PLANS to repower a wind farm at St Eval have been given the go ahead despite community concerns the new taller turbines would have an overbearing impact on the landscape.

Cornwall Council’s strategic planning committee voted to approve an application to replace 16 turbines at Bears Down wind farm with four turbines, which will be three times the size standing at 150 metres high. Fears about the development causing excessive noise and shadow flicker were also raised.

Kim Hayward, chair of St Eval Parish Council, said: “The residents already have to deal with excessive noise and flicker which does cause problems, especially for adults and children with epilepsy, also children with ADHD and autism. The flicker does exist, whatever anybody says, unless you live there. The flicker does exist.”

Cllr Scott Taylor, the mayor of St Columb Major Town Council, added: “The level of concern within the community is significant and those concerns relate to substantive planning matters.

“We recognise the importance of renewable energy and the repowering of existing infrastructure can provide benefits, but the benefits should not mean that the impacts are automatically considered acceptable.”

Liz McKenzie, chair of St Mawgan-in-Pydar Parish Council, highlighted concerns about the scale and impact of the turbines as they would be visible from “extensive locations”.

Local member Cllr Rowland O’Connor, who represents St Columb Major, St Mawgan and St Wenn, brought the matter to committee.

He said: “I support renewable energy and I support repowering Bears Down. I’m not asking whether this site should be repowered, I’m asking whether four turbines at 150m are acceptable here.”

Cornwall Council’s strategic planning committee approved the plans at its meeting on Thursday by eight votes to one as planning policy gives significant weight to renewable energy proposals.

Wadebridge-based Clean Earth Energy Ltd submitted the plans as the 16 turbines, which are 57 metes high, are coming to the end of their 25-year operational life,

Amber Trembath, representing applicant Clean Earth Energy Ltd, said the proposed turbines would produce enough electricity to power 15,000 homes or one in 20 Cornish households. She stated that the MOD and Newquay airport had both stated that there would not be an impact on aviation safety.

David Kempthorne, one of three farming families who own and farm the land around the Bears Down wind farm, stated the four bigger turbines would generate three times the amount of electricity each year as produced by the 16 turbines on site.

He said: “It’s the right next step for this established wind farm site. Our families have farmed this land between three and four generations. For over 25 years the turbines have operated alongside normal farming, with livestock grazing, arable use and day-to-day farm work continuing around them.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

“The repowering is important for us because it will give us an opportunity to keep our farms going, have minimal impact on farming activities, give our businesses long-term security and support our families when farming is under real pressure.”