SECRETARY OF STATE REFUSES APPEAL FOR WIND FARM ON
ACCOUNT OF RISK TO BATS

Following a six-week public inquiry, planning permission has been refused for an eight-turbine wind farm at Linton, on the Cambridgeshire / Essex border.

A key reason for the Inspector's dismissal of Enertrag's appeal was that "it has not been shown that the proposal would not be harmful to bats, especially barbastelles".

This conclusion was based on the evidence of a Rule 6 party neighbouring landowner, whose case showed that there was a breeding population of barbastelle bats in close proximity to the appeal site, which would be at risk from collision with the turbine blades.

The Inspector was not convinced that Enertrag's survey work was "sufficiently robust" to show that the site was not of particular value to bat populations, in particular the barbastelle. He further accepted that mitigation by way of monitoring and switching off turbines was inappropriate because development should be planned in a way that prevents harm by working with nature rather than reacting to harmful effects afterwards.

Annabel Graham Paul acted for the Rule 6 party neighbouring landowner. She was instructed by Richard Buxton.