SOUTH Lakeland District Council’s planning committee has refused an application for repowering the Kirkby Moor windfarm.

The proposal by energy company RWE comprised the decommissioning of the 12 existing turbines on the Kirkby Moor site and replacing them with six turbines with a blade tip height of 115m, over two and a half times the height of the current turbines.

Whilst recognising the importance of renewable energy development in providing clean energy sources, membership charity Friends of the Lake District believes that this proposal would have had a significant detrimental impact on the landscape and, in particular, the setting of the Lake District National Park.

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Laura Fiske, planning officer at Friends of the Lake District, said: “Six 115m tall turbines would have been inappropriate and intrusive in this location and massively out of scale with their surroundings, flashing over a skyline from more distant viewpoints.

“The development threatened to impact on some of our most iconic views including many Lake District peaks such as the Old Man of Coniston, Black Combe and Kentmere as well as views from Coniston Water and Kirkstone Pass. 

“We are very grateful for the support offered by the local community in dealing with this application and would like to extend our thanks to them."

Kate Ashbrook, the Open Spaces Society’s general secretary, said: ‘We are overjoyed that the committee followed its officer’s advice and resolved to reject this damaging application.  It would have been a gigantic intrusion in this exquisite landscape, destroying the very qualities for which it was designated a national park, and interfering with the public’s peaceful enjoyment of a wide area.

"The moor itself is criss-crossed with paths and is visible for miles around.  One can see how these massive turbines would be far more damaging even than the existing ones.  We hope that this is now the end of the abuse of Kirkby Moor and that when the current consent expires in 2018 the moor will be open and free once more."

RWE Innogy UK’s Kirkby Moor Project Developer, Chris Gainey said: “We are deeply disappointed with this decision. We already know this is an excellent location for a wind farm. 

"The existing wind farm has been a successful part of this community  for nearly 25 years.  During that time it has made a valuable contribution toward combating climate change, as well as directly benefitting the local community.

"This decision is frustrating as the plans to repower the wind farm would have meant  significant further environmental and economic benefits including new inward investment into Cumbria. We will now consider the decision in full before deciding what happens next."

The existing windfarm on Kirkby Moor is due for decommissioning in 2018.