Residents living in a quaint village have been left stunned after plans for a wind turbine which they thought they’d successfully opposed seven years ago were approved in recent days. Owner of Clearwell Farm David Phillips applied for permission to erect the wind turbine on a public right of way on his popular farm in the village of Michaelston-y-Fedw near Newport in May 2014.
“Everything went quiet” for seven years, a handful of the 43 people who formally wrote to the council objecting to the plans told WalesOnline. They said they found it “very strange” that approval has now been granted without the knowledge of the local community council or anyone living in the area outside of the farm.
A spokesperson for Newport City Council said there was no obligation for the council to update residents living near Clearwell Farm that the turbine was to be approved because it was the same planning application and was not a reapplication. They said it has taken Mr Phillips years to provide necessary information over noise and shadow flicker concerns and that is why there has been such a significant delay.
Mr Phillips says that was not the only reason for the delay. “It’s been dragged out a bit by economics and our own aspirations really,” he explained. “We’ve been developing our solar with the solar farm we have on the farm, so we haven’t had the finance to go on with the wind energy.
“In the last couple of years it wouldn’t have made economic sense to do it. In the last couple of months because of the war in Ukraine and due to a shortage of gas there is a significant demand for local energy.”
There are already two turbines in the small village, one of which is on Clearwell Farm. Residents living within metres of the turbines say they are disruptive and can make it difficult to sleep and concentrate. Mr Phillips said he was unaware that was the case and has a technician living abroad who monitors the sound levels and makes alterations to quieten the turbine on his farm.
Planning documents show that Carolyn Jones Planning Services wrote to the senior planning officer for the council in June 2015 to inform the council that Clearwell Farm’s noise assessment was “flawed”. “There are many complaints regarding noise from the existing turbine and data in respect of this turbine has been used to assess the cumulative impact of the turbines,” Ms Jones wrote.
“Complaints have been submitted by residents with regards to shadow flicker from the turbines, yet no information in respect of shadow flicker has been provided. This is required in order to complete the application and to make a proper assessment.”
The next correspondence - an amended noise assessment - was received by the council five years later in August 2020. The assessment, carried out by MLM Acoustics which was commissioned by Mr Phillips, measured the impact on each dwelling close to the farm using sound level meters and microphones.
MLM Acoustics concluded: “Compliance with the lower fixed limit has been demonstrated at all of the nearest non-financially involved residential receptors. Since the proposed wind turbine complies with all available guidance on noise, there is no reason to refuse permission for this scheme on the grounds of noise.” Further information on shadow flicker was received by the council in February 2022.
One resident living a stone’s throw from the current turbine at the farm, said: “I can hear both turbines. You can hear the wuff, wuff, wuff, constantly. At first I thought I could deal with it but some days when the wind picks up you can hear it right through the house.
“While I’m all for renewable energy, living by one is disruptive. To have another one on top of what we can hear now is going to be a substantial amount of noise.
“This is beautiful countryside, there are residents, and this is going to be a bit of an obstruction really. And it intrudes on the public right of way as well.”
Mr Phillips said that his farm is a “modern working farm” which provides food and renewable energy for local people. On the objections, he said: “You must remember that when we submitted the plans and started this ten years ago many people didn’t know what wind energy was. I was one of the first trying this sort of thing. Now many farmers are doing it.
"There is always a balance for a farmer who cares about their community to have things that are needed in the landscape but to also preserve the landscape. I think we are probably at the right balance now [with two turbines on his farm and a solar farm].
“There are large electric pylons which march through the landscape anyway, so we’re already in a kind of electrified modern landscape. Why not have another couple of turbines here?”
Among the objectors to the turbine was Keep Us Rural - a group set up by residents in Michaelston-y-Fedw to oppose plans for a solar farm nearby, which didn’t go ahead. One of the members of the group said he had thought the objections had been successful in seeing the turbine plans off as well.
“It’s been a shock to hear this, and I am surprised we haven’t been told by the council after so many years that this was to be approved,” he said. “We’ve not even had a letter through the door.”
A council spokeswoman said: “Consideration of this application took place this year after being delayed due to concerns regarding noise and shadow flicker assessment matters. The applicant continued to pursue it and collated the required information to resolve those issues.
“The community was consulted in line with planning laws and the additional information did not result in a change to the scheme. This meant there was no requirement to consult again. All the objections were taken on board before the decision was made as is fully laid out in the officer’s report.”
Mr Phillips says work on a new turbine could start on the landscape next year, but he isn’t targeting a date yet. “We need to find the correct turbine and of course get the finance from the banks at a time where there is a huge demand for these turbines,” he added. “You can’t just go and pick one up anymore.”
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