A PLANNING inspector's decision to allow a wind turbine at Alvington Court Farm is described as well-considered and extremely thorough by Janine Michael.

In fact many of his reasons are quite bizarre. He states that considerable weight and importance should be accorded to the setting of this listed building then concludes that the turbine, nearly 300 ft high and close to the building, would not have a 'substantial' effect on the setting and heritage significance of the farmhouse. The inspector has given weight to the suggestion that this is a 'community-led' proposal. This claim is completely fictitious.

This scheme has been foisted on Alvington and Aylburton because of a willing landowner and for no other reason.

There has been no call from the local community to have a turbine or any other community energy project, particularly of this scale.

The parish councils of both Alvington and Aylburton have objected very strongly. If the similar scheme in St Briavels is any indication funding will come mainly from large investors.

Investment opportunities in this scheme were advertised widely and the developer has never produced any evidence of a significant investment from local residents.

The inspector also concludes, amazingly, that the scheme's generation of renewable energy would be a benefit of considerable weight and importance both locally and nationally.

The evidence from the St. Briavels scheme shows that this 500kW turbine will probably be working at only about 20 per cent efficiency.

How can this sort of output be of considerable national importance?

Perhaps the most bizarre of all the reasons given for allowing the appeal is that the turbine would provide significant income for the farmer and that it is likely that he will spend some of these funds on necessary maintenance of the listed building.

Surely this must be the most unusual reason ever for granting planning permission?

The developer and landowner have chosen to ignore the wishes of most of the local community and have used the Planning Inspectorate to force this turbine on our villages. Localism, which is supposed to place more influence in the hands of local people over issues that make a big difference to their lives, has failed yet again.

– Puzzled, Aylburton.