Go-ahead to site 77ft turbine in Shropshire greenbelt

But plans for a bigger turbine near Much Wenlock have been put on hold.

The Claverley turbine, for Home Farm, will provide power to help in the daily running of the business.

The plans, put forward by Edward Horgan, were opposed by the parish council, which claimed the turbine would be a blot on the landscape. There were also 14 objections from residents who feared the turbine would disrupt views over parkland and would be an intrusion into the greenbelt.

However, councillors on Shropshire Council's south planning committee felt that the turbine would not have a major impact on the area.

Councillor Stuart West, vice-chairman of the committee, said at yesterday's meeting in Shirehall: "We did actually view the area when there was little to no foliage on the trees. It all looks a bit stark.

"Come spring or summer that might mitigate some of the problems.

"The gentleman who has made this application has also made efforts to read and research the quietest one available and has been to North Wales to see one in action."

Councillor Madge Shineton said: "To me there is an economic element. It is also well shielded and well protected."

But Councillor Tina Woodward, who represents Alveley and Claverley, said: "This area is very, very open. It is not economic, other than for the viability of the property."

Though the development is on greenbelt land, national planning guidelines encourage the use of renewable energy. Councillors were told that an application should be approved if its impact was acceptable.

But the plans for a 47 metre turbine at Woodhouse Fields, Bourton, Much Wenlock, were deferred. Councillors are awaiting the submission of amended drawings showing how the turbine will look.

The applications are among a number currently in the planning process across the region, from single turbines like these to full-scale windfarms across the border in Powys.

A report this week claimed that wind turbines near homes can wipe tens of thousands of pounds off the value of the properties.

The study by the London School of Economics looked at more than a million sales of properties close to windfarm sites over a 12-year period.

It found that values of homes within 1.2??miles of large windfarms were being cut by about 11 per cent.

This means that if such a windfarm were near an average house, which now costs almost £250,000, it would lose more than £27,000 in value.

In sought-after rural idylls where property prices are higher, the financial damage is even more substantial, the report claims.

In villages around one of southern England's largest onshore developments – Little Cheyne Court windfarm in Romney Marsh, Kent, where homes can cost close to £1?million – house values could drop by more than £100,000, according to the LSE.