Council approves plans for taller wind turbine

The existing turbine at Michaelstow near Bodmin will be replaced with a taller one

An energy company's plans to replace a wind turbine in the Cornish countryside with a taller one has been approved.

Octopus Energy Generation applied to replace the turbine on land west of Helsbury Park Woods, Michaelstow, near Bodmin.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the new turbine would be 72ft 2in (22m) taller than the current one.

Cornwall Council's planning department said it could help the county's attempts to become carbon neutral by 2030 but opponents were concerned about the visual impact on the surrounding area.

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The new turbine would be 219ft 8in (67m) tall, according to planning documents.

Dr Nicky Gilmour, who is against the project, said the increased size of the turbine "inflicts the greatest adverse impacts to nearby homes".

Richard Whitby, from Michaelstow Parish Council, told councillors it would be an "incongruous and unnatural feature in the area of outstanding great landscape value".

Simon Johnson, for the applicant, said larger machines would significantly increase the production of older wind turbine sites on the same grid connection and could produce the maximum amount of renewable energy more regularly and consistently.

Councillor Dominic Fairman said there would be a visual impact but the proposal was policy compliant.

Councillors subsequently voted in favour of the plans.