Issue - meetings

The Chairman introduced the first application of the meeting, item 6(a), application number 146461, to erect 1no. wind turbine on land at Hillcrest Park, Caistor. This was an application deferred from the 12 July 2023 Planning Committee meeting. Additional information had been submitted by the applicant. This included visualisations of the turbine, details of the energy output and noise information. This was all detailed and assessed within the report.

At the meeting on 12 July 2023, it was resolved that the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) be invited to attend the next hearing of the application, in order to explain their objection to the proposal. Members were advised that, whilst it was not possible for them to attend the meeting, they had sent a video to be played to the Committee. This arrangement had been made with prior agreement from the Chairman.  The Officer gave a short presentation about the application, and then presented the requested contribution from a representative from NATS.

In the contribution from NATS, the representative explained that his team's remit was to analyse and mitigate any potential harm to aviation safety. The speaker explained that the technology used in radars used pulses of energy and tracked the 'echoes' of those to assist aircraft in avoiding potential harm. These safety systems utilised a combination of filter and tracking algorithms to stagger the flights and aircraft. Members learned that wind turbines would severely weaken the algorithm's effectiveness, with the perspective from the radars being indistinguishable from aeroplanes. This had the consequential effect of creating potentially dangerous situations.

The speaker stated there were ways to mitigate the impacts of wind turbines near airports. In parts of Lincolnshire, there were small-scale developments of wind turbines that operated safely in compliance with NATS guidance. In relation to the application, the representative explained that work would have to be undertaken in the radar system for any 'blank' identification issues to be covered. In concluding the presentation, the speaker stated that NATS were willing to remove their objection if the application could be conditioned to comply with their advice.

The Chairman invited the first registered speaker, Mr Oliver Lawrence, the applicant, to address the Committee.

In his statement, the applicant explained that the impact on visual amenities was limited, with the turbine looking and functioning like a windmill. Members heard that the site was surrounded by towers, with some above 70 metres tall, which made the size of the proposed turbine miniature in comparison. The applicant stated that a similar turbine had been recently approved and queried whether there was a disparity in the treatment of the application.

With regard to  the electricity capacity, Members heard this was for the site's provisions, with the cost being 33 pence per unit and the ability to sell the electricity for 4.5 pence. Mr Lawrence stated that Caistor's Neighbourhood Plan supported locally sourced energy resources and encouraged similar types of development. He emphasised that electricity from wind turbines also worked well in winter weather and was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54