Powys council's report on Nant Mithil energy park proposals show more negatives than positives with the plans
Powys councillors will receive a report which sets out county planners’ views on a proposal for an energy park, which includes 30 wind turbines that are up to 220 metres in height
At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Planning committee on Thursday, February 12, the Local Impact Report (LIR) on the Nant Mithil Energy Park proposal by Bute Energy at Radnor Forest near Llandrindod Wells will be received by councillors.
The planning application is being dealt with by Welsh Government Planning Inspectors at Planning and Environment Decision Wales as it is classed as a Development of National Significance (DNS).
This means that Powys council is merely a consultee and not a decision maker.
The LIR is the authority’s chance to feed into the process and explains what Powys planners think planning inspectors should take careful note of when deciding the application.
This includes advising PEDW and the developers of any secondary planning consents that may need to be applied for.
Originally the LIR was supposed to be received by councillors at a meeting of the Planning committee on December 19 before being submitted to PEDW as part of the consultation on the project.
But that meeting was cancelled due to PEDW suspending their work on the application.
This was to allow planning inspectors to review availability of redacted information, and due to the holiday period and Inspector availability.
PEDW have now re-stated the consultation which now runs until, Monday, February 16.
In the LIR the council does not give a formal opinion on the proposal but outlines whether aspects of the development would be either positive, neutral or negative
On the whole the report shows that there are 16 negative outcomes for the county if the development goes ahead with only four positives noted.
Positives include the need for more renewable energy projects as well as improvements to bridleways and to Radnor Forest itself.
Negative impacts include the effects it would have on people living close by due to “shadow flicker” and the development would on birds such as the Red Kite.
It is also stated in the report that the development would have a negative impact on listed buildings in the area as well as the landscape character and visual aspects.
The document said: “This report provides a factual, objective view of the likely impact of the proposed development on the area, based on PCC’s local knowledge and robust evidence of local issues.
“This report does not form a representation on the merits of the DNS proposal and does not include a balancing of the planning issues.”
Bute Energy said: “The proposal would generate 198MW (Mega Watts) of clean, green energy, that’s enough to power the equivalent of between 130,000 and 193,000 homes every year.
“The project will deliver significant benefits to the local community, including a Community Benefit Fund of around £1.5millon invested in community projects every year for the lifespan of the park.”
