CONTROVERSIAL plans have been given the go-ahead to locate a 10.5m high wind turbine at a new residential home in Rawmarsh.
The turbine will form part of the entrance to a 60 bed aged persons home which is currently being built on land off Stubbin Lane.
It will provide enough electrical energy to heat the whole building and is also intended to reduce the carbon footpri
nt of the home.
The scheme, proposed by Rotherham Council’s Adult Social Services, was given the green light by councillors at the Planning Board meeting in Rotherham Town Hall last Thursday.
There were however a number of objections to the plans, and seven letters and an email were sent to the council by residents living nearby.
Concerns centred on the amount of noise and vibration the turbine will generate with some residents’ fearing low frequency noise will, among many things, cause sleep disturbance and stress.
But Environmental Health did a noise assessment and, in planning documents, an officer said: “The information submitted from the manufacturer of the wind turbine regarding the outputs from the unit is considerably lower than the current background noise climate.
“Although no calculated predictions have been received specifically for this site, having looked at the information provided I do not envisage there being a significant issue in terms of noise from these units.”
In addition, a planning officer wrote: “The turbine’s modern mechanical appearance will add an interesting focal point to the main entrance of the new care home and its small scale will not dominate the streetscene.
Members of the planning board agreed with the planning officers reccommendation for approval and granted the scheme planning permission.
The full article contains 285 words and appears in South Yorkshire Times newspaper.
