THE much-contested planning proposal, which was previously withdrawn by EDF Energy Renewables, for a wind farm development near St Giles-on-the-Heath, will not be resubmitted.

EDF Energy Renewables has confirmed it will not be proceeding with proposals to develop a wind farm at Hollow Panson.

An original plan was submitted in December 2012 for a six 115m-high wind turbine, 12MW scheme on a site east of Chapman’s Well.

There were more than 200 comments submitted to Torridge District Council when the plan was announced — mostly objecting to the scheme.

Opposition to the plan also came from MP for Torridge and West Devon Geoffrey Cox and campaign group Hollow Panson Turbine Opposition Group (HPTOG).

Ashwater, St Giles-on-the-Heath and Virginstow parish councils also objected for reasons including cumulative effect, noise and visual impacts on residential amenity.

Approval for three wind turbines at nearby Nethercott Farm, Tetcott, had also prompted letters from residents over fears of increased cumulative impact.

Chair of the Devon branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England Penny Mills previously commented that the wind farm would have ‘adversly changed the outlook and amenity of many homes’.

In the summer of 2014 EDF Energy Renewables announced the withdrawal of its original planning application to Torridge Council for the proposed Hollow Panson wind farm development pending a review of the scheme.

In August 2015, EDF Energy Renewables onshore wind development manager Tim Wheeler said: “We take the utmost care with our site selection and after a review of our original proposal we have decided not to proceed with it in its current form.

“Considerable environ­mental, landscape and visual analysis work has already been undertaken on the proposed site and we still believe it has the potential to provide an appropriate location for a wind farm.

“We therefore intend to continue with our investigations and refine our proposal with a view to making a new planning application for a revised scheme.”

EDF Energy Renewables withdrew the application but said it would continue to work on the proposed scheme with a view to submitting a revised application at a later date.

It then fully withdrew proposals after a review of the initial development proposal and asked that Torridge Council took no further action in considering the application.

The firm said it would continue to carry out work on the proposed scheme with a view to submitting a revised application for the site.

But it has now confirmed it will not be proceeding with this course of action — to the delight of many residents who were opposed to the scheme initially.

A spokesperson from EDF Energy Renewables said: “Now, after considering the project in relation to government announcements on onshore wind, the company has confirmed that it does not intend to take its plans any further and will not be submitting a revised planning application for the site.”

Penny Mills from CPRE?Devon said: “This is extremely welcome news and a great relief to local residents.”