters. Action: Maintain contact with Lord Vinson. Countact County Council for its policy on single turbines. (August 2011)
  • Bavington: (4 turbines 120m high). The date of the Public Inquiry to consider the appeal against Northumberland County Council's failure to give a decision on the original scheme (8 turbines) will open on 26 July 2011 and will be held at the Council Chamber, Prospect House, Hexham. This will be based on the revised scheme of 4 turbines at Bavington Hill Head Farm and the removal of the 4 turbines at Northside Farm. (June 2011)
    Update: See comments from the enquiry on the Journal Alive website (July 2011).
  • Widdrington: Turbines to be incorporated into the Blue Sky Forest Project, on open cast reclamation land.  The Committee saw no reason to object. (May 2011)

The Society's Position on Wind farm Development

The Society recognises the need for renewable energy generation and does not have a policy of opposing all wind farm developments. The Society does believe that there are important questions that need to be asked about the environmental impact of these developments. In order to gain a voice in the planning process it is sometimes necessary to register an objection to an application, even though the Society may only wish to point out what might be lost if the plans go ahead rather than objecting to the scheme in its entirety.

The Committee has drawn up a list of criteria to inform their reaction to proposals for major developments including windfarms in rural areas of Northumberland. Testing the proposed development against these criteria will help to identify whether there any issues which the Committee feel ought to be aired in the planning process.